Our eldest son, Walker, was born in April 2011–just over 4 years ago. For a year or so, we were able to happily go about our travel adventures in a manner very similar to our usual style pre-kids. But once babies become mobile toddlers and/or there are two to tow about, things change. They did for us, anyhow.
Adventuresome hikes become cycles complete with baby seat. We traded jaunts to lands less traveled for a sunny patch of sand somewhere, anywhere. Our boys will eat just about anything, so food’s never a worry…but white tablecloths become a playtoy…or worse…a napkin.
So, seeing that it’s been nearly 1 year (gasp!) since our last post, we thought it worth shedding some light on what we’ve been up to. We’ve stumbled upon a travel calendar which works for us…visiting the States to see family ~ every 9 months, a week of winter sun in December-February, Spring sun (April) someplace warmer than the UK and Spring/Summer months spent in the UK (June to mid-September). And we try to visit a new country every year (Denmark last year). For this stage, this plan works well for us.
Last September, G and I went away for a weekend. Thankfully, our nanny was available to keep the boys at ours while we were away in Copenhagen, so they were well cared for maintained a sense of normalcy despite our travels.
Next, we went to Lanzarote for a dose of winter sunshine (and G’s birthday). And in April, we ventured back to the States to visit our families and a couple friends in Virginia.
For all the tradeoffs, our new travels are just as special as the old–albeit special in a new way. Rather than an exploration of new cultures and possible ‘life paths’, our recent family travels serve as quality time spent reconnecting with one another and enjoying the odd dash of sun.
Stay tuned for a few long-overdue posts Copenhagen, Centre Parcs (UK), the Canary Islands (Lanzarote) and the States.