Modern Mama

From the apartment in Paris to the Airbnb in Germany I really appreciated the places we stayed, but for different reasons. In Paris, our apartment was within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower and a lot of the other locations we wanted to visit so it was really easy to bust out the stroller and explore the streets of Paris which is something I really wanted to do instead of just take a cab everywhere. By doing this we ended up stumbling across several great restaurants that we were able to just walk into and enjoy. On the other hand we ended up renting an Airbnb in Germany that ended up having two homes side by side. This was nice to give my in-laws a little bit of space since they could hear every time our little one would get up in the middle of the night in the Parisian apartment. It also had a sauna that was pretty relaxing which was much needed being at the end of our trip. So make sure you spend a lot of time picking the right stays since they do make a big difference in how you sleep and wind down after a long day of adventures.

While driving in a foreign country might seem daunting to many travelers, we found that driving across Paris, through Luxemburg and Belgium to get to Germany was not only beautiful but it also allowed us to go at our own pace and take several breaks which is always necessary with a one year old on board. The rules of the road were not that different than the United States and Google Maps worked perfectly so we really had no trouble getting around and we got the added bonus of stops in Luxemburg and Belgium which we otherwise would not have hit.

One of the best experiences we did in Paris was attend mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. While coming in as a visitor is incredible there was no beating the experience of standing in a place where so many important services have been held and seeing the Cathedral from the perspective of a church goer. This section is blocked off to visitors so it is well worth the extra effort of aligning your visit with a service. And then afterward we were still able to go around the rest of the church and soak in the history. In Germany the Nürburgring track has been a bucket list item for my husband and his father for so many years so we went all in and also added on a driving tour before they went out on the track. The best part was that the rest of us were able to come along for that. This not only gave us non-racers a better appreciation for the track, but it made a full day event with pictures that we now have to look back on that special moment. So if there is anything that really means a lot to you on your travels you will never regret going big whether that’s in planning or spending a little extra.

If you do decide to take the full family along make sure you plan early so that way no one misses out on an experience they want to do or a place they want to stay since everything gets booked up early especially if you are planning on doing a lot on your trip and need times that align. This becomes trickier the more people you add to the equation so my recommendation would be to agree on deadlines upfront on when certain decisions need to be made so that way everyone is on the same page and has a chance to contribute. It may even be helpful to have someone in charge of the planning to help hold everyone accountable and on track. The one experience we ended up missing out on was doing a cooking experience in Paris which was high on everyone’s list and on top of that all of the places we wanted to stay got more expensive so we could have also saved ourselves some money by being more on top of our planning.

Now that our little one is getting into her toddler years and has a much more established sleep schedule we no longer can get away with her just sleeping her way through jetlag on our longer trips and we felt this in full force when we first landed in Paris. Plus you as parents or caregivers won’t be getting as much sleep as you usually would on the flight since you are making sure your little one is taken care of so it will also probably hit you harder as well. Make sure you plan some extra time when you first arrive or at least don’t schedule anything too early the next day otherwise you might miss it trying to adjust to your new time zone. Also give some extra time for some naps to help your little one adjust since no one wants to fight with a sleepy kid while trying to enjoy your vacation.

While we can all daydream about how wonderful and enriching taking our children to museums and art galleries will be many of these locations can get very boring really quickly to young children. Be prepared for the potential temper tantrums and meltdowns and don’t let it drag down the rest of your day. Sometimes it comes down to packing the right stuff to help them get through the experience whether that is extra snacks or quiet activities they can do in their strollers (right now we are really liking the Aqua Art booklets) but you should also be prepared that one of you might have to take the child out of the room or experience completely. So prior to the meltdown I would highly recommend talking through who cares more about each of the experiences so you know who will be responsible ahead of time for taking the little one(s) out if they become inconsolable and are infringing on others experience.

We learned this the hard way when our little one was fussy during a castle tour and was asked to leave. Fortunately my husband was all over it so the rest of us could finish the rest of the tour and a very kind lady in the gift shop outside the castle gave our little one a unicorn headband which was pretty adorable. I also missed out on seeing the Mona Lisa up close since there was no way I could get her stroller through the room with how densely people were packed in at the Louvre, but these things happen no matter where you go so as long as you go in with the right attitude you will get through it and still have a great time.