Why we chose to travel the world with our young daughter

We know that taking a long trip around the world with a 1.5 year old child might seem crazy to some people.

But for us, it was the best decision we ever made. We had always dreamed of taking a long trip around the world. I had already quit my job and was planning to go to Australia for six months before I met Edvina. But then we fell in love and promised each other that we would travel together at some point in the future. 4 years later life had caught up with us and we were married, had a child and the dream of traveling somehow blurred. One day we decided that we didn’t want to give up on our dreams, so we used a simple trick I had learned in a workshop.

IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING, TEAR DOWN THE BRIDGE BEHIND YOU!

It was mid-January, a cold winter day in Switzerland and we wrote to our landlord that we wanted to sublease our apartment from the beginning of August to make a trip. We didn’t even know if this was allowed, we just did it. What if he says no? F*ck it, then we quit the apartment and store our furniture. We were ready for anything!

Luckily, our landlord was totally okay with us sub-lettering our apartment. But – we couldn’t find anyone who wanted to live in our apartment for 10 months. We put up listings everywhere and searched the internet, but to no avail.

In the end, we found a solution: we would live in our van!

Just kidding, we found a lovely couple who are also very good friends of ours, who wanted to live in our apartment for the 10 months we were gone. They were excited about the opportunity to live in a bigger appartment, and we were excited about not having to pay rent!

Now we had put intrinsic pressure on ourselves and had to get everything done by the beginning of August so that we could go on our trip with our daughter. In Switzerland it is warm in August, but still we didn’t want to end up homeless, so we just had to leave now.

1. how we got the idea to pack our bags and go on a 10-month trip with our daughter

It all started when we realized that our life was slowly becoming a routine and we wanted to break out of it. Our wonderful daughter was there. Changing diapers, cooking porridge, practicing sleep rituals – all these things are more or less fun, but there must be more?
Why should i work from home, if i can easily work from anywhere in the world (another thing we’re lucky about.) And who wouldn’t rather change diapers on a beautiful beach in Bali than in our apartment in a small village with just 7500 residents?

Another thing that also drove us was that Emily doesn’t have a school commitment yet, and we see some really excellent benefits to traveling with her:

1. We believe that travel is one of the best forms of education, and we want our daughter to experience as much of the world as possible.

2. We feel that this will be a great opportunity for us to spend some quality time together and really get to know each other.

3. To see new places and have new experiences ourselves. This is something we’ve always wanted to do, and now seems like the perfect time in our lives to do it (our jobs are flexible, we don’t have any major responsibilities at home, etc.)

2. challenges in planning a long trip

We knew that we wanted to travel long-term with our 1.5 year old daughter, but we didn’t know how to make it work.

We had a lot of challenges in planning and packing for our trip. For one, we knew that we didn’t want to bring a lot of stuff with us. We wanted to travel light and be able to move around easily. We also knew we needed some vaccinations for us and for our daughter, and we had to get our passports and visas in order.

And how did we make that happen? It wasn’t easy, but we did a lot of research and planning, and we made it work. Here are some of the things we did to make our long-term travel dream a reality:

1. The most important thing to consider when embarking on a long journey is minimizing your fixed costs. Reducing your fixed costs as much as possible will allow you to extend your travel for a longer period of time. To do this, we rented out our apartment (which was the biggest part of our fixed costs) and canceled any unnecessary insurance policies, cell phone contracts, and internet services. We also sold our car, which eliminated the need for car insurance payments. In short, we reduced our fixed costs to only include obligatory health and travel insurance, among a few other small items that could not be canceled.

2. We had to clear out our apartment, store what we don’t need, sell what we definitely don’t need anymore and take with us what we might need. Unfortunately, we did not manage to travel light, but more about that another time.

3. We planned our route. We mapped out where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. We made sure to leave some flexibility in our itinerary so that we could change our plans if necessary.

4. We got vaccinated. This was something we were a little worried about, but it turned out to be pretty easy. We went to our doctor and told them where we were going, and they helped us figure out which vaccines we needed. We have a very lovely pediatrician who is very kind and listened to our concerns.

5. We got our passports and visas. This was another thing that was a bit complicated, but it was definitely doable. We did some research and found out what documents we needed for each country we were visiting. Especially Corona times made it more difficult, because some countries were not allowing us to enter.

6. What kind of stroller do we need? Do we need a baby seat? What else do we need for our baby? There are so many things to consider!

In the end, all the planning and preparation paid off. We got our travel start and have already made so many amazing memories that will last forever.

3. How we prepared

Before we embarked on our journey, people often asked us how we prepared for such a long trip with a young child. Here are some of the things we did to make sure we were as prepared as possible for our adventure:

We sold or gave away most of our belongings, so we would only have to worry about packing what was absolutely essential.

We made sure our travel insurance covered everything from medical emergencies to lost luggage.

We set up a travel budget and made sure we had enough money saved up to cover all our expenses.

We researched each of the countries we planned to visit and made sure we were aware of any risks or potential problems we might encounter. We will travel through Asia until the end of 2022 and Asia has a lot of mosquitoes – but we have a lot of mosquito spray. Let’s see who wins.

We tried packed light (we failed in this), but made sure to include all the essentials like diapers, wipes, formula, and clothes for all weather conditions.

With a bit of preparation and planning, traveling with a young child can be an incredibly rewarding experience. So if you’re thinking of taking a long trip with your little one, don’t let the logistics intimidate you – just start planning and enjoy the journey!

4. What we would do differently

We would pack less

We haven’t needed many of our clothes at all in the last two months and the ripped Jenas shorts have become my favorite piece of clothing. Less is sometimes more after all!

We would not book too much in advance

Why? Because during the trip you simply get a desire for something else. Luckily we were able to cancel for free with AirBnB and book something else. You can always find something, even on short notice and often cheaper.

We would get better information about the accommodations

We’ve had some surprises along the way – both good and bad. After a culture shock in Lovina (Bali) we were very happy about the great hotel complex in Kuta.

Overall, we’ve learnt a lot from our first two months of travel, and we’re excited to see what the next eight months have in store!

5. useful tips for your travel planning with child

We’ve been on the road for two months now, and in that time we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to travel with a baby. Although it may be daunting to fly with a baby for the first time, rest assured that it’s not as bad as you might think. Emily flew for the first time when she was just three months old, and we’ve had good experiences every time. Plus, she’s an easygoing baby, which makes things even easier. You’ll find that most parents who have flown with their babies have had positive experiences, so try not to worry too much. If you’re thinking of taking a long trip with your young child, here are four things to keep in mind:

1. You can never over-prepare. Before our trip, we spent hours researching which type of car seat would be best for long-distance travel, what kind of stroller would be most compact and easy to use, and which baby carrier would provide the most support. It may seem like a lot of work upfront, but trust me – it’s worth it.

2. Don’t forget the basics (and then some). In addition to packing all the standard baby gear like diapers, wipes, formula, and clothes for all weather conditions, make sure you have plenty of snacks and drinks on hand for both yourself and your little one. And if you’re traveling by plane or train, pack an extra set of everything in case of lost luggage.

3. Pack light! You’ll already have enough to carry without lugging around a bunch of extra stuff (trust us, you won’t need half of what you think you do).

4. Embrace the chaos (within reason). Yes, traveling with a baby can be chaotic at times – but that’s part of the fun! Try not to stress too much about sticking to strict schedules or keeping everyone entertained every minute of the day; sometimes it’s okay to just go with the flow.

5. Don’t forget to pack your patience. This is perhaps the most important item on your list, because no matter how well you plan, there will always be some bumps along the way. Whether it’s a screaming baby on a long flight or a tantrum in the middle of a crowded airport, just take a deep breath and remember that this too shall pass.

We really believe, with a little bit of preparation and a positive attitude, traveling with a baby can be a wonderful experience for the whole family. Don’t let your fear and worries hold you back – get out there and explore the world!