• booking airfare for an infant and whether it is better to try and get the bassinet seat or strategize for an empty middle seat
• packing light but still being prepared for everything
• is it better to take the baby carrier or the pram/pushchair/stroller
• getting around without a car seat
• taking fruit through US customs
• planning schedules around naps and meals
• dealing with time zone changes

We just returned from our first major family holiday in Costa Rica, but this wasn’t our first trip by any means. W turned 10 months while we were in Costa Rica and has been to 5 countries and 2 continents during that time. I’ll provide a recap of our trips since last year and a few of the lessons learned.

• St. Ives – In July we took our first trip — a domestic weekend getaway. Our travel strategy was to build up from short trips to larger journeys. We headed to Cornwall on the train for a weekend to celebrate K’s birthday. W dipped his toes in the sea, watched seals playing on the beach, and added his mark to an art exhibition at the Tate museum. It was our first experience with figuring out what to pack. We took the Baby Bjorn and left the pram behind which worked really well as the pram would have been frustrating on the steps, cobblestone streets and seaside trails. W could take in all the surroundings when facing out and nap while facing in. We brought plenty of extra clothes for W, but didn’t consider that we’d need extra clothes as well. Baby mess isn’t confined to only baby .
• Netherlands – In August we took our first flight with W — a short trip to a friend’s wedding in Netherlands. This was W’s first new country and first flight (and first wedding). He breastfed and slept through the flight which won W gold stars from fellow passengers as we were able to avoid being ‘those people’ with the screaming baby. This was also our first time through airport security which was an absolute disaster. With all our travel we have a bit of a system to efficiently get through security. This time we were unprepared and our stuff was scattered across two different lanes, I lost my shoes and the security staff disassembled our pram which we weren’t sure how to put it back together. Fortunately the rest of the trip was much smoother.
• United States – In September we took our first major trip with a long-haul flight back to the States to visit family and friends. W fed donkeys on the farm, sat on a tractor, played in his own inflatable pool, and had his first taste of solid food. This was the last of our three step travel strategy and W was great once again on the flights. The time difference made adjusting sleep schedules a bit tricky; we were up at 3-4am the first couple mornings. We didn’t have to pack much as our parents were eagerly prepared to receive their grandchild with car seats, travel cots, diapers, strollers and anything else we could possibly need. It makes it easy to travel light when all your gear is already at the destination.
• Barcelona – In October K and W took a few days to visit a friend in Barcelona. W played on the beach and the playgrounds in the city and could talk to the other kids in Spanish . A weekend trip like this now seems easy, though having a great host (as in the States) really helps.
• Costa Rica – In February we took our first family holiday together in Costa Rica. We got an opportunity to practice our Spanish, do a bit of hiking and relax on the beach. We took both the Baby Bjorn and the Bush Baby backpack carrier. The backpack was great for hiking and longer walks, while the smaller Baby Bjorn was perfect for shorter trips around town. It may seem silly to have both, but we were glad that we did. Stay tuned for another post soon with more about this trip.

W has become a great travel partner. I’d like to say that it has something to do with the way we are raising him, but it is probably just that we won the baby lottery. Here are a few things that we’ve learned and have made our travels easier.

• Breastfeeding – It’s wonderful. It makes things so much easier both from the perspective of feeding and comfort. With new and different places, sometime W just wants that comfort that only come from Mom. Obviously there is less to carry and it is available anywhere, anytime. We’ve continued breastfeeding longer than we anticipated because it does work so well.
• Baby-led weaning – We discovered a book on baby-led weaning and felt like we discovered secret treasure. We skipped the purees and baby-food; W started eating food from the table, feeding himself, when he was ready. We include him at the table at every meal and eat together as a family. From a travel perspective, W eats what we eat so there is no concern about having to carry special food for him or finding baby food at the destination. In combination with breastfeeding this makes feeding so easy — except for a bit of mess, so we pack some extra wipes.
• Bed sharing – I’m not as proud of this one as the breastfeeding and baby-led weaning. Due to a number of circumstances, W sometimes shares the bed with us. I was adamantly against this before becoming a parent, but sometimes becoming a parent changes your perspective. Because W is accustomed to sleeping with us at times, we don’t have to have a separate bed for him when we travel. That means we don’t have to carry a travel cot with us, and we can be more flexible in our accommodation. This one is a bit of a blessing in disguise.
• Baby Carrier – Our pram/pushchair/stroller is fantastic and we love it. When traveling though, just having the Baby Bjorn or Bush Baby backpack can make getting around much easier. It can depend on the type of trip and destination though.
• Shop at your destination – We learned that we don’t need to take everything with us. There are babies all over the world and they all need diapers, wipes, and other various things. We make sure that we have the essentials for the initial journey and any potential emergencies (e.g. allergy medication), and then buy what we need along the way.
• Flexible schedule – Traveling inevitably means that the typical daily schedule is going to be disturbed. We don’t adhere to a strict schedule (aka Gina Ford) but do have a regular pattern we try to follow (e.g. morning nap, afternoon nap, bedtime routine). We learned that while W is a real trooper and adapts well, we need a bit of consistency and plan around his naps and meals where we can. This makes him much happier.

That briefly covers most of the travel since last year. We’ll have our Costa Rica post up with photos soon, so stay tuned!

G’s parents are always amazing hosts and this Spring they treated me to a few days seeing ‘another side’ of the DC that I had not previously experienced. I arrived via the Amtrak link from Lynchburg and I must say I was incredibly impressed. The train was on time, the commuters were upscale and the seats were HUGE and comfortable–especially as compared with their Indian and European counterparts (see photo at right).

During my few days in Annandale, we went for a walk with the ‘mall group’, visited multiple groceries (Wagaman’s, the big Wholefoods in Fairfax and the huge International market in Springfield) to see the amazing variety of international foods now on offer, tutored a Spanish-speaking child (actually she tutored me with my Spanish, but who’s counting ), had an impromptu tour of the Evermay House in Georgetown (well done Allan–not everyday one can have a private look inside a home worth $30m, see 3rd and 4th photo at right), visited the National Botantical Gardens (see second photo at right) and had countless amazing internationally-inspired meals both inside and outside the home.

Though America is physically isolated from other cultures, DC has attracted a diverse group of individuals who have brought a taste of the world to the town. Of course all of the above experiences were enjoyed, but also striking is the American suburban quality of life. G’s parents’ garden is a veritable Garden of Eden. Birds, herbs, vegetables, trees and flowers abound. So much greenlife is enough to make this girl envious. Well done with your green thumb.

Thank you for treating me to such an amazing time A&V!

London’s grey skies greeted us with mild temperatures upon our return this morning…and those grey skies echoed our mood. We had an incredible time visiting with everyone in the States and it was incredibly hard to leave. Sunny skies and smiling faces greeted us around every bend in the road as we made our way in Oklahoma, Raleigh/Durham, Ocean Isle and b Virginia. Thank you to everyone for making our stay so pleasant and for making us so welcome!

During our travels we were able to catch up with the family in Oklahoma (thank you to the Kivett and DeWitt clans), friends in Raleigh/Durham (thank you to the Dellingers, Freemans, Scarboroughs, Jernigans, Precopios, Smiths and Olsens), friends and family in Ocean Isle (thank you to the Mears, Hilyerds, K’s Dad, Wallaces, Thompsons, Herwigs, Simons and Kaufmans) and K’s family in Virginia. It means so much to us that everyone made the effort to come out, have a great time and pick things up where we last left off.

We’ve been blessed by many things, but having loving and supportive friends and family has been (by far) the greatest blessing of all. But going back is never easy for us. It’s difficult to go back because it raises tons of questions that we happy stifle otherwise. Anyone who’s introspective would struggle with the ‘what ifs’:

What if we had bought a big and shiny house in Raleigh with kids in the yard (yes, I realise you can’t buy children )?

What if we had built a summer house at Smith Mountain Lake?

What if we had lived in DC or Richmond?

What if we could collect all our favorite people into single neighborhood someplace on Earth?

What if we lived in a place where the sun actually shines?

What if we were able to spend quality time with our family and friends more regularly?

What if I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow?

For every amazing moment, a not so amazing self questioning ‘why do we live so far away’ moment comes later. We count ourselves lucky to have so many friends and family who love and care for us…but have realised that the more we move, the less likely having all of our favorite folks in a single place at one time will ever be. It’s sad, really. But in the end, we count ourselves fortunate to have so very many wonderful reasons to consider our choice–thank you to everyone for making the effort and taking the break to have a wonderful time together.

For additional photos from our trip to the States, click here.

We had a great time visiting with K’s family at SML and were blessed with amazing blue skies during our stay. When we stepped off the plane in Charlotte for our connection to Roanoke, we couldn’t quite fathom the amazing weather. It almost felt tropical compared to our usual London rays. We woke in the morning to go for a walk then went out boating, fishing or shopping…all under the blue cover above. Amazing weather. And, believe it or not, we REALLY appreciated the humidity. It did our skin good. And, of course, it was good to see and catch up with folks and have some nice home cooked meals for a change. Our tiny little kitchen here won’t allow us to do the large batch cooking we did back home. We dragged out the grill for some steaks and fresh veg. Had nice salads, beautiful berries and lots of really good comfort food.

One highlight was going out on the boat for a bit of tubing with most of the family. I think everyone on the boat will remember the highs…first, great tubing. The high fuel prices have driven everyone else off the water. We had the lake [almost] to ourselves. Taking turns tubing, K’s dad noticed a grey cloud in the distance…at the opposite end of the lake from the dock, our sunglasses, the small windshield and our towels were our only cover from the drenching downpours from the early afternoon storm. Thankfully, we made it back to dock just before the lightning and big drops began to fall. Later, we took the boat out again and had the best tubing of the day. A great time.

And, lucky for us, K’s county just opened a new fishing pier and beach. We loved lounging on the comfy white sand and pretending to fish on the new pier…unfortunately, K’s professed fish Olga kept getting away.

G’s friend Paul (German Club, VT) was married in Clareen/Kinnitty Ireland on Friday. On our way back from the States, we swung through Ireland to attend. The ceremony was at a small countryside chapel followed by a reception at Kinnitty Castle (Irish Midlands–halfway between Galway & Dublin). We bookended the wedding with a bit of time in and around Dublin. We had a great time roaming the streets of Temple Bar (Dublin), sampling their local Irish Ales, and a bit of the local music.

I ALWAYS love the water so on Saturday (before our evening flight) we checked out Dun Laoghaire (bay just south of Dublin). Though most of our stay in Ireland was a bit rainy, the sun popped out for the afternoon and we loved the beautiful, rocky, coastal views. And an ice cream for good measure While the last few months have been travel heavy, we’re ramping up for the long summer (hopefully) in town. Aside from a quick trip to Paris for my 30th in a couple weeks (wow…I’m getting old ) and a trip to Budapest (we think) in August, we’ll be in and around the UK until we leave for Tanzania at the end of September. It’s hard to believe that our two year visa is up for renewal already! So, we’ll submit the paperwork to renew later this summer and our wings will be clipped until we’re (hopefully) approved this August.

Since it had been six months since I visited, and more than a year since G’s last visit to the US, my family took off work in rotation in order to maximize their time with us–and fun! Grandma threw an impromptu “Welcome Home” party to celebrate our visit. My brother came in from Northern Virginia. We played mini golf and LOTS of card games. Mom cooked our favorite meals. And that’s just the start. And despite my age I still couldn’t stave off the tears on Tuesday morning as we started on our journey to Louisville, KY.

Luckily for my parents who were in the midst of a severe drought, our drive to Kentucky was lined by Fall color drenched in RAIN. Along the way, we made a pit stop in Blacksburg to see all the recent growth on our old campus and were pleased to see the orange and maroon Hokie spirit all around.

The drive to Louisville was lovely, but LONG. G kindly drove the whole way (likely due to the fact that I’m a novice driver after over a year off the road!—Though, I did renew my Driver’s License while in the States). I think we last drove that distance in one go during our Spring Break trip in 1999!

Upon arrival in Louisville, we suffered a bit of hotel drama. But all else ran smoothly as we had a wonderful dinner with G’s sister, Cynthia, and her fiance, Will, on Wednesday night, had girls and guys nights out on Thursday, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday and , finally, the wedding on Saturday.

The evening wedding ceremony was beautiful with autumn colors, musicians and a soloist. G’s sister and her new husband seem very content and excited. And we’re very excited for them…and wish for them the happiness that we found in marriage.

We’ve written many times about the benefits and drawbacks of living in London. Louisville is ~10 hours from Raleigh/Durham and DC. G’s sister’s new husband, Will, has a fear of flying. We live in London on one income. These factors and others led to an unfortunate circumstance. During their ~2 years of dating/engagement, we had only been briefly acqainted with Will prior to our arrival in Louisville for the Wedding festivities. Not ideal, but you do what you can…hence, we arrived in town a couple days early in order to have dinner with them as a couple, to become a bit more acquainted.

And thank goodness we did! As is always the case at family weddings, our family time and interaction was very limited. The bride and groom and G’s parents were frantic with wedding arrangements, details and hosting out of town guests. SO we took advantage of our spare time. We drove through horse country, ate at favorite restaurant chains (PF Changs, Cheesecake Factory, Panera & Qdoba) and shopped like crazy.

Thanks to G’s parents’ quick thinking and pre-booking, we were able to visit at Churchill Downs to witness opening day, we watched the horses from a lofty Skybox. While it wasn’t my first horse race (Royal Ascot was earlier this year), it was fun to have a bit more time with the other wedding guests who remained in town…and to see the famous and iconic spires of an American Institution, Churchill Downs. A great time and we only lost a few dollars

Now, we just need to put another American visit on the calendar to conquer my homesickness…having a timeline seems to help.

Click here to see additional photos from the wedding weekend. Click on the individual photos if you’d like to see the caption.

On the flight over she thought, almost jokingly, maybe I’ll just run into them. To then only 4 days later do exactly that as she walked with her family through our very suburban borough just north of the more touristy districts. It can’t be coincidence. These types of things make me think a bit deeper. Wow.

We had a delightful dinner with the Haws and were very fortunate to find them amongst the millions…

For the first time since our marriage 5.5 years ago, the number of births (or impending) outnumbered the number of marriages. Marriages: 4 (+3 if you add classmates).
Whoa! Don’t think we’re getting any ideas…with so many in the “family” now, we can just borrow yours.

The numbers vary with each delivery, and it’s always used as a segue to argue an offensive political point–and almost always a good clue that this person is not good friend material. The first couple times, you get trapped in the inevitable political conversations because you think you’re headed for a casual conversation about travel, but then you find yourself in the throes of a political discussion. Not fun.
SO after going through it yet again last week, I decided to get to the bottom of the numbers and offer a bit of advice to you all since I’m seasoned, by now, in dealing with this trap. Hopefully you’ll never need it.
The closest I’ve gotten to a valid number of Americans who travel internationally is a guy’s site that uses Gov’t numbers regarding the number issued per year and the 10 year expiry date to guesstimate ~60m of the ~280m residents hold a valid Passport. By his estimation (assuming that some Passports expire earlier than 10 years after issue), this means ~20% of American citizens hold a valid Passport. Hmmm…from his analysis and passion for the calculation, I wonder if he’s an expatriate faced with the same situation as I?

Regardless, the passport line is generally used as a segue to political debates and I’m not one who appreciates this type of social discussion. Not pretty. Especially now. So, if you travel abroad and find yourself in a conversation with someone who insists on going there, here are a couple pointers to move through it without becoming too inflamed or battered.

Make the point that, if abroad at the time, you are an active traveler and value cultural differences. Speak about your most recent trips and travels. Make a mad dash to drive the conversation toward the topic of travel, in general.

Sometimes folks, for whatever reason, really just want to “take the piss out of an American” and debate. Not good when you’re looking for a light social conversation. You’ll know this is the case because they’ll drive the topic back to a political slant and refuse your attempts to steer elsewhere. A la “Americans do not understand or even appreciate what other cultures outside the US have to offer”. You may not know it yet, but they’re headed to a political debate on the War in Iraq. If you’re completely willing and able to go there, do. If not, I’ve established an angle that seems to work well:

Start with “Have you ever had a class or a meeting and been the only one to show up? [They won't follow]. Let’s say class. You show up for your class and 20 others decide to sleep in. The professor’s upset and decides to lecture those who show up on why it’s important to be in class. [The lightbulb will click.] Sometimes I feel that way in Europe. I wish that more Americans had an interest in international travel, I really do. But, even more so, I wish that Europeans were more accepting and polite to those of us who do venture over so that we’ll have a pleasant experience and inspire an interest in others. I respect you and your culture, but let’s not debate.” Then, segue to another topic you prefer.
If all else fails, you can also reference that the size of America and the size of Europe are roughly the same and that American states are roughly the size of European countries…sometimes this will offer them a taste of perspective and get them off the hunt for a political debate.