One of my Saturday morning rituals, along with the coffee and bagel at Wayne’s, is the weekend Globe and Mail. I hadn’t noticed it at the time, but the travel section prominently pushes an item by Siri Agrell, Leave the kids at home. Here’s part of the lede:
But do junior jet setters really have something to gain from trading Wiis for wanderlust? Or are they simply being dragged along by a new wave of affluent, affected parents who wouldn’t be caught dead at Disneyland? (Sure, the neighbours take an annual trip to Hawaii, but my family summers in Ulan Bator.)
And I’m thinking: EXACTLY!
Babies change you in a way or two. But we love what we love, and if we can at all bring Ellie along with us, we will. (I couldn’t afford to with the boys, but from here on in, they too will be coming with us or me at some point.)
Elliotte’s what I would call a pretty seasoned traveller already, having flown eight times so far – as far as Halifax. Of course, every new month of her life brings advances and new challenges. She used to sleep for the entire trip. Now she crawls, and I’m having trouble imagining how she’ll be on the five hour flight to Liberia.
Liberia, from Libertad. Freedom. A town with an airport conceived as hub for package tour operators and their guests. Like us. Woohoo, we’re tourists.
But beyond the provocative opening, the article is actually quite supportive, offering up hints and tips and such.
Our plan (officially) is to play it by ear. We booked “all inclusive” as a worst case scenario. Yes, I’m sure we will be spending some time at the beach or pool, or Tamarino village 20 minutes away. But we’ve also reserved a 4WD SUV from Alamo, so we are exceedingly mobile. I do have a couple of travel goals (Arenal volcano, a drive in search of the Sabaneros), but beyond that driving around the Guanacaste region will suit us just fine.
But we need to pack for it. Baby specific ordinance (aside from clothes and food) include a travel crib, car seat, bumper seat, and baby carrier. Neither of which count against our 20 kg per person luggage limit. Neither does our carry-on either, which is where the camera, computer, and baby food goes.
We’re going ot go for a walk and test out the new baby back pack just now.
Elliotte’s chariotte. Her new wheels. She’ll be spending a fair amount of time in it, so I hope it’s comfortable. Despite her nervous looks, I think she enjoyed it. I rather think riding in one would feel like riding a camel. That, I’ve done.