We just returned home from a holiday in the Czech Republic and Austria. We took Monkey to meet his dad's Baba, as well as explore come of central Europe.
Flying with a 10 month old was my biggest concern, especially since hubby and I were sitting a few rows apart, and neither of us travel well to begin with. Taking an evening flight was great. Because we left Vancouver at 4:30, Monkey slept for over half the first flight and for all of the second flight! Our return was in the morning, and he did not sleep until the last 2 hours of the second flight. That being said, he was one of the best behaved, and quietest babies on both the flights.
From the nickname Monkey, it's probably obvious that I've got a curious, energetic and active little guy. Fortunately, we were staying with family for the first 5 days, so he had room to crawl around and practice walking between short trips into town and visits to local points of interest. Also, this meant that we fed him at home for the most part, while he adapted to the time change.
The next few days were spent in hotels as we travelled to Southern Bohemia and Austria, so there were a few long days of car travel/stroller/carrier time. We were travelling with my in-laws, so there were lots of hands to entertain him through these long stretches. We covered a lot of ground: Czesky Krumlov, Telc,
Trebon and Kitzbuhel.
Our last 5 days were spent in an apartment in Prague. This was wonderful. We had breakfast and dinner in the apartment, and ate lunches out. Monkey got his crazies out in the morning
before we headed out, so he generally slept for the morning and then had his afternoon nap while we explored after lunch. Since we returned for the evening, he had more time to play.
Overall, our experience was great. People were accomodating, we rarely found a place that didn't have a highchair (although some were pretty sketchy!), trams has spots for strollers, and strangers were always willing to help. Monkey came home with a new food repitoire including Emmental, biscuits, dumplings and Pilsen goulash, and pizza.
Flying with a 10 month old was my biggest concern, especially since hubby and I were sitting a few rows apart, and neither of us travel well to begin with. Taking an evening flight was great. Because we left Vancouver at 4:30, Monkey slept for over half the first flight and for all of the second flight! Our return was in the morning, and he did not sleep until the last 2 hours of the second flight. That being said, he was one of the best behaved, and quietest babies on both the flights.
From the nickname Monkey, it's probably obvious that I've got a curious, energetic and active little guy. Fortunately, we were staying with family for the first 5 days, so he had room to crawl around and practice walking between short trips into town and visits to local points of interest. Also, this meant that we fed him at home for the most part, while he adapted to the time change.
The next few days were spent in hotels as we travelled to Southern Bohemia and Austria, so there were a few long days of car travel/stroller/carrier time. We were travelling with my in-laws, so there were lots of hands to entertain him through these long stretches. We covered a lot of ground: Czesky Krumlov, Telc,
Trebon and Kitzbuhel.
Our last 5 days were spent in an apartment in Prague. This was wonderful. We had breakfast and dinner in the apartment, and ate lunches out. Monkey got his crazies out in the morning
before we headed out, so he generally slept for the morning and then had his afternoon nap while we explored after lunch. Since we returned for the evening, he had more time to play.
Overall, our experience was great. People were accomodating, we rarely found a place that didn't have a highchair (although some were pretty sketchy!), trams has spots for strollers, and strangers were always willing to help. Monkey came home with a new food repitoire including Emmental, biscuits, dumplings and Pilsen goulash, and pizza.
Here are the things I've learned about travelling with little ones:
- Fly later in the day when possible. If they sleep, you sleep!
- Request the bulk head/bassinet while on the plane
- Bring books and toys
- Bring some baby snacks - we flew KLM, and they provided snacks (puree and biscuits) one way, but not the other.
- Stroller is a must for airports and sight seeing. I hike with Monkey regularly, but he went through a growth spurt and the
Ergo just didn't cut it for long days on the back. I needed something with more support. Plus, all the locals use strollers, so if they can do it, why not me?!
- Stay in an apartment when possible so you don't have to
wait for restaurants to open for breakfast
- No one makes you feel bad for having a baby with you, they often smile, say hi, entertain them for a while and will even help you
- Take lots of pictures... especially of them sleeping through all the sights!
- Get to the airport early. Really early. The airline somehow "lost" our ticket to get Monkey home. An hour later we were buying a new ticket rather than leaving him in Prague.
- Fly later in the day when possible. If they sleep, you sleep!
- Request the bulk head/bassinet while on the plane
- Bring books and toys
- Bring some baby snacks - we flew KLM, and they provided snacks (puree and biscuits) one way, but not the other.
- Stroller is a must for airports and sight seeing. I hike with Monkey regularly, but he went through a growth spurt and the
Ergo just didn't cut it for long days on the back. I needed something with more support. Plus, all the locals use strollers, so if they can do it, why not me?!
- Stay in an apartment when possible so you don't have to
wait for restaurants to open for breakfast
- No one makes you feel bad for having a baby with you, they often smile, say hi, entertain them for a while and will even help you
- Take lots of pictures... especially of them sleeping through all the sights!
- Get to the airport early. Really early. The airline somehow "lost" our ticket to get Monkey home. An hour later we were buying a new ticket rather than leaving him in Prague.
