Travel Tips with a Toddler
- My husband was working already in Europe so I was to endure the long journey(30 hours) on my own with Sebastian. After doing a 40 hour trip to Tenerife, Canary Islands the year before with Sebastian (who was 6 months at the time) on my own I vowed never to do it again. Thankfully due to the economic financial crisis (EFC) the airfares were very affordable so my mother decided to come for a one month holiday too. Great move as I had help on the plane, we had a live in nanny and babysitter and an entertainer in the back seat of the car for Sebastian on long travels.
- From Australia I took enough nappies for about 4 days. Nappies can be bought very easily in Europe and we found Pampers the best. Deposable change mats and nappy bags were difficult and expensive to find in some parts of Europe so it's a good idea if you use them to take supplies with you.
- We bought cheap toys for the plane trip; ones that you don't care if you lose or end up throwing away. Along our journey we would buy small cheap toys or kids magazines for added entertainment.
- We had a good supply of long life milk for the plane journey. Wherever we travelled we always made sure we had the emergency long life milk in the nappy bag.
- We made sure Sebastian had something to drink or to chew during take off and when landing to help his ears pressurise with few problems.
- I took infant paracetamol and ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory) from Australia for emergency situations.
- In Singapore we had an 11-hour stop-over so we booked a hotel room at the airport for 6 hours (maximum stay) so we could all lie down and have some rest. Included in the cost of the hotel room (around $70 AUS) is a swim in the pool so we packed our bathers in our hand luggage and went swimming. Sebastian loved it and it wore him out to sleep better on the plane.
- We travelled with a laptop and an I-touch and a Wiggles DVD. This was useful for long car/train tips or for some quiet time. We also made skype calls home when we found wireless internet access.
- Our trusty McLaren stroller was never too far from us either. As all parents know a stroller is so useful for children's day sleeps when you are out-and-about. An added advantage is that most airlines let you check-in your foldable stroller at the gate or as you enter the plane. This is great for travelling with young children as you have the stroller in the airport before the flight. Some airlines keep the stroller in the cabin during the flight so you get it straight away when you disembark the plane. Others take it down with the other luggage and you could get it either with your other bags or with the oversized luggage. One great advantage of taking the pram all the way to the door of the plane is knowing your pram will be on the flight with you.
- One of my first purchases in Rome was some Oust 3 in 1 anti-bacteria room spray. We carried this on our whole trip to spray items or rooms that were, or smelt, dirty.
- We chose not to take our car seat from home. We purchased one in Rome for 39 Euros. It was very light to carry, met all the European design standards and was easy to install in any car. We were able to use it in our hire car and in our cousin's small car in Croatia for 3 weeks. We then left it for our cousin to use with his new baby next time he uses his flat in Croatia.
- We did not travel with a port-a-cot. We found them too heavy and bulky to travel with. When we booked accommodation I tried to look for places that had access to cots or when staying with friends, seeing if we could borrow one. We did buy a cot mattress at Ikea in Dresden for only 9 Euros. This was great for making the cots more comfortable as well as being used as a mattress on the floor if we did not have a cot.
- I packed a good supply of ear plugs and used them often as most nights we had to sleep in the same room as Sebastian and he is a noisy sleeper.
- We choose countries or cities in Europe to visit either because we had friends there or we knew it was a safe country. We travelled to Rome, Florence (Italy), Schrems, Linz and Rappottenstein, Innsbruck (Austria), Karlovy Vary & Prague (Czech Republic), Wroclaw & Zielona Gora (Poland), Zagreb, the Istrian region, Crikvenica, Opatija, Krk and Mali Losinj (Croatia), Amsterdam, Paris & London. Being near friends, we always had some way of contacting help in case of a medical emergency if we needed it. We also had very good travel insurance.
- I used www.homelidays.com to book private apartments. This site is very good but you need time to contact the owners. I also used www.booking.com which is also a good web-site to book last minute accommodation.
- We always boiled tap water to drink or brought bottled water. We also took multivitamins for ourselves and Sebastian.
- When travelling we found that we had to be flexible with sleeping and feeding routines. A few nights Sebastian did not got to bed until 11pm where at home he was always in bed before 8pm. Every second or third day we would make sure we had more of a home day which allowed for his afternoon sleep. Eating routines were also hard to maintain. We just had to accept that some days Sebastian only ate pommes frits (hot chips), sausage and bread!
- We travelled with a summer and a winter sleeping bag for Sebastian. This avoided us having to carry sheets or a blanket for him, and taking a warmer and cooler bag meant we had every situation covered. Apart from the bags, we only needed to take a fitted cot sheet.
- We were very flexible with our daily plans. We made sure that a part of each day was for playgrounds or children's activities and the other part for sightseeing. To keep us all happy we needed to find a good balance between adult and children's activities.
Top Tips For Effective Networking
- Be yourself and give of yourself.
- Successful networkers listen - give 100% of your attention when communicating.
- Smile, firm and sincere handshake and repeat and remember names.
- Give without expecting in return.
- People do business with people they like and trust. Networking is about building win/win relationships for the long term.
- Always reward and recognise - acknowledge and thank people for their referrals.
- Networking is a skill that can be used everywhere. Like any other skill it needs to be practiced.
- Always follow-up - email or call contacts no later than 48 hours after the networking event.
- To get out of an awkward networking situation politely excuse yourself.
Running Tips
- Firstly make sure you invest in a good pair of running shoes. Asics have always been my preferred running shoes but they may not suite everyone. Make sure that you find a brand and style that suites your feet.
- Your arms are a very important part of running. Many people do not use their arms efficiently. Your elbow should be positioned at 90 degrees and remain in that position the whole time.
- Your arms should swing forward and backward the same distance. When swinging forward you should see your fingertips out the corner of your eye when looking straight ahead.
- Your head and neck should be relaxed. Try to keep your chin tucked in slightly.
- Your shoulders should be back and down. Avoid raising your shoulders to your ears.
- Spend time at the gym strengthening your core. Pilates is fantastic for this. The stronger your core is the easier it is to lift your knees and run efficiently.
- Look after yourself. Get niggles and injuries treated promptly. One massage per week can be a good preventative measure.
