This article is a translated and abridged version.
Author: Anna Davies Source: cntraveler.com
Karen Edwards is from Ireland. Her first job after college ignited her love for travel. Over eight years, she visited more than 60 countries on solo adventures. Now, her boyfriend Shaun and their daughter Esmé have joined this wonderful journey.
Their trip began when Esmé was just born. As a maternity nurse, Karen had a full year of paid maternity leave, and being a travel enthusiast, she used this extended time off to start a new adventure. “We set off on our round-the-world journey when Esmé was just twelve weeks old,” Karen said. “A newborn is not an excuse to stay at home. Instead of struggling with her cries at home, we’d rather show her the world early.”
Hear from Karen about how to take a global trip with your child during maternity leave.
Q: What inspired you to start this journey?
A: When I found out I was pregnant, one image kept running through my mind — me traveling with my newborn baby strapped to my back. In my twenties, I traveled a lot, and it taught me who I am. It has since become a big part of my life. Of course, there were also practical reasons for starting this trip — Shaun is from New Zealand, I’m Irish, and we now live in London. Traveling allows us to introduce Esmé to the countries of her grandparents and their relationship with the UK. More importantly, why not make use of this rare time off? A child isn’t an excuse to stay home. Plus, traveling around the world is actually cheaper than living in London.
Q: How soon after Esmé was born did you leave on your trip?
A: We packed up and left when she was twelve weeks old. We started close, just going to my home country, Ireland, but she did really well, which gave us the confidence to take her farther away.
Q: But travel can be quite expensive. How did you afford it?
A: We rented out our apartment in London, which brought in decent income. I was on paid maternity leave, so I still had a salary. Shaun is a gardener, and while we were in New Zealand for a while, he found some part-time work to help cover travel expenses.
Q: Which countries did you visit?
A: Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Hong Kong (China), among others. We also lived in New Zealand for a while and practically became locals — so many of our friends who were also traveling the world found excuses to crash with us.
Q: How did you plan the itinerary before the trip?
A: We started getting ready a few weeks before departure. At the time, I had just given birth, my hormones were all over the place, and I often felt panicked. I kept telling Shaun, “No way, I can’t do this — I can’t imagine backpacking with a baby and ending up sleeping on the street.” But we bit the bullet, rented out our London flat, and once we had nowhere to live, we had no choice but to start the trip. We split our money into three bags, packed an Ergobaby carrier, a Mountain Buggy stroller, a Baby Björn travel crib. And yes, a car seat was a must-have too. I know it’s bulky, but you simply can’t risk traveling without one.
Q: Did you run into any trouble during the trip?
A: The flight from Bali to Malaysia was pretty awful. We could hardly go out at night while traveling, but the night before that flight, Shaun’s brother happened to be in Bali, so we went out for drinks. The next morning, Shaun boarded the plane hungover, and Esmé peed on his lap right as the flight took off. We’d forgotten to bring a change of clothes, so Shaun had to endure both a hangover and damp pants for four hours. It was chaotic at the time, but now it just seems funny.
Q: Any other troubles?
A: Once, Esmé crawled into our medical bag and picked up Shaun’s insulin pen — he’s diabetic. We were terrified that she might have swallowed it. I had to do a blood test to check her sugar levels, and thank goodness she was fine. It was a wake-up call — Esmé was still at the age where she puts everything in her mouth, and it could have been really dangerous if we hadn’t been careful. Also, having basic first aid knowledge is essential, and of course, you pray you’ll never need to use it.
Another small issue: since I was breastfeeding, when I fed Esmé on Langkawi Island in Malaysia, I noticed some strange looks from people. While I’d breastfed in spots popular with Western tourists, there were some unspoken local rules about how much skin could be shown, which led to some uncomfortable attention.
Q: What was the best part of the trip?
A: We absolutely loved Taiwan (China). It’s such a beautiful and thoughtful island — every subway station has baby-friendly facilities. People there are crazy about babies, and Esmé got celebrity treatment. People in Thailand and Bali adored her too, often coming up to touch her.
Q: How was traveling with a child different from your previous travels?
A: It was really different. Before, I was a typical backpacker, just showing up in a place and staying in a hostel, sharing a room with people from all over. But I can’t do that with a baby. We had to book accommodations in advance. But we found that it worked out well — we didn’t have to worry about ending up homeless because we couldn’t find a room, and we could choose hotels we liked. This time, we even booked one with a lovely swimming pool.
Also, we paid more attention to finding kid-friendly attractions. In Hong Kong, we went to an indoor play center recommended by other travelers on BabyCenter.com, and Esmé had a blast. There’s also a very useful app called PearlShare, where you can search for places that toddlers love.
Q: What advice would you give to other parents planning to travel with kids?
A: Google Translate is your best friend. When Esmé was about seven months old, we discovered she was allergic to eggs. So we used Google Translate to write, “Does this dish contain eggs?” in various languages, and showed it to the waitstaff after ordering. Once, because we were on the road for too long with no shops around, we stocked up on lots of packaged food, and Google Translate helped us figure out what we were eating.
Q: Where would you like to go next?
A: Fortunately, I get eight weeks of vacation every year in the UK, and I always plan it well. Currently, our next plan is to go to South Africa, starting from Port Elizabeth all the way to Cape Town’s Garden Route. And then, who knows? Planning the next trip is the top priority and the most exciting thing for our family.