Our Month in Europe: Day 13 Lisbon
Monday April 8
I snuck out after feeding Camille in the morning to sit at a coffee shop and get some time alone with my laptop. Got to listen to a podcast, check some emails etc which is a welcome break to catch up on the mundane. I then went back mid morning and switched so Nick could go for a walk alone with some coffee. Lilly loved the 1:1 time while Camille napped, and we played some Candyland and did some coloring.
Also Camille rolled belly to back for the first time, and kept doing it all morning! So much for tummy time 🥰
Mid afternoon we made the walk down to Time Out Market. It’s a huge food court with amazing food and drinks. We tried way too many things, and had probably 1 too many drinks, then Lilly played at the playground right outside before we walked back.
It’s about 2 km walk straight up hill from the market, and Lilly did 3/4 of it on her own. She kept asking me if I was running out of steam 😂. These hills are no joke.
#lisbonwithkids #timeoutmarketlisboa #travelwithkids #familyof4
A Food Tour!
One of our favorite things we do when going to a new city is booking a food tour within the first couple days. Here are a couple reasons why:
1. Your Guide is always so passionate about the city, and food, and just giving you a great sense of the area
2. You can ask them so many questions about etiquette, daily life, language, things to do
3. You get to do a mini walking tour while stopping frequently for local food and drinks
4. Helps you get the lay of the land and neighborhoods
The food is always amazing!
5. They almost always give you other recommendations for the rest of your time in the city.
How we did a tour in Rome: We booked a private tour with a local guide, who took us around the city to try some of the best spots. He also showed us how to order the different foods, and what to look for when looking for quality. This was good because traveling with 2 kids can be insane, and they may melt down. Having a private guide made sure we didn’t interrupt any other travelers who also paid for the tour.
Where have you done a food tour?
#foodtour #lisbonfood #familytravel #maternityleave #postpartum #momlife #familyof4
Our Month in Europe: Day 11 Lisbon
Nick and I split up again today. We each did a 3.5 hour “hidden Lisbon” food tour. I went at 11 and he went at 5. While I was at the tour Nick took the girls to the park to play. When I was home we played some games, made dinner and did bed time.
The food tour was with @eatingeurope. They did an amazing job showing us some classic dishes, teaching some history, and showing us some off the beaten path places to stop for food. Both of our guides were super knowledgeable and gave different bits of information so it was fun to compare notes with Nick afterward.
Doing food tours are some of my favorite things to do in each town, and this one did not disappoint.
#eatingeurope #foodtour #lisbonwithkids
Our month in Europe: day 10 -Lisbon
Another beautiful day. We had a late start after having banana Nutella pancakes for breakfast and playing at home all morning. We went out around 12 and ended up catching tram 28 east toward Castle of Sao Jorge.
At the tram stop, we had lunch at a Tasca and enjoyed the view over the city. Then continued up the hill to the castle. However the line was long for tickets so we decided to skip (we saw plenty of old things in Rome, and castles in Scotland).
We found a playground nearby that opened at 2pm and had drinks at Ludos across from the park until it opened. They had very colorful dragon fruit cocktails.
After the playground Lilly decided she wanted to nap in the stroller 🙏🏻 so we decided to walk back instead of taking the tram. It was about 3km of hills so I got my work out. We also got snacks on the way home from a pastry shop.
We then cooked dinner and played till bed. It was a great day out in the sun exploring. We asked Lilly her favorite part of the day, and she said “playing”.
Packing list for 2 parents for a month in Europe:
Carlye clothes:
Underwear (10), socks (8), 2 daytime nursing bras, 2 sleep/nursing bras, 1 swimsuit, tennis shoes, 1 pair sandals, rain coat, shirts (5), Pants (4). Nursing friendly dresses (3), linen long shirt, black athletic zip up jacket, sweater, 1 nursing tank top, 1 pair pajamas.
Carlye Misc: nursing pads, belt bag, medications, sun glasses.
Nick Clothes: raincoat, underwear (7), socks (7). Shorts (2), pants (4), shirts (7), sweatshirt (1), nicer outfit (1), belt (1)
Nick Misc: sunglasses, hair clippers.
Toiletries for both: toothbrush, toothpaste, 1 mini shampoo, conditioner, bodywash (will buy more at destination), contact solution, contacts, extra contacts, glasses, floss, face wash, skin care, make up remover, make up, deodorant, sunscreen, nail care (clipper, file etc), tweezers, Q tips, chapstick, comb, hair accessories
Other: airplane foot rest, 2 umbrellas, 2 electrical power adapters, portable charging bank, passports, credit cards, debit cards, hamper, tide pen, messy eaters spray, laptop and charger, chargers for Ipad, chargers for both phones and watches, airpods, portable wine opener, waterbottles, reusable ziploc bags, chip clips, guide books, notebooks, pens, carbon monoxide detector, laundry tide pods.
#packinglist #packinghacks #packforeurope #thebucketlistplanner
Our Month in Europe- Day 5 Rome 🍝⛪️
Saturday March 30
Nick and I split up today so that we could each tour the Vatican without taking the kids through the museum. My tour started 7:45 so Nick took the kids to breakfast and they took some naps. Once I was back, we went out to lunch and wandered around some more. Then around 3 Nick went to his Vatican tour while I stayed in with the kids, and got everyone to bed at a decent time.
It was a busy day for the adults, the Vatican tours last 2.5-3 hours but it was very cool to see and hear all of the art and history. And I’m very glad I didn’t take the kids through the museums, as I would have enjoyed it much less.
#vatican #rome #easterweekend #familydestination
Part 5: last minute details ✈️🌎✈️
After we have all the major components in place such as flights, hotel, and activities, it’s time to think about some of the details.
✈️This includes the most important thing for any international travel - TRIP INSURANCE. This is non-negotiable in my eyes for any international travel. It is relatively inexpensive and covers the cost of the trip due to cancellation, PLUS possible medical expenses, theft etc. You are just as likely to get in a car accident and need medical care in another country as you are at home, so PLEASE get insurance.
Other details that need taken care of include if you need a
✈️rental car and if you plan to get
✈️internet access or cellular service while traveling (we use an E sim through Airalo).
✈️It is also a good idea to know common scams or other safety issues prior to traveling,
✈️how to get local currency (we use a Debit card that doesn’t charge ATM fees to get cash)
✈️ some basic phrases in the local language.
✈️I also like to go back through the airbnb listings I have booked and make note of what is included in the listing so I know if I need to pack certain items.
✈️The final thing is to check your passport and visa requirements. Check your expiration date and make sure that it is valid for the amount of time needed for the country you are visiting. For example Italy wants 6 months validity after your return date. This is the case for many countries.
✈️I then work on a packing list and get ready to go!
What other last minute things do you?
Part 4: Planning out activities 🌎
The next part of planning your trip is getting to the fun things! You get to look at what things you really want to do, and how you want to spend your time. I start by making a list of all of the possible things we could do, and then separating it all out to must dos and other things we could do if we have time.
I then look up any details about the “must dos” such as any days they are closed, or weird opening hours. And decide if I want to do a tour or explore on my own. I then plot my must do activities into a time line or itinerary on excel to make sure I am not crunching too much into a short time frame.
I then look for if there are blank times that could use an activity and plug in some “possible activities” and look up the timing that works best for those. We also usually do a “splurge” of some kind. For example a fine dining meal at a restaurant or a private tour.
I also look up some restaurants that we are interested in, and make reservations if we need to book far in advance, or just keep the options in a list so that if we are there and looking for dinner, I have some options available we can choose from in the moment.
That gets us the skeleton of our trip, with must do sights and tours, a list of possible activities if we feel we need to fill more time, and some plans for food so we are never left scrambling for dinner (I get very hangry).
Follow along for part 5!
Plan My Trip with Me Part 3: 🏠Where to stay.
Once we have flights booked, the next order of business it to find a place to stay. I generally will do some research on various blog sites and lonely planet books to help determine what area or neighborhood we want to stay it. We consider safety, convenience to things we know we want to see, public transportation, food and how crowded things are. Personally we don’t love to be in a super crowded area, or a neighborhood with late night noise. So we generally gravitate toward more of the “foodie” areas or places with a bit more outdoor availability such as parks. We also highly value ease in transportation. For this trip, we are not getting a rental car, and will have 2 kids with us, so easy public transportation is important this time around.
Once we have a general area of where to stay, we then decide if we want to do hotel or rentals. We are very loyal to Hilton brand hotels since we have their top status and credit card, so we will often stay with credit card points to offset the cost of accommodation. For this trip, since we will have a newborn and toddler with us, we were looking for atleast 2 bedrooms, so we focused on airbnb options. We filtered based on reviews, price, location, and ability to have a crib provided. We also closely looked at photos to make sure there was nothing major for safety of a toddler like unfenced pool/water, open stairways etc. We also wanted a washing machine at each place we are staying so we can pack less, and keep up with newborn spit up.
Other accommodations that we have done are a converted van (Iceland) and Motorhome (Scotland). This is a good way to combine a place to stay and a way to get around. It also makes traveling around a country very easy because you don’t have to pack up and unpack with each move. Just another thing to consider when deciding where to stay.
Follow along for part 4 of my plan with me series when we talk about must do activities and
Today is part 2 of the series: Plan my trip with me ✈️
The next thing I do after deciding when and where I will be traveling, is deciding how to get there. First thing to consider is road trip verse flights. If deciding on a road trip, just making sure you have enough room in your vehicle for all people, gear etc that will be coming with you. If you will be flying, some of the things you need to consider is major airports near you, direct or indirect flight options, and if you have any credit card or airline points that could help offset the cost.
Kids under 2 can travel as a lap infant. These means that they won’t have a car seat for them on the plane. If you want to bring your car seat, it is best to book them a seat. Domestically, lap infants are free. Internationally, they are usually 10% of the cost of the seat plus some taxes as fees. Anyone 2 years or older will need to have their own seat and ticket.
For our trip to Europe here is the breakdown for our flights, with associated points and cost.
✈️Appleton WI to Chicago IL - American Airlines - economy - booked with points + $5.60 x3 for each ticket ($16.8)
✈️Chicago IL to Rome Italy - United Airlines - Premium economy - booked with points (78,400 x3) + $5.60 x3 for each ticket ($16.8)
✈️Rome Italy to Lisbon Portugal - TAP airlines - economy - $326 x3 + $55 for lap infant = $1035 for all tickets
✈️Lisbon Portugal to London UK - TAP airlines - economy - $205 x3 + $45 for lap infant = $661 for all tickets
✈️London UK - Chicago IL - British Airways - Premium Plus - booked on points + $314 for taxes x3 + $8 for lap infant ($951)
✈️Chicago IL - Appleton WI - United Airlines - Economy - booked 2 on points, $485 for the other seats
💰Grand Total: $3165 for 6 flights, 4 people. Both long haul flights are premium class (between economy and first class)
This total was a bit more than I was originally planning, because we couldn’t buy the flights between Rome, L
