Travelling with a 2 year old... don't do it they said...
As a solo mum I’m independent and have a dreamy idea of Lily and I travelling around the world exploring… when a good friend of mine asked if I fancied going on holiday with her and her 2 year old (Lily’s little boyfriend Arran) I thought great, how hard can it be with a 2 year old on my own.
Lily and I had already been away on a plane when she was a baby with my sister, and yes she is fully mobile and constantly has ants in her pants right now but, yeah it will be fine 😳
Friends and family said don’t do it, it will be too stressful you’ll need a holiday to recover bla bla bla (which obviously egg’d me on even more).
My reply to Jo, was yes let’s do this…. Our criteria was….
- Somewhere all inclusive
- Somewhere the little ones would enjoy but we could still chill out too
- Not too far on the plane
- Sunshine but not too hot
- Sleeping space for little ones and us that was separate
We decided on Fuerteventura, all-inclusive beautiful resort on the beach the down side of this package holiday was Ryan Air! But we’d survive it.
I gathered loads of info on travelling with a toddler before the trip (I’m a proper researcher… that midnight googler.. yes that’s me) I felt like I had the ammunition I needed to make this a relaxing smooth trip. I booked into the airport on meet and greet so Lily and I could rock up at the airport and not worry about parking and I have to say all my research paid off we had the most amazing time it couldn’t have gone any better.
Here are my top tips that absolutely worked for a hassle free enjoyable trip with a 2 year old.
- Luggage
We took one case between us, since becoming a mama I’ve learnt to pack light, it’s all about her million and one outfits now. I also got her a little back pack to wear for the trip with all her stuff in. come on…. you’re two you carry your own shizz, toys and snacks. I also had a backpack so I had two hands free at all times!!!
- At the airport
I had a hand strap for lily and I to wear to make sure she stayed close, letting her walk/run about in the airport was good prep for her sitting still for 4 hours 20 mins! We booked into the lounge stocked up on gin and food just in case the Ryan Air offering of substandard… (it was) obviously got carried away and legged it when they did a final call which the little ones thought was hilarious, the crew did not which they made clear as we were getting on by letting us know they were just about to lift our luggage… almost didn’t make it 😊
3 On the plane
A friend of mine recommended we wrap up some toys / puzzles / books and ‘revealed’ new stuff every hour or so… this was the BEST idea… the suspense and then surprise of the next ‘present’ was perfect! We had activity books and small games toys which kept them entertained, so much so I literally only had to get up and walk about once! ( there was me pre trip thinking how stressful it would be for me and the other travellers for us to have to wonder up and down the aisle a zillion times. We also got them headphones and they watched a bit of peppa and paw patrol yes I’m now one of those ignorant mums who said my child wouldn’t’ watch an ipad but now I know the benefits to her and me of exposing her to the ipad now.
- Arriving
We had booked a private transfer ( who wants to wait on a cab or drive around in a bus with two tired 2 year olds ) the driver turned up equipt with car seats and dropped us right at our door with our excited but at this point very tired little ones. We’d saved some snacks for the 30 min drive to the resort.
- The resort
We had a cute little bungalow with space for us and them – vital for post hectic day tipple and chinwag, they called it our holiday home which is kinda cute and you wouldn’t’ quite get with a hotel room. I’d defo make sure our next trip was in a villa / home from home to give that holiday home feeling. Our food, drink and fun was all in one family focused but chic resort. Perfect for them and us.
- Your beauty routine
Park it, go minimalist chic…. Cleanser, sun protection, moisturiser, mascara and a flash of colour on your lips is all you need ….. We did however make time during a day time pushchair nap to get foot massages which was our little treat to ourselves – bliss.
So my take away was that they were wrong, it wasn’t stressful and I didn’t need a holiday to recover, we had a lovely time and a little geeky research and preparation went a long way…. Next stop Dubai ….
