Adventurous travel with an infant in January?

October 21, 2014 8:45 AM

We now have a baby, and are bemoaning the fact that we didn't do much adventurous travel before she was born. But now we realize we still can! So where should we go?

Hi! We are a couple who are well-travelled in the developed world, but terrible so anywhere outside N. America or Europe. We regret this, and after we had a baby, we thought we left it too late.

But I've been inspired!. So we're thinking of taking a bigger trip in January, with our daughter who will then be about 9 months old.

But where to go? We'll probably be leaving from London. We're hesitant to do anything TOO adventurous with little experience with a baby. (Or is this unreasonable?) But we've got wanderlust. So far we've thought of S. Africa and Japan. I'm unreasonably worried about Ebola for S. Africa (ridiculous??) and perhaps too long of a flight for Japan? Any other ideas -- esp. to maximize the weather in Jan? Or tips on how to do this?

Oh, we'll probably have about two weeks.

Thanks!

posted by caoimhe to Travel & Transportation (17 answers total)

Japan sounds great, though it's neither outside the developed world nor particularly "adventurous". But it would probably be the perfect blend of interesting/unusual and family friendly.

Along those lines, what about South Korea?

It will be winter in both places in January.

Also, yes, worrying about Ebola in South Africa is ridiculous. Ebola is closer to London than Johannesburg right now.
posted by Sara C. at 8:52 AM on October 21, 2014

Response by poster: Won't threadsit here, but the confirm that my concern about Ebola is ridiculous is very helpful. I'm on new mother alert where I worry about everything. :) And I know neither Japan nor S. Africa are particularly adventurous in the scheme of things, but they would be somewhat for us (in terms of very different environments.)

I'm definitely open to even more adventurous suggestions!!
posted by caoimhe at 8:55 AM on October 21, 2014

Lonely planet has a travel with kids book. I thought it was pretty food. I remember they recommended Argentina as very kid friendly.
posted by chapps at 9:04 AM on October 21, 2014

With a newish baby, and the (totally natural) worried disposition that goes along with being responsible for a vulnerable tiny person who can't tell you verbally if something hurts or feels wrong, I would not poo-pooh yourself for wanting to have a trip that is "not TOO adventurous," as you put it. (Look at the question from earlier today -- they are on a gorgeous resort island, but the baby has a rash, & mom is left to decide whether to take him on a 6 hour bus ride to the hospital in the city.)
Therefore -- as I was that kind of new mom, myself -- I would indeed try a fabulous, amazing place that still has easy access to a medical care you feel comfortable with, should you need it.
Japan or South Africa would be good. A 9 month old is hard to keep still /amused on a plane for that long but it might be worth it.
If it were me I would pick Buenos Aires.
On preview -- chapps just said it!
posted by third rail at 9:06 AM on October 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

Hong Kong is very "different" but also very English speaking and with great public transport. When I was there in a February it was t-shirt weather.
posted by emilyw at 9:08 AM on October 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

As an EU citizen you can travel to Cuba. Cuba is very safe for tourists, but it is also semi-adventure travel due to the language difference, the isolated economy (you can't buy your typical items readily), the different political climate and the lack of technology (no internet access, no cell phones) but good health care if an issue arises. It is definitely a developing country. The weather will also be great in January. You could spend some time at a resort and then spend several days in Havana or other cities on the island. There is a 4h antique train from Havana to Matanzas. What may make it more adventurous is not staying 100% at a hotel but instead renting a Casa Particulare which is like Cuba's version of airBNB.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:09 AM on October 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

I kind of think you're going from zero to a hundred in a single step. A first trip with a baby can be an adventure enough. What about the south of Spain? Turkish coast and Istanbul? Morocco? Costa Rica?

I don't think you need to fly to Japan to have a sense of adventure with a 9 month old...

South Africa is gorgeous but you might want to save that until the kid is a bit older and you can experience a game reserve together.
posted by barnone at 9:18 AM on October 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

I just traveled with a 9 month old (BTW look at British Airways for flights since they have a baby seat you can get) we did Amsterdam and London.

I'd recommend places which are navigable with a stroller, the stroller doubles for baby stuff storage and you're not going to want to walk all day with a baby strapped to you. This may also indicate flatter areas.

Therefore I'd recommend more developed areas Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore etc in Asia would be both adventuresome and neat.
posted by bitdamaged at 9:34 AM on October 21, 2014

Maybe start with a cruise? You can dip your toes into a lot of different places in the developing world without committing to much to it. There are lots of kid friendly cruise ships. Or an all-inclusive somewhere that has day care.
posted by empath at 9:36 AM on October 21, 2014 [4 favorites]

Many babies do not do well AT ALL with jetlag (I have not tested this myself, but know people who have travelled UK-North America and UK-New Zealand with small babies). So South Africa may be a better option from that point of view.

(From personal experience: take a change of clothes for you and the baby in carry-on! Babies have trouble aiming for the airplane sick bag)
posted by gnimmel at 9:53 AM on October 21, 2014

Yea, you probably don't have to worry about ebola but there are lots of other things to worry about. Even diarrhea can be life threatening.

I've traveled all over the developing world and I would be very hesitant to take a child that small. I like the cruise ship idea because then there will always be a doctor on call.
posted by cacao at 9:54 AM on October 21, 2014

Great age for traveling with a kid. You get on planes first, they sleep a ton so things like flying or long trains aren't a big deal, you often get to cut in other lines or get called to the front by attendants who want to coo over your child, you get a stroller to pile all your crap on--all good things. And you limit yourself by resting more, maybe even napping, so your trip's not so hectic. On strollers, either buy a REALLY good one that will accompany you on the whole trip or wait until you get to your destination and buy a crap one you can just leave there.

I would just say not to go anywhere too exotic in the event of kid health issues UNLESS one of you is competent in the local culture or language. If your first option is QUICK TO THE NEAREST EMBASSY, you're in over your head.
posted by resurrexit at 10:05 AM on October 21, 2014

You get on planes first, they sleep a ton so things like flying or long trains aren't a big deal, you often get to cut in other lines or get called to the front by attendants who want to coo over your child, you get a stroller to pile all your crap on--all good things. And you limit yourself by resting more, maybe even napping, so your trip's not so hectic.

Just FYI, this is not my experience... at all. We took our 10 month old on his first flights last month and while it went well, he was BY NO MEANS "sleeping a ton". We prepared a pretty comprehensive set of novel amusements, scoped out places for him to crawl, and I guess most notably, worked our freaking asses off keeping him happy, calm and secure in his constantly-changing environment. It was a great experience and I'm really glad we did it, but it was the least relaxing trip I've ever had!

Keeping our son well-rested within the unpredictable travel schedule was a project. We are big on baby-wearing, and our son does nap in his Ergo/Beco, but only for 20-30 minutes at a time, maximum. In order for him to nap on some kind of bed, we had to manage to be at a hotel at just the right time, and of course one person had to sit in the room in dim silence for however long he napped. It happened once over 4 days. I mean, overall, everything was fine, and we made absolutely sure our son got his rest, but it usually had to happen either in the carrier (as we walked around constantly) or in the car (again, short naps). We didn't bring a stroller with us at all since we rarely use one.

Also, for our son, getting on the plane FIRST was the worst idea ever - more time stuck in a set, not allowed to crawl! We got permission to board LAST and I would recommend you do the same if you have an active kid.

I have also traveled extensively in the third world and I would not recommend going there with an infant. I know many people do and I don't think it's crazy, but in my experience, the degree of caution around food and water safety that is necessary to avoid Seriously Bad Diarrhea would be literally impossible with an infant. My little guy, like most babies, puts everything in his mouth and doesn't understand that some things are dirty, and it's absolutely not possible to prevent him from being exposed to whatever's on the floor/furniture/walls/etc. I think it's very likely he would get diarrhea, which would be a) a huge problem during travel and b) scary if he needed treatment. It would be miserable and none of you would get much rest. Heavy-duty broad-spectrum antibiotics are usually called for (and if you go, you MUST carry them with you), but those are pretty damn rough on infants themselves.

My recommendation would be Puerto Rico or a similar relatively-developed tropical island. Different, fascinating, great nature to see, but safer.
posted by Cygnet at 10:51 AM on October 21, 2014 [1 favorite]

I've done Spain and Morocco with small children and would recommend either. Plane ride's not terrible from London, as a bonus.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:15 AM on October 21, 2014

Yeah, my experience is similar to cygnet's and snickerdoodles.

We flew with my son at 7.5 months and 9.5 months.

Both times he was squirmy, the first trip he got an ear infection and we spent four miserable days not sleeping and trying to help him feel better. The flights were hell.

The second was better, but as cygnet described, it was HARD UNRELENTING work and we were well prepared. He wanted to crawl everywhere, touch everything and put it all in his mouth. He hated being restrained to our seats on the flight. Half the time he didn't want to nurse or take a bottle during take off and landing even though we timed his meals around these. He couldn't sleep because so much exciting! new! stuff! And the thought of getting on the plane first? *shiver*

This is not to say this couldn't be great but I might go for exotic with solid infrastructure (ie medical care especially) and the shortest flight possible (or shortest number of legs). Also, I think you might be better off going sooner. Once they're crawling it gets a lot more difficult. Which can happen well before 9 months.

And not to be a total wet blanket, when he was about 12 months, I thought it's be a great age to travel with him. We didn't bc I was pregnant with travel restrictions, but I think the "this is your last chance!" thing might be a little exaggerated.

(Context: I've done some traveling - third world countries on three continents, and my son's an incredibly happy easy going little guy but does fight sleep like a champ)
posted by pennypiper at 12:29 PM on October 21, 2014

I think about 6-12 months is a great window for travel, because most of their needs when traveling aren't that much different from at home (mostly animal needs, plus some entertainment), and they aren't that aware of the difference. Later, they're much more opinionated and the complaining can be killer!

But just realize that traveling with a baby/kid isn't very much like Vacation. You can have fun, see neat things, but never really relax or let down, and you may end up nearly as exhausted at the end as at the beginning. But a travel itch is a mighty thing, so don't let that stop you!
posted by acm at 12:39 PM on October 21, 2014

We have flown US to Japan when Micropanda was 13 months and then 2.5 years. The flights were hard hard work, but we managed. If you are going on a long haul flight, GET THE KID A SEAT. If it's a regular flight, he can go as a lap kid, but there was another family on our first Japan flight with a lap baby and they were a lot more miserable than we were (which is saying something!) Echoing the others who say that on this length of flight, you must be prepared to be *on* for the whooole time. Don't plan on a nap for yourselves.

Babies suck at changing time zones. So if you can think of anywhere to go in your time zone, you will not regret it. On our Japan trip, we were visiting family, so the jetlag was less of an issue: We did family outings at ass o'clock in the morning (Have you ever been the *only person* at a world landmark like the Great Buddha in Kamakura? I have. It was pretty awesome.) Kid collapsed in a heap by noon, so we'd leave him with grandparents for afternoon nap and go have grownup time. It would have been rough if we hadn't been able to do this. Trips we've taken that were not to visit family have always involved at least one miserable grownup in a dark hotel room in the afternoon, frantically back-patting an unhappy kid. But our elder literally cannot function without naps - YMMV.

Investigate whether your destination is stroller friendly. Japan is not that stroller friendly because there are stairs everywhere and the trains can be very crowded. If you go to Japan, take a comfortable carrier. (Also: the only time(s) our stroller has ever gotten lost on an airplane? EVERY TRIP TO JAPAN WE HAVE EVER TAKEN. Be sure you have a game plan in the event this happens.)

My suggestion is, first knock out plain old Travel With A Baby. Then try Adventure Travel With a Baby. This is not to say you shouldn't do it. Go! Do! Enjoy! But you'll probably get better at it and have more fun in the long run if you do it with training wheels a time or two.
posted by telepanda at 7:31 AM on October 22, 2014