The 1 rule of traveling, go when you can!

I am starting to consider myself as a "professional" traveller now, I have more or less travelled my whole life, on longer and shorter trips. The last long one was almost 2 years, and I circled the globe twice. This time around I am travelling with my beautiful littlebabyexplorer and prince charming. We have as of yet not circled the globe, but we have been on the road now for almost 4 months. Besides from having the time of our lives as a family, we are also making valuable lessons that we can put in our backpack and take with us. (and share, sharing is caring :) )

So my 1 rule of travelling:

New York City - before the storm...

The difference could not be bigger. 3 months on secluded beaches in Brazil 20 hours later; a world metropolis NYC. Busy traffic, freezing cold wind, no sun to be seen and people rushing everywhere. It was all overwhelming! We hurried into our hotel room at Cassa hotel, and exhausted all three of us sank into the Egyptian cotton sheets and passed out.

The next day littlebabyexplorer decided it was morning at 5 am,

Going to Brazil with a baby? Bring your own baby food!

We have spent around 2 months in one of the most beautiful and diverse countries of south America, Brasil. Samba, Capirinia, Capoeira, beach, sand, sun, culture and happy people that love children. Littlebabyexplorer has charmed her way with everyone and we have had a great time! Next time though I will bring my own baby food. Nestle has some kind of monopoly it would seem on the baby food selection. It is all that is available. I mean even in great big cities like Rio and Sao Paulo I could only find the same food. No handy fruit squeezes (like on the picture above) or nibbles to find anywhere. And Nestle only have about 5 different dinners. And impossible to find a baby porridge without sugar. I am happy I am still breast feeding and not depending on formula! Since littlebabyexplorer was only 7 months when we arrived in Brasil we decided not to give her "normal" food. I have been to Brasil many times in the past and never had any trouble, but just as an extra precaution we decided to only give her baby food. Little did I know about the baby food situation. I remember reading in an guide book from 2000 that they recommended you bring your own baby food to Brasil, but I thought surely 12 years and one booming economy later that they would have a great big improvement on this department. But NO! So lesson learnt bringing my own baby food next time ;)

Leasons learnt part 2 - In a restaurant

Littlebabyexplorer is now 10 months and we have travelled for over 3 months, and I am happy to say that we are more experienced and here are some more lessons learnt:

Eating in restaurants:

When travelling for a long time like we are, you eat an insane amount of meals in restaurants. In fact sometimes its up to 3 times pr day. Those of you who have a baby will probably wonder how its possible to keep the baby still for that long. Well most of the times its not! So you have to adjust to the surroundings, and adjust your expectations. Few tips we have learnt so far:

Kristians 40th birthday Insolito Hotel and Spa Buzios

4 decades seems like a really long time when you think about it, but he claims himself that he feel no older no than he did 2 decades ago. I would not know, since I am not a day over 25 :) Every year my close friends congratulate me on my 25 th birthday again. I like it that way. 25 is a good age I think. I know I know, all stages of lives has its own charm, that is not what I am saying, its more like deciding my brain that I am still 25 so that my body won't deteriorate...

Iguazu Falls - eternal fall in the jungle

Iguazu river flows mostly through Brazil, but the falls divide Argentina and Brazil. The fall can be experienced on both sides, and its is highly reccomended that you visit both sides. Iguazu means big water. Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall...

Backpack traveling alone in Rio...

When you are travelling, the possibility of forgetting something somewhere is always present, even experienced travellers (yes I allow myself to be called experienced traveller) forget or loose stuff from time to time. There are however Continent and far less convenient places and countries to "misplace" your things. A Taxi in Rio from one hotel to another does qualify as an inconvenient place:

For rent: Apartment on the beach in Brazil...

Just spent the last 7 weeks in my beautiful serene getaway on the beach in the north of Brasil close to Natal. They say that in Natal the sun never sets, and its true, its around 30 degrees all year round, a little more windy in winter months but thats it! We did some redecorating and upgrading of the apartment, so its ready for the high season!

For a closer look, vistit: http://www.beachholidaynatal.com/

Rio de Janeiro with a baby....

Rio de Janeiro was the first big city I ever heard about, the first time I heard the name was from my mothers good friend, she lived there with her husband in the early 1980s and every time I saw her I listened to stories about the great exotic far away city that had the biggest carnival in the world. She told me how there were hungry children begging for your left overs outside the restaurant, the big favellas where the police could not set there foot and the biggest brightest carnival in the world. I could not wait to go there myself... 

Holiday life doing everyday stuff....

Okay so traveling and being on constant holiday for 6 months is a dream come true, no doubt about that. Loving every minute of it! I love the fact that I get to know myself, my boyfriend and my daugther better and better every day. That I have time to sit on the beach and stare endlessly at the ocean. Away from all the "most" dos and the "most" haves of the place we still refeer to as home, Oslo. 

Its a blessing to wake up....

"Aunty" Elin is visiting us...

When you are away from home and people that you care about, its great when "home" comes to you. Last week we had my cousin over from Norway. She is my mothers sisters kid, but my daugther will grow up to call her "Aunty". Its been great having her here, showing her my home away from home, Brasil. I love this country and I hope to spend alot of time here in my apartment with friends and family in the future.

Living on the beach in Brazil...

After our time travelling around in Florida and Brasil, we found it very welcoming moving into my apartment on the beach. It is in the north of Brasil, its the sunny capital and boast of over 300 sunny days a year. Its low season at the moment, but the weather is the same as always, its just less people on the beach.

The apartment is situated

Lessons learnt Part 1: Long haul flights

 Now its more or less 1 month since we left Norway. We have been travelling with an now 8 and half month old baby girl. So far we have tried and tested a few things, and are learning from our mistakes everyday. Here are some of the things we have learnt Part 1.

Long haul flights:

Sao Paulo - Brazils answer to NYC

 Waiting to check in at the airport in Miami with TAM, (by the way what a terrible airline, that actually deserves a whole blog post) Littlebabyexplorer charmed to lady in front of us in the que and we started talking. She was from Sao Paulo and it was interesting to hear her take on the city. She told me that people from Sao Paulo when asked where they were from, were often caught saying, " I am not from Brasil, I am from Sao Paulo"and that they also at some point in the past wanted to be independent from Brazil.

The Keys, perfect for families....

Packing in city life, and heading down the US highway 1 we were going to find family holiday paradise. The Florida Keys. What a perfect place to take your children. At Cheeca lodge there were all sorts of activities to keep everyone happy. Windsurfing, kitesurfing, snorkeling, diving, beach, pool,  fishing and basically all sorts of outdoor activities. Surroundings were stunning, food excellent, and the staff was trained to the fingertips.

Miami with an 8 month old baby...

Ok first of all I have to say that going to Miami in summer time is HOT. Humid and hot. We are definitely coming back, but we are going back in winter. On the plus side of travelling to Florida in low season is that you can get some awesome deals at luxury hotels :)

So where did we stay in Miami with a baby:

My baby hates driving....

She is one of the happiest babies I have ever met (no totally neutral conclusion ;) but when she is put in a car seat she is miserable. We tried changing car seat thinking it was that, but no still the same thing. We love to travel but I have to say it has proven to be a challenge to get around places with this little princess. What we are doing now is limiting travels to her nap times, it makes life a lot easier. However if anyone has any tips we could try out I would be very great full. 

Traveling alone vs. traveling with a baby

Those of you that know me will probably think: Dah... finally she gets it. Yes I get it now, there is a big difference between traveling alone vs. traveling with a baby. Not so easy waking up in the morning and deciding where to go by chit chat over breakfast. Or realizing you ended up in the wrong city in Vietnam, suppose to meet up in Ho Ci Ming and defiantly not Hoi An. (which happens to be on the other side of the country). Some more obvious differences though:

Fontainebleau South Beach Miami

Fontainbleau has a great long famous story, it first opened in 1954, went bust in 1977, opened again and is one of the most historically and significantly hotels on Miami Beach. Designed by Moris Lapis, it is currently first on the list of Floridas most important architectural buildings. 

Frank Sinatra used to hang here and his famous film A hole in the head from 1959 was filmed here. Elvis was welcomed home from the war. Home to one of the most famous nightclubs in the world LIV. They have just done a 2 year long renovation costing 1 billion ..

We are going to Miami - Virgin Atlantic

Boarding the plane, ready for 8,5 hours to get to Miami. Ok so not quite ready, in all my time as a traveller I have had food poisoning once! So I was as surprised as the people sitting next to me when I started throwing up just before take off. Yes I could not go to the bathroom so I had to barf into those horrible bags. People around me was touring away...Great!

London 2012 -Sanderson Hotel-Hyde Park

So finally on our way, and first stop off London. Arriving at Heathrow, we soon realised it was close to the Olympic Games. The whole place was ready for the herds of people expected to London over the next couple of weeks. In the UK they know how to be efficient with public transport (as suppose to Miami, I will get back to this later) a representative from Heathrow express sold us tickets whilst we were waiting for our luggage, 15 min later and hello London!..

Going to visit Mamas Papas in London.. what to buy?

I am constantly trying to find baby travel products that will make a littlebabyexplorer a happy traveler. We are stopping off in London to visit Mamas and Papas flagship store on Regent Street. Ofcourse not the the sole reason, I used to live in England and any excuse to come back :)

The following products are on the list of purchases to be made before departure to Miami 25 July. We are also looking for the perfect travel stroller. We have a few criteria for our use: Littlebabyexplorer need to be able to sleep and good sun shade, other than that we are open for suggestion. Any reccomendations please feel free to leave me a comment.

Food on the go for the littlebabyexplorer...

Ella's Kitchen

Its hardly a secret that a baby or an adult for that matter are both happier travellers on a full stomach.  Being constantly on the go, "good" healthy food can be a challenge to find right at the moment when you need it.... So when I discovered Ella's Kitchen I was thrilled. Its organic, healthy and easy to eat:) Ella is always to find in our travel bag.....

Lindesnes - The southern most point of Norway...

The journey starts when you leave your house.. Yesterday Little baby waved " Goodbye Oslo, see you again in January NEXT YEAR". I love the feeling, not knowing what I am going to do for the next 6 months...
I am actually surprised we could fit everything into the car, but one cramped car journey (4,5 hours) later we arrived at the summer house in Lindesnes. Its well know because its the southern most point of norway and marked by a lighthouse. Littlebabyexplorer loves the 2k walk from the summer house. In fact to get rid of the last kg of pregnancy... I have promised myself

Test trip to Crete Ocean Beach Club

Since planning a new trip out into the big wide world, not just me and my backpack this time, but with a baby in one hand and a man in the other, I decided we had to do a test trip. Ok so constant rain for 2 weeks in Oslo helped the decision massivly, and we got a really good deal with last minute charter company.
I soon found out that our littlebabyexplorer loves to travel. She is most happy when there are alot of action around. Curious to see, touch, feel, smell and love the world, just like the world will love her.

One week in Crete and here is the verdict: