Travelling on Maternity Leave: Europe With a Baby (and a dog!)

What if, instead of spending parental leave at home navigating feeds, naps and explosive nappies, you packed up the baby, your partner AND the family dog and headed to Europe?That’s exactly what Canadian travel writer Riana Ang-Canning from the travel blog, Teaspoon of Adventure, did.Riana and her husband used parental leave to take their baby daughter and Chihuahua Ellie on an epic nine-month adventure, including an extended stay in London and France’s LoireValley. In this episode, Sally and Riana talk about what long-term travel with a baby is really like, from flying long haul and maintaining sleep routines to slowing down, lowering expectations and learning that sometimes one activity a day is more than enough.Riana shares why they chose to buy their baby her own plane seat, the disastrous day in Normandy that completely changed the way they travelled, her favourite family experiences inEurope and why travelling slowly made such a huge difference.And they tackle that comment travelling parents hear all the time:“But your baby won’t remember it, so why bother?” Riana has the perfect answer.In this Episode:• Taking parental leave to travel with a baby • Long-term travel through Europe with a baby and dog • Flying long haul with an infant • Baby sleep and routines while travelling • Why slow travel works so well with young children • Managing expectations and travel FOMO • Family-friendly experiences in France and London • Why babies not remembering a holiday doesn’t mean it isn’t worth takingAs Riana says, his is your first trip with your baby, not your last.You don’t have to see everything, travel for nine months or go halfway around the world to make incredible family memories.https://teaspoonofadventure.com/Follow Riana on Instagram: @teaspoonofadventureFollow Snacks and Suitcases onInstagram: @snacksandsuitcasespodcastFollow Host, Sally Stanton oninstagram: @sallynanamisIf you enjoyed this episode andwould like to hear more, follow Snacks and Suitcases and leave a rating or review. Snacks and Suitcases is an Australian family travel podcast packed with practical tips, destination inspiration and real-life stories to make travelling with kids easier and morefun.AND Don't forget your snacks!  snacksandsuitcasespodcast@gmail.com