Babes in Jetlag

Kyoto, Japan: It’s 5:00 in the morning and your 9-month-old is more interested in coo-ing than snoozing. This is a classic traveling-with-kids moment because you now have to choose to either 1) slowly go insane worrying about waking others, run out of your ryokan (Japanese traditional inn) screaming, and spend the rest of your life deranged and singing karaoke for change on the street corners of Japan or 2) simply take advantage.

This very scenario happened to Marisa and me on our second major “globetotting” trip. Our first-born, Noah, was wide-awake way too early in the morning and Marisa was still beat from being on mom-duty all night. So instead of going Loco in Kyoto (sounds like a good south-of-the-border action movie to me), I grabbed the little man, our Kelty Pack, and my camera and we headed out to explore the cultural capital of Japan at daybreak. The results were breathtaking. With no one out but the sun peeking over the rooftops, we stumbled into everything from picture perfect alleys filled with brightly colored doorsteps adorned with bonsai and ancient bicycles to one of Kyoto’s newest shrines, Heian Jingu, which boasts one of the largest torii (shrine gate) in Japan.

So when traveling with small children, here’s the golden nugget to grasp so you don’t lose sleep over the trivial: your children deserve to be on vacation just as much as you. When was the last time you tried teething or learning to walk? That’s as hard as any nine to five desk job, and it deserves some paid time off. This means allowing your kids to be on vacation from their sleep schedule as well as everything else. Instead of fretting over missed naps, late nights or early mornings, bask in the randomness of everyone’s internal clock and I promise you’ll enjoy yourself a whole lot more.

For Noah and I that morning, his off-kilter sleeping schedule allowed a glimpse into a heritage (Noah’s heritage in fact, since he’s a quarter Japanese) that we otherwise might have missed. Unobscured by any other distraction, the city itself seemed to whisper to us as we reverently passed through its streets. We marveled at the delicacy of the streets and homes, windows into a culture centuries older than our own. We were awed by the humble grandeur of the Heian Jingu shrine, with its brilliant blue tiled roofs and glowing orange framework. We finished by silently paying our respects at a prayer tree: its brilliant white shards of fabric filled with poetic pleas gently lifting towards the heavens in the morning breeze. This was awe-inspiring. This was tear-jerkingly awesome. This never would have happened had I not been traveling with the best 9-month-old tour guide the world has ever known, who was now snoozing in the Kelty Pack.

My five-year-old’s Nice

Walking through Nice’s old town (Vieux Nice), it’s not hard to spot five things my five-year-old would love about this place:

1. Gelato: Nice offers some of the best gelato flavors found on the planet. Everything from the classic nutella to questionable flavors like black olive or beer (the latter is not for my five-year-old).
2. Pastries: When Christ teaches us in the New Testament that we should become as little children, I think one of the requirements not specifically outlined was eat more pastries. Vieux Nice offers my five-year-old countless opportunities to indulge alongside his gourmand father.
3. Dogs: Nice has got to be one of the most dog-friendly places on earth. From grocery stores to fancy-schmancy restaurants, it’s canine time. Nothing pleases my five-year-old more than seeing a Shitzu enjoying Socca or Pug pounding a Pizza alla Niçoise.
4. Pigeons: People don’t bring pigeons here on vacation. Like most decent-sized Western cities, Nice is bobbing with them. And what five-year-old boy doesn’t enjoy some quality pigeon chasing?
5. Nice Plage: Two words: rocks and water. Nice Plage is a gorgeous black rock beach that stretches the length of the city’s Promenade. I’m pretty certain that the endorphins kicks into high gear the minute my five-year-old sees acres of smooth black rocks flanked by an endless supply of water.
   

My five-year-old’s Monaco

Monaco, home to the world’s best-looking cars, biggest gambling stakes, and best-dressed natives, is also the temporary home of something that would actually interest my five-year-old: the fair! Throughout the year, fairs of varying degrees make their way across the European continent, making week to month-long stops - depending on the size of the city.

When we say “fair” in America, I often picture scenes from an E.B. White-induced dream (prize-winning pigs, cotton candy, and a rickety Ferris wheel), but the fairs in Europe are more like mini mobile theme parks. The fair at Monaco (here for a month) offers everything from swinging upside down in the Monte Carlo skyline at the height of 35 feet to being catapulted into the air faster than your stomach can say “Wait I just ate an entire Italian pizza!”

Here’s a quick glimpse:

Baby On Board: Flying with the Kiddies, Part 1

You open your eyes and find yourself in a dimly-lit corridor, a loud buzzing noise annoying your ears. Above your head a small light is blinking on and off sporadically, and a voice that sounds like a bad cross between Bob Barker and Julio Iglesias is mumbling instructions from above. Suddenly, the piercing scream of an infant rattles the entire cabin, followed shortly thereafter by dreaded aftershocks of grumbling businessmen.

If you've ever thought of traveling with small children, this nightmare has surely played out in your mind at least two dozen times. Flying with kids, especially abroad, can be a daunting task -- one seen by many as undertaken only by the truly brave or the truly insane. However, if you plan right and travel smart, flying with small kids can not only be endurable, but even enjoyable.

Step One: The Planning Phase
Believe it or not, you don't have to be stuck in the grumpy businessman section of your flight. When calling to reserve airline tickets, be sure to explain clearly your "special familial needs" to the agent. Most airlines with overnight flights offer bassinets for families with babies. These bassinets, typically installed in the wall of a bulkhead row after takeoff and left up until final descent, are a godsend for parents traveling with pre-tods. If you are going to have a baby on board, be sure to request a basinet from your airline as early as possible (there are undoubtedly a very limited number).

Also, when booking with an airline, you should request seating assignments that will greatly reduce your stress. Take for example the number two cause of high blood pressure for traveling businessmen: kicking from the seat behind. If you know you're traveling with a family of four or more, you can potentially have your kicking-aged kids placed with you in the row behind dad and the older kids. That way dad gets the kicks he deserves and you don't have to spend 8+ hours racking your brain on how to superglue your child's legs to their seat.

Step Two: Airports and Layovers
When traveling with small kids, consider the airport your friend and not the enemy. One way to ensure an amicable relationship between you and the airports you'll visit is to dress and pack appropriately. If you're traveling with small kids, be sure to check or leave at home as much of the bulk as possible (Reflect: do I really need to be hauling around a box worth of diapers in my carry-on). Most places you'll be traveling with kids will, hopefully, have essentials like markets and McDonalds. So either pack that box of diapers in checked baggage, or buy a box when you get to your home away from home.

Airports should be seen by parents as the mother of all playgrounds. Assuming you arrived as early as recommended, you'll probably have some down time at the gate. Use this time wisely: to run the bejeebers out of your kids. With moving sidewalks, acres of thin, dark carpet, and even occasional play areas, your kids should have every reason to have a low battery once installed in their seat on the plane.

If you do have a significant, or even henious layover (more likely especially with mileage tickets), do a little research beforehand and find out if there's someplace to run close by. On a recent trip to France with my family, we had nine hours scheduled in the Houston airport - nine hours! Luckily, with minimal research, I was able to find an affiliate zoo that was free with our Salt Lake Zoo membership and a car rental for $40.00 for the day. So instead of going bonkers in Brookstone, my kids got to run wild with the monkeys and llamas, which made for a much easier transatlantic trip to Paris.