Whenever someone asks us about our Baby Trip - the nine month trip we took through Canada and Europe with our baby (and dog!) - they always ask about the highlights. They want to know what our favourite part was, where we loved living most, the best thing we ate and when we’ll be back on the road.
No one ever asks about the mistakes.
Which, fair enough, would be a really weird thing to ask! “You just came back from nine months of travel! What was the worst part?”
So even though it would be odd to ask someone how they messed up their trip or what they regret most, I think deep down, we all want to know.
Because of course not everything went to plan! We were travelling for nine months with a tiny human and tiny dog. Sticking to the plan went out the window in month one.
So to prove that family travel isn’t always as idyllic as it looks in photos - and that even travel bloggers make mistakes - here are eight of my biggest regrets from our trip:
1. Applying for France visas
What I thought would happen: We would apply for our long-stay tourist visas for France, get approved, receive our passports back with tons of time to spare, and happily continue with our plan to spend seven months in France and Spain.
What actually happened: Our visas were denied due to “insufficient or unreliable information” (whatever that means) and we didn’t get our passports back until two business days before our flight left.
Because the visas didn’t come through, we had to entirely replan our trip - new countries, increased budget and a shorter timeline. We cut our time in France, nixed our long stay in Spain, and headed to much more expensive England instead.
Oh and we wasted a ton of money, time and stress on our visa applications!
What I’d do next time: Honestly, I think I might apply for the visas again. As horrible as it was to get denied, I know lots of people who have received this visa without any issues. I’d try again but with a truckload of paperwork (instead of just the armload we originally brought) so they wouldn’t have any reason to deny us.
I’d also start working on a back up plan way sooner. It was very stressful to have to replan our trip at the last minute.
Regret rating: 3/5. Yes, it really sucked to replan our trip and lose time/money/sleep over the visa applications. But the original plan was solid and plan B brought us to the UK, which we loved.
2. Packing a high chair
What I thought would happen: We’d bring along our portable high chair so Baby C would have a safe and comfortable place to eat at our Airbnbs. We did so much research to find the best travel high chair, so of course we’d use it all the time.
What actually happened: We only used our high chair 50% of the time.
Why the plan didn’t work: Our high chair worked perfectly….we just didn’t need it. My friend lent us her high chair in Toronto. And 2/4 of our long term Airbnbs in Europe provided a high chair for us (and I bet the other two would’ve if we had asked).
We actually ended up sending our high chair home with my mother-in-law in January and didn’t miss it for the last 2+ months of our trip!
Regret rating: 2/5. It was annoying to travel with a bulky high chair, but it didn’t massively inconvenience us.
3. Stopping in Paris
What I thought would happen: We’d fly from Toronto to Paris and stay in the city for a few days before continuing to our final destination, Orleans. We’d relax after our long international flight, get on the right timezone and snap an iconic photo of Baby C in front of the Eiffel Tower.
What actually happened: While we did get that Eiffel Tower photo, nothing about our time in Paris was relaxing. We had to lug all of our stuff up to (and then back down from) a tiny Parisian apartment, unable to fully unpack since we’d only be there for a few days.
Worse, we ended up leaving Paris a day early anyway because of a massive train strike. So we paid for three nights but only stayed for two.
What we learned: One long day of transit in order to get to your final destination is better than living in limbo for a few days in a too-small apartment. Also, always check for potential train strikes when making any travel plans in France.
Regret rating: 4/5. This was a poor decision that could’ve been easily avoided.
4. Driving an electric car through Normandy
What I thought would happen: After finding a great deal on an electric car rental, I thought we’d have a completely normal road trip through Normandy and get to feel great about ourselves for saving money and the environment.
What actually happened: We quickly learned that what should’ve been a simple two hour drive over Baby C’s nap would take us all day as we stopped multiple times to charge the car.
And they don’t make charging easy in France! Half of the chargers we stopped at were only accessible to people with special charging cards (something our rental agency didn’t provide).
We also, stupidly, didn’t book accommodation with a charging port. So first thing in the morning, Colin would have to drive out to a nearby grocery store and wait around while the car charged.
What we’d do differently: Pay more for a gas guzzling car (sorry, environment!).
Regret rating: 5/5. We should’ve known better than to try an electric car for the first time while in France, road tripping for a week, and navigating baby nap schedules. Rookie mistake!
5. Booking apartments with too many stairs
What I thought would happen: The multiple flights of stairs up to our Folkestone apartment and London Spitalfields apartment would be no big deal because we’re young, able-bodied folk. How often do we have to go out anyway?
What actually happened: A lot of sweating, cursing and gasping for air as we carried our four suitcases, two backpacks, crib, stroller, car seat, dog and baby up and down the stairs!
I knew move-in and move-out day would be brutal. But I neglected to remember that we’d still have to do the stairs multiple times per day for dog walks, meals out, coffee runs, grocery shopping and sightseeing.
Was it worth it? In the end, I think it was. These apartments were the best we could find within our budget. Stairs were just part of the trade-off for great locations.
Regret rating: 2/5. The stairs sucked but we survived.
6. Not going on any day trips in London, Brighton or Malaga
What I thought would happen: Since we had months in both London and Brighton, plus a full week in Malaga, I planned for lots of day trips. I pictured us exploring Oxford and Cambridge, seeing Stonehenge, wandering around the historic town of Lewes, touring Alhambra in Granada, and walking through the Mezquita in Cordoba.
What actually happened: We didn’t go on a single day trip. We got too bogged down in trying to figure out the logistics and protecting Baby C’s nap. If we had to be home for her nap, we couldn’t travel too far before/after it.
How we justified it in the moment: A part of me wishes we had worked harder to get Baby C to nap on the go so we could go out on day trips. I’m so envious whenever I see kids crashed out in their strollers in broad daylight - no blackout blind, white noise or sleep sack needed.
But coming back to our apartment for Baby C’s naps meant better sleep for her (and some rest for her parents). Plus, this won’t be our last time in the UK or Spain; we’ll have lots of time for day trips once we’re not beholden to a nap schedule.
Regret rating: 2/5. It was tough to skip all the cool places just a quick train ride away. But as long as we do make it to those places one day, I don’t regret this one too much.
We made a few good decisions too
Of course, it wasn’t all regrets and mistakes! Here are a few decisions I’m very glad we made:
Keeping our Canadian phone numbers: This was so handy for all of the two-factor authentication you have to do these days!
Travelling slow in the off-season: Staying in each European base for 4-8 weeks from September to March allowed us to save money, skip the crowds and get to know our local community.
Staying in London and flying straight home to Vancouver: While Italy was the first plan, I’m so glad we kept things easy by staying in London and boarding a direct flight home.
Giving ourselves lots of time to transition out of our Baby Trip: We had three weeks between when we returned to Vancouver and when Colin had to go back to work - lots of time to unpack, get over jet lag, reunite with loved ones and adjust to our new normal.
✍️ New on Teaspoon of Adventure
Is the Brighton i360 Worth It?
Speaking of something that might have been a mistake, check out my latest post to see whether Brighton’s beachfront viewing tower is worth the hype or if you can give it a miss on your trip to Brighton, England.
Did we make some mistakes during our nine month family trip? Of course! There are lots of things I wish I could go back and redo.
But none of those mistakes ruined our trip. Even when we packed items in our suitcase we never ended up using, got stuck in Paris rush hour traffic or forgot the diaper bag back at the apartment…going on this trip was so worth it.
Thank you for letting me get these regrets and mistakes off my chest. You’re welcome to share one of your travel mistakes with me in the comments (so I know I’m not the only one messing up), and leave a heart, restack or share this post in solidarity.
Until next week, I’m wishing you smooth road trips, zero visa issues, and travel decisions you don’t regret!
Yours in adventure,
Riana
PS: Hungry for more? Catch up on last week’s monthly recap, dig into our full Baby Trip budget or start drooling over my favourite restaurants in Brighton.
On a road trip through the English Cotswolds in 2024 my husband and I had an all-electric car because that was all that was available when we went to pick up our rental car at the appointed place. We had reserved a hybrid but the e-car was the only vehicle on the lot so we had no choice.
We spent an entire morning on day 3 recharging the battery because the station at our resort/hotel was broken and we chased around the area for at least 45 minutes to find an open bay at the many charging stations in the area. And then 3 hours to charge the battery. We ended up crossing off the list one of the villages we had planned to visit because we did not have time after the unexpected long delay for battery charging.
On our next trip to Europe the following fall, we decided to book one week in Paris and then a week in Barcelona, and travel by high-speed trains to small towns and villages that were on our itinerary. Much less stress than dealing with an electric car! And we saw every place we had planned to visit.
Bottom line: We are not fans of all-electric cars!
I’m slowly making my way through your posts. Every one of them is so interesting, and I’m another reader who finds reading about the “mistakes” to be helpful. That electric car situation would probably have sent me over the edge—ha! Not having one, I had no idea the charging issue could be so problematic. Still, seems like y’all managed to make the best of every situation.