I almost talked myself out of our first trip after nine months abroad

But thank god I didn't!

We were about to take off on our first trip since coming home from our big nine month trip through Canada and Europe. You’d think I would be so excited to get back on the road. But truth be told, I was feeling lukewarm at best.

Usually when Colin has a week off work, I have those days booked and planned months in advance. But this time, I kept thinking, “What’s the point?” It seemed like everywhere we wanted to go was either too expensive, too far or too much of a hassle for less than a week away.

It’s one thing to struggle through plane rides and pack up all of your baby gear if you get to go somewhere exciting and stay for a long time. But to do all that only to go somewhere local for a few nights? Once again I asked, “What’s the point?”

Eventually, we settled on going to Victoria, BC’s capital city on Vancouver Island. But I still couldn’t muster as much enthusiasm as I usually have for travel.

Victoria was somewhere we had been before and it was only 100 km (62 miles) from home. Plus, compared to the likes of London, Brighton and Malaga where we had spent the first few months of the year, it was hard to feel like Victoria was in the same league.

But as soon as we touched down, I changed my tune.

I got that travel feeling back, baby!

It probably helps that we literally touched down in Victoria, because instead of arriving by ferry which would’ve involved a bus/skytrain/bus/ferry/bus route, we flew in a seaplane.

The Harbour Air seaplane took us from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria in 35 minutes. We didn’t have to get on any buses (both our apartment in Vancouver and hotel in Victoria were less than 10 mins walk from the harbours), wait in lines to board the ferry or spend all day commuting.

And best of all: the views! While I was terrified to get into the tiny seaplane (and did not enjoy the turbulence on our return trip), it was a beautiful and efficient way to get from Vancouver to Victoria.

Once we landed safely on the ground water, I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine and people milling about the harbour. I had the ocean, boats, and iconic buildings, like the Empress Hotel and BC Legislature, all within view. And I couldn’t have been more thrilled!

As we walked along the water to our hotel, I kept saying to Colin how happy I was, how glad I felt that we had gone on this trip, and how freaking excited I was to explore Victoria.

Putting my tourist shoes on

With my attitude well and truly adjusted, I was ready to dive into our Victoria itinerary. Just on the way to our hotel, I found myself snapping photos and saying, “I feel like such a tourist!” Because, duh, I was!

It was exciting to be back in travel-mode: taking photos, making plans for the day, deciding which restaurants to try, and thinking about what souvenirs would make it home with us given our 10 lb per person seaplane luggage limit.

I was a bit hesitant to go Full Tourist since Victoria still feels so close to home and is a city I’ve been to a few times before. But eventually, I decided to just embrace it. Who cares if I’ve been to Victoria before and could conceivably come back every weekend if I wanted to? Why should that stop me from enjoying the city now?

Fish and chips, Royal BC Museum, The Butchart Gardens

And so I gleefully led us to a delicious fish and chips place my local friend had recommended, onto bus rides and guided tours, through playgrounds, parks and petting zoos, all while snapping photos and taking notes for future blog posts.

Even though Victoria wasn’t new to me, we did so many things I’ve never done before. Despite my handful of visits, I’ve never gone for afternoon tea, visited the famous Butchart Gardens, toured the parliament buildings or checked out the Royal BC Museum after its expansive renovation.

So turns out, there was plenty in Victoria to get excited about!

Victoria, BC vs Europe

Of course, we couldn’t help but compare Victoria to the last trip we had been on, our six months in Europe. And it was an easy comparison, since Victoria is known as one of the more British of British Columbian cities.

Walking down narrow, brick-covered Fan Tan Alley in Victoria’s Chinatown (the oldest in Canada!) felt a lot like wandering through the narrow alleys of The Lanes in Brighton. Beacon Hill Children’s Farm reminded me so much of Spitalfields City Farm in London, complete with adorable names for all of their animals.

And, of course, it doesn’t get much more English than going for afternoon tea!

Fan Tan Alley, Beacon Hill Farm, afternoon tea

It was fun to be reminded of our big family trip - the Royal BC Museum could’ve been a museum we visited in London and The Butchart Gardens would’ve fit perfectly into a chateau’s grounds in the Loire Valley.

I worried that all of our comparing might make Victoria feel disappointing since it is, objectively, not the same as visiting Europe.

But I actually didn’t feel that way at all. Victoria made me nostalgic for some of my favourite parts of our big trip but also reminded me that there are lots of wonderful things to explore closer to home.

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✍️ New on Teaspoon of Adventure

Your Guide to Visiting London with a Baby

I think part of the reason why our Victoria trip with a toddler was so successful is because we got our sea legs living in London for 2 months with a baby! Check out all of my tips for visiting London with a baby - from how to get around to where to go and what to pack!

🎧 I’m on a podcast!

Speaking of our time in London, I joined Megan and Jared of the Temporary Locals podcast to chat all about living in England. I gave lots of tips for London transport, my favourite museums and restaurants, and how we travelled long term with a baby. Tune in to hear more!

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Our little trip to Victoria, BC is probably not going to be one we talk about for years to come. We didn’t save up, end our lease or pack up our lives to go on this trip.

But for me, it was a really significant travel moment. After dragging my feet on planning this trip - to the point where I almost thought we should save ourselves the money and hassle and just stay home - I loved feeling reinvigorated about travel.

I needed the reminder that travel brings me so much joy and is more often than not worth the cost, time, hassle and stress to get there.

I also needed the reminder that the travel joy I’m craving can be found closer to home. We don’t have to live in Europe for months at a time; we can take a 35 minute seaplane to a place we’ve been before and still have an amazing adventure.

If you’re feeling that travel joy too, I’d love if you subscribed, gave this post a like, left a comment, restacked or shared the post. All engagement with my writing is free for you and means the world to me.

Until next week, I’m wishing you delicious fish and chips, beautiful gardens to traipse through, and trips that surpass your expectations.

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Looking for more? Read about how we chose where to go during our nine month family trip, or catch up on more of my Canadian content like my cross-Canada road trip itinerary, how to spend 3 days in Toronto, and a 5 day route for Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail!