We finally figured out our fall trip
Flights are booked. Time to crowdsource the itinerary!
With just over two months before we take off, we’ve finally decided on our fall trip! Flights are booked, (almost all) hotels are confirmed and the itinerary is starting to come together.
I won’t leave you hanging. This September we’ll be going to…
NEW YORK CITY
and, in a complete surprise,
PHILADELPHIA!
If you saw the poll I posted on Substack earlier in the week, you’ll know we were tossing around a lot of ideas for this trip. So how exactly did we go from Japan to Iceland and now to New York?
The Japan, Iceland and RV trips that never were
My original hope for our fall 2026 trip was a return to Asia. We haven’t been to Asia since early 2019 when Colin and I spent three weeks in Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand.
I’m craving the incredible food, deep history and beautiful culture of places like Japan, South Korea or Taiwan. My mouth is starting to water thinking about the night markets, fish markets and cafes we could visit (not that we won’t eat well in New York!).
But unfortunately, flight prices were just too high to justify a trip to Asia this fall. So I’m crossing my fingers for 2027!
With Asia out of the running, I started brainstorming a few other ideas, including an RV trip across Western Canada and a road trip around Iceland.
But ultimately we decided that since Baby C and I don’t like car rides, a trip where we’re spending most of the time in the backseat getting nauseous (mostly me) and crying (mostly her, but also me depending on how long the drive is) isn’t the best plan.
And so last week I asked Colin what he was thinking for our fall trip. He said, “What about New York?”
“What about New York?”
I was shocked to hear Colin suggest New York as we haven’t wanted to travel to the US lately. But with the US back on the table, New York City sounded very enticing.
Colin and I first visited NYC in 2015. It was our first trip together and first time either of us had been to New York. It’s surreal to think 11 years later we’ll be going back with our daughter!
On that first trip, we had a blast drinking frozen margaritas at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum (it’s cheesy, but their AC is so strong and it was boiling out!), watching a Mets game, and winning lottery tickets to The Book of Mormon.
There were some hiccups - like when the late August heat created a near-inferno on the subway platform that pushed me to tears - but we left New York with a (fairly) successful couple’s trip under our belt and a strong desire to return.
We next visited New York City in May 2022. We ticked more things off the bucket list, like visiting Ellis Island, seeing Broadway shows, and eating bodega breakfast sandwiches.
But my favourite parts of that 2022 NYC trip were actually the smaller, slower moments. I loved walking The High Line on an uncrowded weekday morning, sitting with a coffee in Central Park and touring the lesser-visited Tenement Museum.
Four years later, I know our next New York trip is going to look so different. Because now we’ll be taking on the city that never sleeps with a toddler (who hopefully will still sleep well!).
Baby C takes NYC
Is New York City a great place for a toddler? Who knows! I Googled things to do with toddlers in New York and the first article I found said they wouldn’t even recommend NYC for toddlers. Whoops!
I’m not letting myself get too discouraged though. There are tons of families who call New York City home and many more who visit with their toddlers in tow. I am confident we can find a playground, a kid-friendly museum and a restaurant with a high chair somewhere on the Isle of Manhattan.
Now this is where you come in: Have any toddler-friendly New York City tips for me? Please, I’m all ears! If you’ve been to New York with kids, I want to hear about all of the best places to go (or maybe some places to avoid).
Baby C will be 20 months old when we visit. And even though she’s very well-travelled, I know it’ll be a completely different ball game with a toddler who wants to run around one of the busiest cities in the world.
And what’s this I hear about Philadelphia?
Why are we also going to Philadelphia? To be honest, I’m kind of asking myself that same question. We don’t have a deep reason why we’re going to Philly. It really just came down to convenience.
New York, and specifically Manhattan, is an expensive place to stay. We couldn’t afford to spend 10 whole nights there.
But we also don’t want to fly for five hours across three timezones for just a few nights. So in order to stretch out our trip, we needed to add on another place that would be convenient to get to from Newark Airport and have enough to do for 4-5 days.
We landed on Philly!
Boston was our first choice, but we didn’t want to spend 4.5 hours on the train after getting off a 5.5 hour flight. Not with a toddler, at least! And we also considered a smaller town in New England but didn’t want anything too quiet or that would require us to rent a car.
We have never been to Philadelphia before so we’re starting from zero. Fill me in: What is there to do/see/eat in Philly? Bonus points if it’s toddler-friendly! I’ve heard great things about the food scene and walkable neighbourhoods, so I’m excited to find out more.
(Or, if you think Philadelphia is the wrong choice, let me know where else we should head for four nights before New York!)
🎧 Check me out on these awesome podcasts!
I’m so excited to share not one, not two, but three podcasts that I was fortunate to guest on that were published this week. If you enjoy listening to travel podcasts, add these to your queue:
On The Real Stuff with Lucie Fink, I chatted with Lucie all about our parental leave trip, plus I pulled back the curtain on how much we spent and how much I earn as a travel blogger.
Listen to the episode on Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) or watch the episode on YouTube
I chatted with Tracy Collins of Global Travel Planning all about our nine months of travel with Baby C and Ellie through Canada and Europe. We get into how we chose our route and my best tips for long term, slow travel.
Listen on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts!
I joined Amanda Kendle of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast to talk about our first extended time abroad when Colin and I lived in Prague on Youth Mobility Visas. If you’re interested in spending a year abroad, check out my story, as well as Jonty and Amy who share how they did it too.
Listen on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts!
And my 24-Hour Diaries with Leah Hamilton was also published this week. Spend the day with me and Baby C here:
Unlike when we were planning our June trip, I’m actually really excited about this one! It took us a while to make a decision but now that we have, I’ve been diving into the research. I’m talking so many hotel tabs open on my laptop it makes my eyes blur…
So help your girl out: If you have any suggestions for our trip to New York City and Philadelphia, please leave them in the comments below. I would love to visit your favourite restaurant, museum, playground or ice cream store.
Until next Sunday, I hope all of your future travel plans come together swimmingly!
Yours in adventure,
Riana
PS: Looking for more? Catch up on last week’s walk down memory lane, or read up on my previous trip to New York City with 21 things to do on a first trip to NYC and 7 mistakes I made in NYC so you don’t have to.
Reading Terminal Market in Philly is a must - so much to eat under one roof.
I went to high school in Philly - it’s a great place for both adults and kids! Please Touch Museum was my daughter’s favorite spot, Pat’s or Gino’s for cheesesteaks, the Italian market, Betsy Ross House, and, of course, Independence Hall. And the Aquarium across the way in NJ is great too! Philly is a fun spot with so much to do and see!