BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi everyone, I have been reading through all the discussions over the past few weeks and it has been terrific reading. Very inspiring!

We are heading back to Australia after nearly 9 years in the UK and are planning on doing a 3 1/2 month RTW with a then 9 month old and 3 1/2 year old leaving mid-March. We have to start in Phuket and end in Singapore as we have a wedding and work stuff arranged.

We are thinking of something along the lines of:

Thailand - Phuket and Bangkok
Vietnam - Saigon and Hanoi
China - Beijing and Shanghai
Jordan - Petra
Dubai
Greece - Athens and Santorini
Holland - Amsterdam
US - New York and Memphis (friends)
Bahamas or Caribbean (possibly St Kitts)
Pacific Islands - Cook Islands or Fiji
Singapore

Any suggestions, has anyone been to these places with such a young baby?

I am starting to have second doubts about the whole thing as he is crawling and cruising so spending hours and hours strapped into the pushchair, backpack or car seat is going to be difficult. The 3 1/2 year old is pretty easy going and will stay amused with sticker books and such. We have also had to move into an apartment as we've sold our house and the baby has been fine during the day but a menace at night so if this continues we will probably end up spending lots of what should be sight-seeing time just sleeping to catch up from nights of being kept awake.

Any help on travelling with such a young 'un would be greatly appreciated.

Wow ..you are a brave one! I have no idea if it is doable or not ...some people do some amazing things with kids in tow. I am a big believer in "if there is a will there is a way". I would think you would need to have a ton of energy and patience, very mellow kids and a good partner and team to do this.

I think that is a lot of movement in a short time with a baby and 3 year old and I would never do it because it sounds exhausting instead of fun, I would want my children old enough to remember the trip and I would worry about the health risks. BUT you know what is best for you and your family and could have a fantastic time, so I would not want to discourage you either. Could you maybe just do less and spend more time in fewer places?

Maybe it is just us ,but I find that I need to travel much slower with a young child ( mine was 5 when we started) and it is more work than as a solo or as a couple. Everybody needs to be happy and have all thier needs met to make it work. We did travel when our child was a baby, but not out of the country purposely. How long are you staying in each area? How long between long flights? Will you be in rentals,RV some or some other means of not packing & shlepping everyday and make a bit of home away from home time? Kids ( and especially babies) seem to need lots of stuff and snacks etc.

When we have intense touring days or times, we usually need time to rest and recuperate and do nothing days.Have you done a lot of traveling with your children? Do you tend to be a harmonious ,well oiled type of team when not moving? These things will help.

I hope someone with more experience with a similar trip or type of travels will add thier perspective. On one hand babies can be pretty easy to do most anything with ( especially if it is a breast feeding child..so less stuff to carry with you..& instant snack,comfort available) on the other hand they are more vulnerable to some of the negative possibilities on the road and if they are not happy or not well it can be hard even in familiar territory.

I wish you lots of luck no matter what you decide!