For part of May and for much of the month of June, we travelled through Europe, specifically, to Davos, Switzerland; Paris, France; Leipzig, Germany; and, Munich, Germany. In my case, “we” means everyone – my husband, my kids (almost 2 years old and almost 4 years old), and myself. In fact, the only one being left to her own devices is our well-loved Labrador retriever.

I’ve had many people ask me how we managed to travel such long distances, for so many weeks, with such young children. So, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to answering those questions. I guess, in some respect, practice makes perfect. These kids of ours have been travelling around the globe since they were infants. Wherever we go, we take them with us.

This year, each kid had a backpack stuffed with their favorite things. So, it meant bringing a few coloring books, a large pack of crayons, stickers, blank computer paper, and a few books. They love coloring and drawing – so the blank computer paper was a godsend. Sometimes they drew and colored, sometimes I drew and they colored in whatever I had created. Big fun and a big way to pass the time!

Putting the coloring books to good use while on the train.

I cannot rave enough about Canada Air – the airline we used to fly to Switzerland. The flight attendants were friendly. The airplane was super-clean. Each seat-back had its own television, with endless shows and movies to watch. And the best part…free and unlimited beverages of all kinds – beer, wine, water, soda, juice. It really made for a fun and relaxing flight – albeit a long one.

The only thing that made travelling a little challenging at times were the bags…if only we had packed a few less things for our month abroad!!! We were really weighed down and looked more like a band of gypsies than American tourists with all of our gear. Backpacks (x3), dufflebags (x2), strollers (x2), computer bags (x2) (since the reason for this trip was for my husband’s work, computers were required), and a suitor (again filled with hubby’s work clothes). Note to self – next time PACK LESS!!!

The next few blog posts will cover various towns and activities we did with the kids during our trip. Stay tuned!