Travels with my baby
Bump and Baby Club writer, Lottie Lewis, has recently returned from a 12-day trip across Spain - her first time travelling alone with her baby. She reflects on a transformative and glorious (but not plain sailing!) experience which was unlike any holiday she'd had before…
Words and photos: Lottie Lewis
Before Bonnie I’d always just wing it. Travelling for me was hitch hiking, sleeping on stranger’s sofas, seeing where the day took me and surviving on a shoestring. Through Central America or Europe, I mostly travelled alone, accompanied only by my dog, Nica. I lived out of my car or a back pack, relied on the kindness of others and survived on a diet of tinned goods. Eagerly spontaneous, I followed the sun and swell, meeting likeminded wanderers and avoiding responsibilities, work and showers. After a decade of globetrotting, along came Bonnie, and everything changed.
Pushing the buggy with my handbag slung across the handle, Bonnie strapped in the sling, rucksack on my back and towing a suitcase, I made my way through 2 airports and aboard 4 separate flights over the course of 12 days. The dilemma of what to take left me packing and unpacking my bags multiple times, determined to cram everything I needed for myself and my 10 month old daughter into a 10kg suitcase and a carry-on bag. Luckily I was staying with friends, so at least there’d be a washing machine… I packed winter and summer clothes for both of us, knowing that February in the north of Spain can be unpredictable weather wise, and then double checked my list of essentials; monitor, snacks, sleeping bags, sippy cup, dummies. Nappies, wipes and food I could get out there.
Leaving Charlie for just under 2 weeks felt daunting. We’d fallen into a comfortable routine of him taking Bon first thing in the morning (both of them early risers) and doing bath time after work. Both the day and night time hours loomed before us, and I felt anxious knowing it’d be solely down to me. But, eager for adventure and craving some winter sun, I took the dive into solo parenting and boarded a flight to the south of Spain.
Bonnie was amazing. In total we took 4 flights, a return journey from England to Spain and 1 internal return from the south to the north, arriving in the Basque Country to unseasonably warm weather. She thrived in the airports, loving the attention from the air stewards, racing up and down the centre aisle making friends, clambering beneath the seats to greet our fellow passengers and (exhaustingly) rarely sleeping. The kindness I was received from strangers reminded me of previous trips, but this time ten-fold. People offering to take my suitcase, my back pack, push the buggy, carry Bonnie. Spotting a lightly-frazzled mother, I was met with open arms, words of encouragement, endless entertainment for Bon during the flights and a ton of help.
Exploring the mountains of Cantabria led me back to an old version of myself I’d lost somewhere along the way during my journey into motherhood. I was reminded of my passion for unknown places, how I thrived around new faces, a love of foreign languages, a craving for quiet exploration and my wonder for diverse nature. On slow buggy rambles under a rising sun in the north of Spain, snow capped mountains appearing on a hazy horizon, I heard eagles screech and watched deer hop through misty fields. Bonnie gazed at stalks picking through the harvested grass and slowly fell into a warm winter slumber, snuggled under wool blankets. We spent the days surfing, swimming, exploring, catching up with dear friends met on travels gone-by and eating freshly foraged food and drinking French wine. I remembered how it felt to swim naked in crystal ocean, whilst my old friend Amaia taught Bon how to draw in the sand with sticks. I watched Bonnie-girl take her first steps, bare foot on the decking as the sun was setting on another Spanish day spent picking oranges and eating fresh avocados. I revelled in the silence of the mountains, the only noise being the gentle jangle of bells hung on the goats and cattle roaming the hillsides.
The south of Spain was perfect. Easy days spent in the company of a close friend, Ainoha, and her parents. They helped me with Bon as if they were my family. Arm in arm we wandered the old streets of Alicante, where Ainoha grew up. Gazing at the colourful houses, lusting over the enormous cacti growing wild, learning about the culture and future of the ancient city and catching up over hot chocolate and chai. Bonnie took the bus and metro for the first time, and won over the heart of every one she locked eyes with. Our short stint in the city was refreshing and bursting with love.
Of course it wasn’t all plain sailing. Travelling alone with that much stuff, whilst trying to keep an almost-toddler entertained wasn’t easy. I forgot our suitcase at security, a wheel fell off the buggy (help me please Charlie!), I completely lost control of nap times and almost lost my patience with uncontrollable situations more than once. I was dog-tired from every early morning without Charlie’s support, Bon was plagued with a cough she picked up in England so breastfeeding was at an all-time high, and it was difficult to slow down my normal travelling rhythm - where we’d normally try to fit in as much as possible into every single day. We couldn’t jump in the water at the drop of a hat, each meal time needed to be planned for on-the-go eating, and the days were led by Bonnie’s moods and (lack-of) schedule. I’m used to dealing with things going wrong whilst travelling, but the stakes felt much higher with the love of my life and new best friend along for the ride.
Whilst it was hard, I was reminded that the best things in life aren’t easy. I loved exploring with my baby, showing her that the world is much bigger than our back garden and Cornwall. I relished seeing her crawl around in the sand, splash in the rivers, meet her Spanish aunties and find her feet. In her 10 short months she has grown into such a confident, happy, beautiful girl, and she shared her light with every new person we encountered. Travelling with a baby might not have been like any holiday I’ve known before, but it reminded me how brave I am, how much I’d missed seeing the world, and that anything is possible if you’re willing to trust yourself.
