I love when motherhood and travel come together. My two favourite things. It’s no coincidence that it’s the two things this blog is about. However, being on maternity leave has meant that I haven’t travelled anywhere near as much as I normally do. So, to receive a day trip abroad this Mother’s Day was the perfect gift - my fiance knows me well! Getting to share the enjoyment of travel with my daughter again, following our first trip abroad to Spain, made it all the more special.

In the last decade, amongst the far-flung destinations and 10-day excursions, I've done a few day trips to Brussels and Paris - and it was back to France this time too. Instead of boarding a Eurostar though, we'd be driving in the comfort of our own car to Calais for the day via the Eurotunnel. I didn't know much about Calais before our trip, hearing only what was in the news about the border crossing and vaguely remembering a school trip over 20 years ago.

The experience of travelling with a child differs from travelling as a couple, friends, or solo; even when there's no plane or no overnight stay. Below are the little things I now notice when travelling with a baby that I didn't notice before I was a mum.

Ease of travel

Something front of mind when travelling with a baby is how easy it's going to be - and frankly it couldn't get any easier than being in our own car. Given it was a day trip, we could load up the car with the ‘go bag’, passports, buggy, and a few toys for the journey, and get on our way. It was an easy drive to Folkestone - I say, as a passenger princess, lol - however, there were over an hour and a half delays in actually boarding Le Shuttle. It was a saving grace to be in our own car as our daughter could roam around, go between both parents, and be entertained. However, once it was our time to board, it was an incredibly smooth process - though my mind will never not be blown that we were in our car, within a train, which was hurtling along under the sea.

Accessibility

When I travel, I like to walk - a LOT. It's the best way to get a feel for a new town or city. When travelling with my daughter, it's no different, except there's a buggy to push. My fiance did a lot of the buggy pushing as we noticed the roads and pavements weren't particularly accessible in Calais. While the pavements were quite wide, there weren't many dropped curbs, making crossing roads a little more difficult. Nonetheless, our strolls took us past the Calais Lighthouse (though we didn't venture up its 271 steps this time) and the medieval Tour du Guet. My daughter loved the water feature in front of this watch tower - though she almost got caught by one in her buggy! Sadly, Parc Richelieu, which had been on our list to visit, was closed.

However, unlike the roads, we found the main attraction very accessible: the Hôtel de Ville. Even the four or five stairs as you entered the building had an accessible option, with one of those little singular lifts to raise a buggy or wheelchair. While the UNESCO World Heritage site was gorgeous to look at from the outside, one of my favourite moments of the day came from when we ventured inside. We headed up the Belfry - the 72-metre clock tower - for a 360-degree view of the city. I'll admit I was a little scared at first, as I always am with heights, but it was so enjoyable.

Flexibility of the plan

When travelling, I usually have a loose plan of what I want to see and do. When travelling with someone else, we usually nail down a plan at the start of the day; when travelling solo, I usually keep it pretty loose, as I won't affect anyone by changing my mind at the drop of a hat. Travelling with a baby means plans need to be pretty flexible, too.

Once our feet were firmly back on the ground, we took a quick visit to the gardens in front of the town hall, and checked out the Les Bourgeois de Calais sculpture. It was nice, but my daughter had had enough of the sightseeing by that point. As the wind started to pick up, we ventured back to the car, and drove along the beach promenade trying to catch a peek at the Dragon of Calais. For a summer trip, taking some time here would be fab.

We decided to spend our last few hours musing the shops at the huge Cité Europe shopping centre, close to the Le Shuttle terminal home. While I'm not really a fan of shopping, I do love looking at cute clothes for my daughter. We also grabbed some treats to take home - the ease of having our own car with us meant there weren't constraints around the numbers of bags or how heavy these were for us to carry. I must say, I found most of the food just ‘okay’ on our day trip - despite our main meal being in a highly rated restaurant. However, their pastries? They were absolutely delicious. We made sure to get pain au chocolats and fresh bread to bring home.

Kindness of strangers

This is a huge thing I notice since becoming a mum. Who smiles at my daughter when she's smiling at them? Who waves back when she waves? Who acknowledges her existence if she is acknowledging them? I know I can't control how people react to her, but I want the world to be as kind to her as we are. The French - or perhaps Parisians - have a reputation for being unapproachable, but when it came to babies, I found this to be completely unfounded. We had so many positive exchanges, particularly with staff in restaurants, shops, and even the passport lady on the way home. We didn't encounter a lot of English speakers, so while it was an opportunity for me to dust off the little I could remember of my GCSE French, there was no need for words between strangers and my daughter. They communicated with peekaboos, smiles, and waves. People took time out of their day to interact with her often for a good three/four minutes, and this made my heart happy.

For a second trip abroad with my daughter, Calais was fantastic. Although she’s still a baby, she’s a fair bit older than on our last venture abroad, so this trip gave me an insight on what to be more aware of for future travels (naptimes/bedtimes like at home!), while making me even more excited for all our trips to come in future.

Enjoy my motherhood content? I've written a whole book on the subject! Find out more about ‘Everything They Don't Tell You About Becoming A First-Time Mother’ here.

"I'm off to Europe for the weekend, dahhhling" sounds like something the Kim Ks of the world would say, right? But what if I said you could one up that with a day trip AND you could do the whole thing for less than £150? Yep, it is totally doable; all you need is a passport and a well-timed Eurostar sale and you're away.

Train travel lends itself more easily to day trips than flights do, and with the Eurostar, you've got direct trains to various locations across France, the Netherlands, and Belgium (and even more options if you’re happy to change). Eurostar often has sales where tickets are far cheaper than heading up north; I took advantage of this and opted for Brussels, as I had not yet been to Belgium.

Going to a new city for the day may seem quick, but you can pack a lot in without rushing - and you get all the fun of travel without the cost of a hotel or hassle of living out of a suitcase. Here's how to make the most of a day in Brussels (or elsewhere on the continent):

Choose your dates wisely

You'll be governed by the dates of the cheap tickets, but the earlier you book, the better choice you have; we were able to get the first train out and the last train in on a Saturday (which is just as well as my annual leave is spread pretty thin already…) We had such good experiences at both terminals: the staff at the Pret in the morning were super friendly and one even let me off the extra change for my water, so I didn't have to break a larger note, while the one in Brussels in the evening had pedal bikes to charge your phone and a football table to while away the waiting time.

Had we been less impulsive, we would have probably chosen a Saturday later on in the year; Brussels abounds with beautiful parks, such as Jubilee Park, Brussels Park and Elizabeth Park, and it would have been lovely to chill out with a picnic of sweet waffles, salty frites and beer in the warmer weather at one - or all - of them. However, no amount of on-off rain will hinder a Brit, no matter the time of year.

What to pack

I am guilty of pretty much always overpacking for my trips, prepared for all manner events that are unlikely to happen, but going for a day trip means just picking up a (small) backpack or handbag and heading out. Apart from the weather-appropriate gear, such as an umbrella, scarf and gloves, all you need is:

- Passport

- Eurostar tickets

- Money

- Oyster (or travel) card (for getting to and from Kings Cross in London)

- Headphones

- Lipstick (totes essential for me)

Getting around

It's so easy to get from Brussels Midi to the central station: there's a four-minute train or you can hop on the metro (via the ticket machine that has an English option and directions on how to navigate the interface above the screen) for a few stops to De Broukeer, and either change or walk for 10 minutes.

Those who have read my previous travel guide posts will know that I love a city sightseeing bus, and when you're doing a day trip they're an absolute no-brainer. For £20-something (it varies city to city for a 24-hour ticket), you can see the city's top landmarks on a whistle-stop tour, hopping off at the ones you wanna see a little closer, without having to faff about with public transport. All the while, you’ll be getting information through your personal headphones. In Brussels, there are two stops at the central station, one each for different tours. This is the only point where they cross over, so make sure you're on the right one if you don't want to do both lines (which we did easily and had plenty of time for other stuff, but this may not be everyone's cup of tea).

Food and drink

You can definitely do 'top line' Brussels in a day. Of course, you can't see and do everything the art nouveau capital of the world has to offer, but you can get a real taste for the city - something we did pretty literally. The sweet smell of waffles tempts from around the corner, and not in a whimsical way: the city literally smelt sweet AF in a lot of places we visited or streets we wandered down. Our afternoon pit stop was at the Waffle Factory near Grand Place, which was teeming with tourists and locals. I opted for a Brussels waffle with dark Belgian chocolate. It was DELICIOUS and strangely light for such an indulgence.

Earlier in the day, we stopped for lunch at Le Faucon Den Valk, a cosy pub-type joint with an open fireplace. Heeding the advice of some of my colleagues, I opted for mussels (alongside a hot choco) and my flatmate had the onion soup and a beer, and we were both happy with our choices. They weren't the best mussels I've had - this goes to Oslo - but they were pretty good.

Going back to the beer for a minute, the beer scene in Brussels is highly rated and for those who even just tolerate the stuff, it is essential to try on a day trip. Now, I'm not a beer drinker myself, but my housemate is, and we ventured into Poechenellekelder, the most kitsch cool beer house ever. Atmospherically lit, from the ceilings hung puppets, musical instruments, upside-down beer glasses and mannequins, with some tables made from old barrels. Each beer (and there are loads!) comes with its own uniquely styled glass - bog-standard pints this ain't. However, at €4 a pop for really good local beer (according to my flatmate), standard pint prices this is. Recommended is the Brugse Zot.

What to do

Hopping on and off the city sighting bus, we saw a fair bit. The city abounds with Horta-designed buildings, much like Barcelona has a strong Gaudi influence, which are lovely to admire. We hopped off at the European Parliament, where you can take a virtual selfie in the arena at the Visitor Centre, see original pieces of the Berlin Wall (but, ya know, in Belgium) and get as close to the EU as us UK folk can probably get for a while after March...

Ascend the Atomium for a unique bird's eye view of the city, and to observe Mini Europe from above, if you don’t have time to go in, and check out the Manneken-Pis (which is exactly what it sounds like). It's smaller than it looks like in pics and sits behind a small barrier, but is still major lols.

In the morning, and again in the evening, we stumbled across the Grand Place square with its gorgeous, gold-gilded buildings and Town Hall - they are an absolute must-see. Round off your day with a walk back to the Midi station, so you can experience the city by night, even if only for a short while. In the centre, the way the cobble-stone roads are lit with their overhanging street lights is pretty fairy-tale like, especially with the romantically, art nouveau buildings. On your way back to Brussels-Midi, you'll also pass through a more 'Hackney-esque' part of the city. Be sure to grab some frites for the walk home.

So, there you have it - a full day in Brussels! And, if you're not knackered (and live in London), you'll be back in London before your local pub closes. Shame about the beer here though, eh.

Daytripping with a baby... and other things to do in Calais, France