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.