Roadtripping with Baby: Destination Sweden

“So where are you going again? Ah, just over the border to Sweden, it’s not that far, really”.

Yeah right. Just over the border. And then some.

As my husband has recently been busy working with his international clients here in Norway, couple of weeks ago I decided that our family’s two ladies of leisure, that is me and the baby, would make the most of our holidays and go for a little road trip to see some friends. Just over the border to Sweden.

We did cross the border. And then drove on. For twelve hours in total, to be exact.

I am very used to driving long distances on my own, hence I didn’t even think twice when I packed the baby in the car and drove off. I timed the departure to fit her morning nap, and she did sleep soundly for the first three hours before our lunch stop. And then after bit of food and full belly the little dreamer kept on sleeping.

Towards the early evening when I had moved from the fizzy water to Coca-Cola I did start wondering if this kind of traveling made any sense. Especially with the baby. Just driving, driving and driving some more with the little one passing pretty much the whole day on the backseat of the car, on her own, while I kept the car going and eating up those kilometres. Then couple of action packed days in the destination after which a long drive back home. Madness, maybe?

Well, maybe it is and was madness but I would do it again, anytime.

To see old friends and make new ones can easily make you forget the long travel. And the journey itself is part of the experience, anyway. We had rain and we had sunshine. We got bored on the motorway and lost along the little country roads. We ate packed lunches at the petrol stations and drank tea (milk for some) in little cafés in the middle of nowhere.

We were on a holiday with no hurry, really, to get anywhere.

As my maternity leave is inevitably coming to an end, I am determined to make the most of it. Sometimes that means just chilling at home, but at other times, when I get the itchy feet to get going, it is amazing to have the opportunity to just jump in the car and drive off with my little traveling buddy.

DISCLAIMER. No babies were harmed or made excessively cry during this roadtrip. I should note that our baby is an “easy one” who travels like a pro at the age of nine months. And we did take breaks when the baby needed them, whether it was for food or cuddles.