Traveling with a Baby! Hotels/Rentals. What to book. What to bring.

Baby Ever is a frequent traveler at this point!  (Read my previous posts on flying with him and what helped make it the best possible situation here).  After a few trips, I have gotten savvier in terms of room configurations and what we will need while there to make the trip an actual VACATION for all of us!

Here are my 5 big tips:

1. Explore booking a rental cottage or house via VRBO,  AirBnB, Luxury Retreats versus a hotel to give yourself more room.  For us, it is crucial to have a separate room (it can be a large well ventilated closet, but must have a door that closes!), for Ever's crib or pack n play.  It's also nice to have a little kitchen for preparing kid's meals and a fridge for milk.

2. Make it dark!  I read a great tip on Cricket's Circle-- pack a roll of black trash bags and duct tape to black out windows in the baby's room while traveling.

3. Ask for a crib/pack n play to be provided-- a lot of rental companies and hotels have them and one less thing to bring!

4. If you need milk for your baby, ask for it to be delivered to your room/rental property upon arrival.  There may be a small fee but better to arrive and have what you need rather than driving around a foreign place searching.  We learned this the hard way with zero diapers in France on a public holiday.... Also pack some snacks/food pouches just in case.

5. Inquire about and line up babysitters BEFORE arrival.  While just in Tulum we had the loveliest sitters most evenings and a few afternoons via Kangaroo (the concierge at Luxury Retreats helped arrange).  At Hotel Esencia, the hotel provided a great sitter.  But ask and book BEFORE you arrive.

Bon Voyage!