@nato.bus
We are @nato.bus and we have been travelling around Europe in a camper van for a few years now. This year, little Zoya joined our team. We have spent the last 7 months on the Portuguese coast and in the north of Spain, and after this test we know one thing for sure - the baby carrier is a must-have if you are going on a trip!
Walks on uneven ground
Our daughter was born in Portugal and for our daily walks we would go along the ocean. The pushchair (even the off-road one) couldn't cope with the Portuguese wilderness and beaches, especially on the cliffs where height differences are sometimes several tens of metres! The Sling (although comfortable) took up a lot of space and was not so quick to put on.
The baby carrier worked perfecty. There is no better solution for a walk on the beach or a trek along the cliffs. And even if you go for a walk in town... it is often the case in southern Europe, pavements are very narrow or non-existent ;)
As a curiosity, many mothers in Portugal hardly use strollers because walking with them is very limited.
Travelling in an RV
Nothing counts more in an RV than space. Our home on wheels, although quite roomy, is still only 8m2. When packing, we fight for every centimeter. And as all parents, we already know that having a baby generates a bit more stuff to take with us ;) For the most of our trips, we packed a carrier instead of a stroller. In addition, it came in handy for day-to-day campervan activities - cooking, cleaning - I would pack my daughter in the Tula and this way and that's how we moved around our micro home. It was also perfect for naps, which the baby needs more in the first months of life. Thanks to the baby carrier the camper bed could remain folded and Zoja could take a nap in the carrier.
Sightseeing and city tours
Another situation in which the carrier won unquestionably was visiting all kinds ofmonuments and cities. Operating the pushchair in palaces, narrow streets or Spanish markets was almost an extreme sport... ;)
From our experience, it was definitely easier and more comfortable to carry the baby on our own. We could look into all nooks and crannies and the child felt much safer cuddled up to its parent.
Travelling by plane
And finally, we had to travel by plane from Spain to Poland. After so many months we had become so accustomed to using a carrier that I didn't even take the pushchair with me and I flew with the baby alone.
Practical info - the child must be taken out of the carrier during safety checks and during take-off and landing. Apart from thesemoments, it was much more comfortable for us to move around the airport and plane in tandem. :)
