Travelling as two.

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I’m a traveler. I always have been and I have no doubt that I always will be. In my teens I moved across country chasing  a dream and once the chase began it’s been near impossible to give it up. Sure the dreams have changed along the way, the things I chase tend to morph with time and experience with lovers and friends, with new tastes and with new songs. My dreams have changed. I have changed. When once I focused my energy primarily on what others thought of me… I found great perspective in the dusty land of Northern India in my early twenties. I found empathy that had always been there but had not had the room to breathe. When once I focused my energy primarily on what I could do for myself, in South East Asia I found the inspiration to change my focus to what I could do for other people. The dark sands and bright palms of Asia have always been home to me.

When I moved to Indonesia on a whim I threw away a dream that I had sacrificed so much for. I traded a shot at the dream for wanderlust. I traded a creative challenge for a cultural one. Whilst I didn’t know at the time what was urging me to go, three and a half years later, when I left that spectacular country with a chubby little baby on my hip, I knew. It was just somewhere I was meant to be, it was instrumental to my future.

I have always been a traveler. I used to travel to far off lands with nothing but a backpack and a suffering bank account. I loved and partied and experienced and tasted and dove into worlds unknown. I traveled throughout my pregnancy and as soon as Bo was eleven weeks old we traveled again. Inspired by love and lust for adventure, inspired by a desire to be close to those who I held dear, inspired by new places and faces.

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Bo and I have always traveled alone. Even when her father and I were together, when traveling, it was still just us. Just the two of us in transit and flights and on buses and trains with backpacks and travel snacks. Now it’s been just us for almost a year. Our worlds so intertwined. People often say to me, ‘you’re so brave, traveling so far with your baby…’ but it has nothing to do with bravery. I am just me. I have the urge to move and to see the world… and I’m so lucky that I get to take my beautiful child along with me. In new places Bo is always kept close, I never leave her, I keep her up in my arms in a sling or a carrier until she is ready to explore on her own. Wherever we go, in different beds and different countries surrounded by different sights and sounds and people… there is always a constant. We always have each other close.

I turned 28 a few days into this trip, and whilst in so many ways I know I have come so far since those first intrepid travels around this globe… I’m still a child in so many ways. I’m still learning and I’m still finding my way… watching the world through not only my own eyes, but also through the eyes of my child… and wondering. What happens next?

It is International Babywearing week this week, I’m a big supporter of the sling libraries and parenting support and general comraderie that comes from groups of like-minded parents. If you’ve got little people and you are looking for a great place to socialise, meet new people and learn a bit about the myriad of carriers out there, check out your local babywearing group this week, there is bound to be some sort of fun event on in your area.

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In these pictures we are using our beautiful Sakura Bloom sling, it’s lovely and supportive and has been an absolute dream for this leg of our travels…

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  • October 8, 2013 - 7:18 am

    Cat - I too have a Sakura Bloom sling and I’m terrible at using it! I’ve watched all the videos on her site and still I can’t get my boy into it properly! You’ve inspired me to have another crack today!

    Happy travels!ReplyCancel

    • October 8, 2013 - 9:42 am

      Sash - I LOVE ours 🙂 It’s wonderful. Try again!! xxooReplyCancel

  • October 9, 2013 - 8:42 pm

    Alma - This is not a comment about sling, rather about travelers;-) Actually more a little story than a comment, but still:) I know only three Australians and you remind me of all of them. My best friend here in Sarajevo is Australian girl who ended in Bosnia even it something really hard to imagine. She has been several times in Sarajevo and as a tourist ended loving the city. After break of her marriage she needed a change and just moved and with hardly knowing anybody. She left a comfort of her home and work, took a job at a hostel while trying to start her own business. Now she is owner of a laundryshop and a goldsmith workshop. This is really in a nutshell but I always admired her for being strong and brave, challenging herself to go for what she thinks that is right and for what makes her happy and fulflled, even when it was really hard and challenging in so many ways. For the same reason I admire you and love reading ur blog, but really. xxReplyCancel

  • October 10, 2013 - 8:41 am

    Erin - What a beautiful inspiring post!!ReplyCancel

  • October 12, 2013 - 11:48 am

    Julie - I grew up in a family that did not travel. It was not until I had Tamika at 24 and became a single Mum, my body burnt with the desire to travel. So we did. Me and my favourite travelling companion. We managed 16 countries in 16 years. Now if only I had discovered slings back then! This time around with Jarvis I have discovered the joy of baby wearing while exploring the world.ReplyCancel

  • February 18, 2016 - 9:04 pm

    Etsumi - . That was a long long time ago in a land far far away. Here and now there is the South London Sling Library run by the very friendly and knllbedgeaowe Emily. One cool September afternoon found me consulting with her accompanied by my tearaway toddler and my newborn. The pre-consultation questionnaire had helped me focus and prioritise the many questions I had. So whilst my toddler undressed all the dolls we tried different slings and different methods of using slings. Emily dealt with the difficulties I had experienced with aplomb and there was time to practise my new found skills with baby. Her advice was practical and refreshingly honest when it came to the limitations of babywearing (in my case breastfeeding completely hands free is not going to happen but it clearly works for others). It was marvellous to have someone help guide me through the maze of assorted carriers and moreover fit them to my particular needs. The cherry on top was hiring the best contenders for an in vivo test run before making a final choice.I enjoyed the consultation. Emily’s enthusiasm for all things sling related is infectious and I am still referring to all the information she kindly emailed through. I just wish I didn’t live 40 miles away.ReplyCancel

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