OR: Absolutely. I have to echo what Erin said. There is a lot more preparation to travel these days. Once upon a time, I could book a ticket and be on a plane and get to my destination without any accommodation. But now with a baby I’m like, okay, I have to call her to get her tied to our reservation to make sure we’re seated on the plane together. I have to, or rather my husband because he is more of a planner than I am, but he has to call ahead and make sure there is a pack ‘n play in the room when we choose accommodation. For example, we are currently in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, and it has been a real learning experience as we had this really nice Airbnb to find out that it is not child proof at all. So all these cute little props that are in the apartment, you know the light fixtures, all these different things, we had to move around and reconfigure because my daughter, who is a very active 17 month old girl, catches everything and smashes everything . So there are some things like that that we had to adjust, I guess.
We’ve had to adjust our travel style, and we’re traveling with a lot more stuff. I have always prided myself on being a hand-only traveler. And I always travel with only carry-on baggage, but oh my God, I got nothing for myself. Everything is basically for the baby, from their food and toys to diapers, all of these different things that weren’t on my packing list before are essential now.
THE: You know, it looks like you two, before the pandemic, were pretty spontaneous, travelers who fly by the seat of your pants. Just on a personal level, has it been difficult to make those adjustments and struggle with the fact that traveling for you is different now?
OR: Yes. I’ll go first. Yes, yes and yes. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I mean, everyone’s experience will be different I guess. People will experience different things. But one thing I try to do is be really honest about the experience and yes sometimes I lament the fact that I can’t travel like I used to. I was actually just in Tulum earlier today and there were a few bars and restaurants that I had previously identified to get there that I wanted to visit. And we go up to the door of one of them and they’re like, no kids are allowed. So we couldn’t go in. And once upon a time, when I used to club hop and bar hop and be on the stage, it was unfathomable. And now I’m like “Okay I have to be home by 7:00 PM because my daughter has to be put to bed”, or there has to be a big break in the middle of the day so I can put her to bed. a nap because if I don’t put her down for a nap it’s going to be horrible for everyone involved. And so I just have to move differently. But I like to see the world through his eyes now. So there are some things that I wouldn’t have done before, things that I wouldn’t have done or enjoyed before, that I do now with her and have the best time just seeing her discover.
EF: Yeah, I mean, I’m okay with that. Everything about how you may have done something in the past must be different. I was very similar. I mean, for me, when I was going to a destination, the destination didn’t matter, but the bars and restaurants were always kind of the most important part. And now it’s like “Well, I probably won’t make it”, and that’s okay because it even allows me … in Paris with him, to see him differently because I would prioritize to different things that I would not have allowed myself to prioritize in the past.
