Leander and I have taken some smaller trips together over the years, but we’ve never actually had the opportunity to travel by plane anywhere, just the two of us. So for Leander’s 11th birthday this year, I booked us a trip to London.
We were going to do the Harry Potter Studio Tour, but unfortunately, that was sold out by the time I was able to book our hotel and plane tickets. So we will just have to go back I guess 😝
So where is the London vlog, you might wonder? Well, I did film a little bit during the trip but decided pretty quickly that there wasn’t going to be a vlog for this trip. The main reason for this was that I wanted the London trip to be about Leander, and for him and I to have some really good quality time together. And if I’m focusing on getting as much good content as possible for a vlog, then my mind would often be elsewhere than on being mindful of all the experiences we were having together.
So what did we do on our trip? We walked around the city a lot, sat down at cafés, ate yummy food and cakes, spent some time at Hamley’s, did a little bit of shopping, had fun in the hotel swimming pool, got to meet some wonderful people, went to the science museum and we stayed up late, eating candy in our hotel room.
But the thing that I take away from the trip that was the most wonderful, was all the time we spent talking about life and thoughts. I’ve always said that the best way to really get to know someone is to travel together with them, and I do believe that Leander and I got to know each other even better than we already did throughout this trip. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hectic everyday lifestyle, and we probably don’t take as much time as we should to actually just sit down and talk about our feelings and experiences, but while we were away, we really did get the time to do so. There was no rush for anything, and we just had a wonderful time. Even when getting soaked in the rain, or when Leander was so tired on the evening of our first day that he walked like a drunk person, we still smiled, laughed and talked so easily.
It is also so fascinating to me to experience how he’s growing up so extremely fast. And he constantly takes me by surprise when he’s wording these really profound thoughts that are running through his mind. But even though he’s getting closer and closer to becoming a teen, he still finds the joy in toys and playing, which is something that I think is so important!
And he’s so funny and entertaining my little guy!
It’s so wonderful, but also scary at the same time, to watch him finding himself and taking on the world.
Solo traveling with kids is a little different from when I do travel completely alone though. There are a lot more breaks, earlier nights, and a bit more planning. But it was such a joy, and I do hope that I get to travel more with my little man in the near future.
Not only because I think it’s an absolutely wonderful way for us to get quality time together, but also for us to personally grow through traveling together. Some of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood are the adventures I went on with my family. We didn’t have to travel far or by train, but it was something about just getting out of the comfort zone of home, and try new things and explore new places.
And that is something I wish for Leander to have plenty of; ADVENTURES!
London was an absolute treat, and as I’ve mentioned before; London always feels like coming home! It brought me so much joy to share that with Leander, and it was just a pleasure to watch him fall in love with the same city.
London, thank you for all the wonderful memories we got to bring back home❤️
Christina de Vries 