Traveling abroad with kids is NOT easy. Just so you know . . .

Many years ago, we got a sweet beagle named Daisy.  Not too long afterward, Matt's sister's beagles had a litter of puppies.  I fell in love with the pups.  But we already had Daisy so it seemed unnecessary to get another one.  But those puppies were so cute.  As we asked around for advice, everyone assured us that we would be so happy to have two.  It would be great.  That two dogs is no harder than one.  We were told they would entertain each other and sleep with each other and really, people said, it's no harder to feed two dogs or walk two dogs.  We got another puppy and named him Dozer.

And over the years, we discovered that all those people lied.  Because two dogs was harder than one. Double the vet bills.  Double the dog poop to clean up.  Double the messes in the house.  Double the dog sitting fees.  Double the ear infections and vaccines.  I wouldn't have traded it because it also meant double the snuggles and double the fun running on trails and double the excitement when you got home after a long day away.  But it was hard.  

Before moving abroad, we talked to many people who had lived abroad, specifically in London.  It was like the dog thing all over again. "You'll love it!  It is incredible!  We'd move back in a heartbeat! BEST Experience EVER." They said.  But they forgot to mention how insanely hard it would be at times.   

In many of my posts and facebook and instagram photos you see happy smiling faces of our family traveling the world.  Before we moved here I saw those same photos of other friends and families living and traveling abroad and thought it looked pretty amazing.  And it is.  But I feel it is my duty to set things straight.  Should you have the opportunity to live or travel abroad with your children, I'm not going to be the one to blame for not warning you that it will be hard.  Yes, I'm still going to continue posting photos and blogs about amazing days and fantastic travels.  Because there are a lot of things that are amazing and awesome and incredible.  But consider this a reality check.  A warning. A public safety announcement.  Traveling and living abroad with young kids is NOT easy.

Consider the following from our past two trips to the continent . . .

• After an exhausting day of travel, being woken by your 9 month old throughout the night.
• Being awoken by your toddler when she has a bloody nose in someone else's home (since it was an airbnb, not a hotel)
• Handling a tween meltdown while waiting in the hot sun for a bus.
• Pushing a stroller everywhere and hauling it up and down steps.
• Finding out the hotel you booked online charges an additional 20 Euro per child.
• Filling out 6 immigration cards while going through passport control at midnight.  
• Trying to keep track of 4 children whilst wandering through crowded city streets.
• Driving through the beautiful French countryside while your infant screams in his carseat.
• Making sure your diaper bag/backpack is always stocked with bandaids, wipes, water, and snacks a plenty to prevent hangry.  Hauling said diaper bag/backpack everywhere.  
• Juggling a stroller, ergo, and bjorn amongst tired children after a long day exploring and walking.  
• After a fun date night out on the town, being awoken at 5 AM by your child who will not return to sleep. 
• Dealing with spit up or diaper blowouts or massive snotty sneezes while on public transportation and realizing you are on your last wipe.  

Yes, it is amazing and awesome to travel and live abroad as a family.  But consider yourself warned.
It is also really hard.