My New Travel Role: The Daddy Traveler

A year ago at this time, I was paddling in a homemade kayak in remote Kamchatka, Russia's volcano-filled peninsula dangling in Alaska’s face. I traveled with a crew of five locals far crustier than I am. We hiked along bear trails, swatted away thousands of mosquitoes, and dove into breath-takingly cold streams we drank from. We ate freshly caught fish filets and packed steaks by hand, and drank the wine and vodka until it was gone.

This year, I spent July 4th at a boutique hotel in central Philadelphia, walking by Independence Hall, buying a ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag for $5, and sitting with a enormous sundae and watching the July 4th parade, politely cheering on men in funny colonial hats. I took an afternoon nap. And skipped the free Sheryl Crow/fireworks show that night to stay in and eat take-out food (again without utensils, actually).

And I had a great time.

Daughter Ruby joined wife and me on what’s considered ‘Obama Day’ for most – January 20, 2009 – but we never stopped traveling. Nor do we plan to. We’ve just made a few adjustments.

For starters, we’re now 9-to-5 tourists. Some babies can sleep anywhere, and Lonely Planet's new Traveling with Children talks of the relative freedom of infant travelers versus toddlers, but Ruby prefers not sleeping in a stroller. That means no 7pm dinners out for us, but we don't complain, considering she's willing to sleep a solid 12 hours a night.

We’re also sticking far closer to home here in New York City. Before my wife’s maternity leave ended, we took advantage of softened off-season, mid-week rates for a couple New York State’s Hudson River Valley house rentals. We ate dinners in, and filled days with leisurely drives, some shopping and a walk or two. At the first trip near Woodstock, we rather disturbed to see Ruby grow calm when Phish played in one café (Ruby, pink hair is fine, but please no Phish!). The other was spent driving along the Delaware River and stopping in a great vintage printing press company in Jeffersonville.

More ‘adventurous’ trips came in month four. We flew to Pittsburgh for a few days (and she flies free for two years!), and managed to introduce Ruby to Andy Warhol at his museum and some bearded Detroit Red Wings (staying at the same hotel for the Stanley Cup), then hung out with 20-something beer drinkers docking their party boats on downtown walkways, and took a side trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s wonderful Fallingwater – my wife and I taking turns with Ruby as the other took the 60-minute tour (no little ones allowed in). We capped our three nights in Philadelphia with a day mingling with Civil War re-enactors at Gettysburg. However, Ruby appears to be less impressed with hockey or soldier beards than other aspects of travel.

What I’ve learned is that it’s best to base yourself in comfortable 'hub stations' – hopefully hotels or rental homes with more than one room to allow night-time TV at least – and spend a couple hours mid-day for nap and break. This probably means no B&B trips across the Alps or a trip to take in London theater soon, but spending a week with a rental car at a Tuscan or Provence villa isn’t out of the question.

Also, we’ve seen Ruby become a big ice-breaker to meeting locals – even more successful than the ol’ walking-the-dog trick. We’re now stopped on sidewalks by chatty locals and mingling with neighboring tables at restaurants. In Philadelphia, we met a visiting couple from Spain who offered to guide us around their town if we go.

Trips as a family three-pack is a new travel for us – for me in particular – but one with its own brand of rewards. Seeing Ruby kick and flail and giggle in glee as parade drummers passed, or when a colorfully costumed Bolivian dancer broke from the lines to pose with her for a video (see the video here), beats a kayak trip in the wild. At least for awhile.

--> Fellow Daddy Travelers, please join my 'Daddy Traveler' group at Lonely Planet's website so we can share tips, bumpy tales and surprising successes.