2023 Travel Roundup: First trip with a baby and a proposal!
Each year I do a travel roundup to summarise my collective travels for the year. This year, my 2023 travel roundup looks a little different as solo travel seems like a time of the past and the new norm is family travel with my partner and our baby.
January – Melbourne
After spending a small Christmas in Sydney, we were super excited to head to Melbourne for our daughter’s first trip. We had 4 days in my home state, spent introducing Grace to our extended family and also meeting our new nephew. After three months of having a newborn, it was so nice to leave the bubble for a few days and spend lots of family time. Grace was a dream on the flights and slept most of the way.
February to May – Sydney
With a baby it sure is hard to travel long distances, so I made the most of my 12 month maternity leave by exploring many places in Sydney on my list to visit that I’d never managed to get around to. I finally made it to the incredible Taronga Zoo which has fast become one of my daughter and my favourite places to explore in the city.
Another of our favourite places to visit, particularly in the colder months is the Australian Museum where there is a great interactive play area for kids.
June – Canberra
Grace’s first ever holiday (outside of visiting family) was to our country’s capital city of Canberra. Rather embarrassingly, this was also my first visit to the city and my last Australian state and territory to tick off. Canberra has plenty to do for young and old including the super fun Questacon, lots of local restaurant and brewery visits and the moving Australian War Memorial. Canberra is also the site of Australia’s parliament, so a visit to the new and old Parliament Houses was super interesting as well.
September – Singapore, Switzerland and Malta
We ventured to Europe with our then-eleven month old daughter on a month-long trip around the continent. Grace’s first country visited was Singapore on a stopover to break up the long journey to Europe. Whilst we all struggled a little with the intense humidity, we did manage to get out and enjoy the amazing Gardens By The Bay and the delicious food at the nearby Satay By The Bay Hawker Centre.
After 24 hours in Singapore, it was time to head back to the airport, pay a quick visit to the Jewel at Changi and hop on an overnight flight to Zurich, via Helsinki on Finnair. Zurich was expensive, but beautiful. The old town and the area by the Limmat River was right on our doorstep and it was charming, quaint and everything else that I’ve come to expect from European towns. We also did a day trip out to Basel – which was GORGEOUS – and a half day trip to the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg.
After a wonderful few days eating schnitzels in Zurich, we headed to Malta – which is a special country in our hearts as it is the home of my partner’s grandfather. It is now an even more special place for us as Matt proposed to me on the balcony of our hotel on our last night in the country. It was beautiful taking our daughter to this small Mediterranean nation and connecting her with her heritage. She is 1/8 Maltese, after all! We loved exploring the tiny fishing village of Marsaxlokk, visiting the stunning old town of Valetta and discovering the country’s second biggest island, Gozo. Grace also came with us on an open boat ride to the Blue Lagoon, one of Malta’s most famous sights.
October – Italy
Our European adventures continued in October, with a skip over to the Puglia region of Italy. We based ourselves in the charming whitewashed town of Monopoli and did day trips out to various towns in the region such as Polignano a Mare, Lecce, Ostuni, Locorotondo and Alberobello. Puglia is located in the boot of Italy on the Adriatic Sea and it is definitely one of the best areas of the country to explore in my opinion.
After Puglia, it was time for our last stop of the trip – the Eternal City of Rome. Honestly, Rome was life-changing, cliche as it may be. Walking amongst the deep and rich history of the city felt like a dream and the ease of travelling around the city with a baby was remarkable. We visited the Vatican on a day trip, explored the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, wandered through the Pantheon and ate our way around the restaurants of Trastevere. Then it was time to fly home in time for Grace’s 1st birthday!
November and December – Sydney and Melbourne
In November we enjoyed being home and adjusting back to Australia time – which was quite the battle with a toddler! Then we jetted down to Melbourne for Grace’s first Melbourne Christmas with my side of the family where we had a very hectic but super fun few days. Finally, we headed back to Sydney in time for New Year’s Eve!
Like my 2023 Travel Roundup?
If you enjoyed the 2023 travel roundup then check out my roundups from previous years!
