Qualities of a Good Travel Buddy: Toddler Edition
Gate T10. She was ready before I was.
Back in 2019, I wrote a whole list of what makes a good travel buddy. Snoring disclosures. Don’t block me when somebody’s flirting. Bring your own coins. I had standards, friend. Fast forward to now and my favorite travel buddy is not even two years old. She can't navigate Google Maps and has never once offered to split the Airbnb. So I did the only fair thing. I pulled up my old list and graded her on it. Here's her report card.
The report card
Tells you what kind of traveler they are
Grade: INCOMPLETE
She hasn't said it in words yet, but she's showing me. She's the people-watcher who tends to either smile or side-eye when she's ready. She also waves and says "Hi, hi" to everybody. When she's not in stroller, she can be the runner who'll have you chasing after her like a mad woman.
Open to new experiences, food included
Grade: PASS
In 2019, I drew the line at bugs. Baby girl draws plenty of lines of her own, and some nights dinner feels like a negotiation I’m losing. On her first trip to Spain, she willingly tried an olive, then another, and another. Now they’re her favorite thing to eat, and she asks for them by name. Watching my picky eater fall for something new, somewhere new, was surprisingly beautiful. As skeptical as we may be about travel’s impact on our littles, it definitely leaves a mark. And sometimes it starts with an olive.
Willing to leave the hotel and explore
Grade: PASS, with conditions
She always wants to be out. The nap schedule is the real boss now. We plan our days around her sleep, and honestly, a midday break back at the room is a gift. I actually embrace it as I can't just keep going like the Energizer Bunny. Break and nap me, please and thanks.
Keeps the shared space clean
Grade: FAIL
A big one. Baby girl's vibe said, "What is clean?" Snacks in the bed, toys in my shoes, one sock that almost always goes missing. Sigh.
Tells you about their sleep habits ahead of time
Grade: FAIL
I was not warned about the 3,427 hours it takes toddlers to fall asleep when they're away from home. Thankfully, mine doesn't snore, but she sleeps sideways, so a king bed is now a twin.
Shares dietary needs and helps pick restaurants
Grade: PASS, sort of
I already know her needs because I’m the one packing the snacks. Picking restaurants looks different now, though. I’m checking for high chairs, room for a stroller, and, still, rooftop views. A girl can have both.
Is a team player
Grade: PASS, on charm alone
She carries nothing and navigates nothing. That’s me and Google Maps. One smile from her though, and the waiter shows up faster, the flight attendant offers to help, and somebody always holds the door. That counts.
Is independent enough to do their own thing
Grade: NOT YET
And that's okay. She still needs me for just about everything, but wants to walk by herself now. Baby girl makes it very clear by yanking her hand out of mine.
Lets you be a capable adult
Grade: THIS ONE'S ON ME
In 2019, I didn't want anybody hovering. Now I'm the one hovering. Full helicopter mom mode, but working on it.
Doesn't get in the way when strangers flirt with you
Grade: FAIL
Nobody’s flirting with me anymore. They’re flirting with her. In Málaga, a man stopped us for a good ten minutes just to tell us how beautiful she was. He kept calling her “morenita,” a sweet way of saying “little brown girl.” He was a new dad with an almost one-year-old, and he even shared pictures of his daughter with us. Thankfully, my Spanish held up. In some places a baby belongs to everybody, and it reminded me so much of how she’s welcomed when we visit my parents in St. Lucia. A whole village, just in a different language.
Takes good photos of you
Grade: FAIL
Zero photos. Okay, one blurry one of my thumb. It's why my camera roll has a thousand pictures of her and about four of me.
Exhibit A: one of the four. Yes, that's a baggage tag on my shirt.
Brings enough money for their own trip
Grade: PASS
She's under 2, so on domestic flights she rides on my lap for free. Cheapest travel buddy I've ever had.
Balances relaxing with fun
Grade: EXTRA CREDIT
She's teaching me this one. She stops for every pigeon, puddle, leaf, rock, and staircase, and I’ve started stopping with her. My little anthropologist sees the world from a different height, and she’s showing me what I’ve been missing.
Final grade
So by 2019 standards, she'd be lucky to pass. She's messy, she disturbs my sleep by switching positions too much, and she's never taken a single good picture of me. Reading that old list back, I noticed something. Back then, I was looking for somebody who wouldn't slow me down.
Now my favorite travel buddy is the one I slow down for.
I see so much more because of it: the pigeons, the strangers who stop to say hi, the way a whole coffee shop turns into a village when a baby walks in.
I didn't stop traveling when I became a mom. I was determined not to. I just got a new buddy, and she's teaching me a different way to see the world. What a gift.
Your turn
Who's your travel buddy these days? And if you travel with a little one, what would you add to their report card?
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