Under the Sun, Together
A Long Journey South & the Reasons Behind It
I turned 38 this month, and it’s been quite a year.
The year I got pregnant, gave birth to Celine Celeste, and stepped into motherhood in all its beauty — the soft moments and the challenging ones.
A year I’ll never forget. A precious one, full of gratitude and memories that already feel golden.
Before I was even pregnant, I dreamed of one day having a baby and taking a long trip together as a family during parental leave. Somewhere warm. Somewhere sunny. Somewhere that felt like us.
When we found out I was pregnant in December 2024, we started daydreaming.
We saved, we talked, and slowly the idea became something real.
We kept saying: “If everything goes well with the pregnancy, the labor, my recovery, and Celine’s development… what about Brazil? And Costa Rica?”
The vision was simple:
A little house by the beach, palm trees, and time with each other.
It’s so beautiful how an idea can start as a seed and bloom into something real when you give it love and energy.
✈️ Our Route
On January 2nd, we’ll fly from Lisbon to Salvador da Bahia and spend a few days there before heading to Porto Seguro → Arraial d’Ajuda → and then Trancoso.
We want to take it slow and stay longer than we usually do.
Then we fly to Rio de Janeiro for a week.
In February, we’ll be in Costa Rica. A place we deeply love and that changed us in many ways.
We’ll end our trip in Mexico City, a city we adored five years ago.
🌞 Why Travel With a Baby So Young?
Honestly, I didn’t overthink it.
It fit perfectly with our parental leave, and I prefer one long period together rather than splitting it up.
But the more I learned about early development, the more it made sense to go.
The first months of a child’s life are so important — they’re making millions of connections per second. Being in an environment that matches our hearts and lifestyle can only support that.
It’s not just for Celine.
It’s for us too. Warm weather and sunshine make us calmer, happier, and more grounded.
Winter in the Netherlands hits me hard every year. The grey days, the cold, the heaviness. No supplement or red light lamp can replace actual sunlight.
🧠 Early Development — in Simple Words
The first three months of a baby’s life (and even the pregnancy) form the foundation on which everything else is built.
This period shapes how they first experience the world and whether it feels safe.
The way their needs are met now becomes their blueprint for trust and safety later on.
The following three months are where attachment deepens.
A baby learns to trust their caregivers, and caregivers create the conditions for secure attachment.
Traveling as a family creates shared experiences — new colors, smells, sounds, people, movement, nature. The baby absorbs everything, not as memory, but in their nervous system.
It’s not about ‘remembering Costa Rica.’
It’s about learning flexibility, adapting to surroundings, feeling safe in different places, and discovering that who you’re with matters more than where you are.
In the end, it all comes down to safety, presence, and connection.
☀️ What This Trip Means For Us
More than sunshine, more than beaches: it’s time together.
Time we’ll never get back.
Time to slow down, connect, recover, and enjoy these early months as a family of three.
If you’ve taken a long trip with your kids, or if you dream of doing it someday, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Does this resonate with you? And what place would you choose if you could escape winter for a while?
My Hopes for This Journey
What I hope this trip gives us is simple: more presence, more rest, less pressure.
Time to reconnect as partners, time to bond as a family, and the chance to enjoy Celine’s early months in a softer, slower environment together.
What I’m nervous about isn’t the long flights or the new places, I’m more curious than anxious about that. What makes me nervous is health and safety.
Celine hasn’t been sick yet, and I know the day will come. I just hope that when it happens, it will be something soft and manageable. And honestly, I’m also a bit nervous about my own monkey mind. I hope I can stay calm and grounded, whatever comes our way.
Preparing for a Long Trip With a Baby
Preparing for a long trip with a baby is mostly mental for me. Not about things to pack, but about mindset:
letting go of perfection
lowering expectations
trusting flexibility
accepting slow travel
dividing responsibilities with Raymond
embracing that things won’t go ‘as planned’ and that’s okay
The truth is, we can prepare as much as we want, but the real learning will happen once we’re there. And I’m ready to embrace whatever this journey brings.
In the end, we’re just three people figuring it out together and I think that’s what will make this trip so special.
December 18th, adventure here we come!
Thank you so much for every like, save, and share. It truly means a lot.
It helps me grow, opens doors for new work, and gives me more independence in this industry. I really appreciate it.