Élodie travels all over the world with her children. Through her blog Couleur Voyage, she tells the stories of her little family's adventures around the globe while giving plenty of advice to parents who want to go on holiday abroad with their children.
Why did you call your blog "Couleur voyage"?
Élodie: "Quite simply because I find that first impressions when travelling are linked to colours. We are immediately challenged by the colours of landscapes, markets, people's clothes, etc. So that's it, it seemed logical to me to mention the colors in my blog and to call it that. »
How did you get the idea to launch your blog?
Élodie: "It's a blog about family travel. Long before I was a mother, I travelled a lot alone and had done a solo round-the-world trip. Then I started travelling together with my partner. And when the children arrived, it seemed logical to me to continue to travel with them. And I created the blog when I realized that it surprised everyone that I travel to different countries with my children. I was often asked for advice. So I started a blog to help other parents go on a trip with their children by giving them all the necessary information with the best possible itineraries and off the beaten track stays. »
How old are your children?
Elodie: "The first one is Keoni, he is four years old, and the second one is Hoani and he is one and a half years old. I've been travelling with them since Keoni was two months old. Our first destination was Cape Verde, where we left for three months. We quickly followed up with other trips... We went to Croatia, Portugal, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Barbados. It went very well, because it is ultimately easier to travel with an infant than a young child. Indeed, he is light and he stays in the sling, he sleeps a lot and his clothes weigh almost nothing. Finally, a baby does not pay for the flight ticket, which really reduces costs. »
Do you also show the negative aspects of travelling with children?
Elodie: "I'm trying to show the other side of the story. For example, in my Instagram stories I also film all the galleys. In particular, we see the whims and crises of children at the very moment when we try to take a picture of the dishes. We also show that we have to take turns caring for the children, that they are often agitated and that there is food everywhere... But, in reality, the message I am sending out is that the parents' usual daily lives are finally reproduced when they travel. The path of the fighter is the same for them, whether they are at home or abroad. The positive aspect is that despite the difficulties, children will discover a lot of things during a trip. And they also ask a lot of questions that would not occur to us during the stay, so we also learn a lot from them as adults. »
What precautions should be taken before going on a trip with toddlers?
Élodie: "You have to be well informed about the seasons and temperatures. For Jordan, for example, I did it wrong. When I was preparing my trip, I had chosen to leave in May, because it seemed to be the best season to leave in terms of climate. But in fact, with climate change, this was not at all the case on the spot... It was really very hot and almost 50°C. Imagine visiting the Petra site with two children in these temperatures... It was really not easy, even if everything turned out as we had hoped. It is also important to think about sanitary conditions, whether the water is safe to drink and pay attention to food to avoid poisoning. Finally, it is important to check the children's vaccination record before going on holiday. »
What must be kept in mind to make everything go well?
Elodie: "You have to think about their rhythm, because the trip can really be ruined if the child can't adapt. So as soon as I organize a trip, I try to plan times in the day when they can rest and do activities that suit them. You have to rethink your journey according to them. For the "adventure stay" part as an adult, it is more complicated. But if you really want to make a visit or an outing where you can't take the children, you just have to think about booking a hotel where there is a babysitting service for the children. It is important to plan everything in advance. »
How do you handle the luggage?
Elodie: "When you travel with children, you tend to take too much stuff and be overloaded. Just the luggage is a test in itself. So to solve this problem, I make it a point of honour to leave with only one suitcase for myself and my two children. And during the trip, I manage to sleep at least one night in an Airbnb apartment so I can do some laundry. So we always have clean clothes. Concerning the medicine kit, I really leave with the essentials, especially paracetamol or Physiomer if they catch a cold. In other emergencies, I usually find medicines on site at the pharmacy. I also plan to have a kitchen in the Airbnb which allows me to prepare the meals myself and avoids taking the children to the restaurant all the time. »
More information https://www.couleurvoyage.com
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