For our daughter’s first birthday, my husband and I flew to Malaga, Spain, with our almost-1-year-old, my mom, my dad, my mother-in-law, and two family friends. We were a group of eight, all traveling together and sharing a four-bedroom, three-bathroom Airbnb for a week of sightseeing and celebrating.
As a travel blogger, I had a whole itinerary mapped out for us with day trips planned and restaurants saved on Google Maps. In between sightseeing, we’d spend lots of time catching up with our family members and celebrating our daughter’s first birthday.
While we all had a great time, the trip didn’t look anything like I thought it would.
We had to completely overhaul my original trip itinerary
The original itinerary I had planned for our week in Malaga, Spain, included day trips to Córdoba and Granada, plus visits to two or three local attractions each day. But we quickly realized we would need to pivot.
By that point, my husband, daughter, and I were already four months into a six-month trip traveling through Europe. We learned that a slower pace of travel — where we could spend time back at the Airbnb playing and napping — suited our family best.
So, a few weeks before the trip, I let the group know that we would need to slow down the original itinerary. We cut the day trips, scrapped art museums, and focused on doing just one or two things each day instead of three or more.
We didn’t expect everyone else to travel at a toddler’s pace, but we knew for the three of us, that was the right call.
Missing out on sightseeing and family time led to disappointment
It was hard to let go of the itinerary I had planned and sit back at our Airbnb, knowing so many incredible places were right outside our door. I don’t know when we’ll return to Spain, so it really felt like we were missing out.
My husband and I looked on, a little bit jealous, as others from our group went out to rooftop drinks or to tour the bull ring, while we stayed back to supervise naptime.
While we wanted our parents to enjoy their vacation, we also assumed the priority would be to spend time with their granddaughter, since the entire trip was in honor of her birthday.
Our parents hadn’t seen our daughter or us in many months since we’d been traveling. So we were surprised and a little bit disappointed whenever it felt like sightseeing took precedence over family time.
The birthday trip was still so worth it
Despite slowing down the itinerary and readjusting our expectations, we still enjoyed a wonderful week in Spain with our family.
We made time to go on a historical walking tour, climb up to the Alcazaba, visit the beach, walk through the Picasso Museum, and watch a flamenco show. One night, my husband and I even went out for late-night drinks while the grandparents babysat.
And back at the Airbnb, we all could hang out together. Our bedroom was a bit small, but the living room was spacious with enough couches and chairs for everyone. Our daughter loved having lots of people to play with, and I loved our group meals at the big dining table.
Plus, we enjoyed so many delicious meals at local restaurants. Paella, tapas, and churros were big hits with our entire group, even our freshly minted one-year-old.
Even though family time looked different from what we thought it would, we still got to make so many beautiful memories with our loved ones. Having breakfast together at our Airbnb each morning, singing “Happy Birthday” to our daughter around a Basque cheesecake, and playing games of peekaboo and tag around the couch are all moments I will cherish.
Now the only question is: How do we top it for our daughter’s second birthday?
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