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 all a group of eight travel together and sharing a four-bedroom, three-bathroom Airbnb for a week of sightseeing and partying.
As a travel blogger, I had a whole itinerary planned for us day trips planned and restaurants saved on Google Maps. In between sightseeing, we spent a lot of time catching up with our relatives and celebrating our daughter’s first birthday.
Although we all had a great time, the trip didn’t look at all what I expected.
We had to completely revise my original 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 per day. But we quickly realized we had to make a pivot.
At that point, my husband, daughter and I had already been working on one for four months six-month trip through Europe. We found that a slower pace of travel – where we could spend time at the Airbnb, playing and sleeping – suited our family best.
The author and her family spent a lot of time resting and playing at the Airbnb. Thanks to Riana Ang Canning
So a few weeks before the trip I informed the group that we would have to slow down the original route. We eliminated day trips, eliminated art museums, and focused on doing just one or two things a day instead of three or more.
We didn’t expect everyone else to travel at the pace of a toddler, but we knew it was the right decision for the three of us.
Missing sights and family time led to disappointment
It was hard to let go of the itinerary I had planned and sit back in our Airbnb knowing that there were so many incredible places right on our doorstep. I don’t know when we’ll do that return to Spainso it really felt like we were missing something.
My husband and I watched with a bit of envy as others in our group went for drinks on the roof or to tour the arena, while we stayed behind to supervise naps.
They shortened their itinerary, but still made time to enjoy local food. Thanks to Riana Ang Canning
While we wanted that from our parents enjoy their vacationwe also assumed that 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 months since we started traveling. So we were surprised and a little disappointed when it felt like sightseeing took priority over family time.
The birthday trip was still so worth it
Despite delaying the itinerary and adjusting our expectations, we still enjoyed a wonderful week in Spain with our family.
We made time to take a historical walking tour, climb to the Alcazaba, visit the beach, stroll through the Picasso Museum and watch a flamenco show. One evening my husband and I even went out for drinks late at night while the grandparents were babysitting.
Daughter and mother of the author. Thanks to Riana Ang Canning
And back at the Airbnb we were all able to hang out together. Our bedroom was a bit small, but the living room was spacious with enough sofas and chairs for everyone. Our daughter loved having lots of people to play with, and I loved us group meals at the large 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 than we thought, we were still able to make so many wonderful memories with our loved ones. Eating breakfast together every morning at our Airbnb, singing “Happy Birthday” to our daughter around a Basque cheesecake, and playing peek-a-boo and tag around the couch are all moments I will cherish.
The only question now is: how are we going to top it for our daughter’s second birthday?
