Announcing that we are traveling overland from Slovenia to Sardinia with our 4 months old baby, brought to our attention different comments… Some people were thrilled about the idea, when on the other hand, some were clearly against it, being convinced that having a baby means you have to sacrifice everything you loved to stay at home.
Waiting for the ferry Livorno-Olbia (Sardinia travel)
We did not bother much about others opinions and packed our luggage to follow our new adventure. To spice everything up, we decided to sleep in our car and do wilderness camping throughout this Italian island, having no running water, no electricity and no real toilet. And guess what – we LOVED it!
Our bedroom view (Sardinia travel)
Our car was literally our home (Sardinia travel)
A sneak peek into our car bedroom (Sardinia travel)
Before leaving home, we did not really know what to expect, as this was our first real travel with Ren. But I guess if you stay true to yourself and not starting to complicate things, everything becomes easier.
Traveling with a baby meant we had to stop a lot (Sardinia travel)
Quick stops were for playing in the car (Sardinia travel)
I admit, I was a bit afraid how our lives will change when Ren was born and what will happen to our traveling, but with few adjustments, everything is even more beautiful, unforgettable and magical. So, if you enjoy traveling and waiting to have kids because of that, don’t… A new little traveler will just spice up your travels and you will be melting away every time you see him smile and admire everything he/she sees and hears.
It is laundery time (Sardinia travel)
Some days were so hot that even our munchkin enjoyed a deep in the water (Sardinia travel)
Ren, playing in his bouncer, while we were setting up the camp (Sardinia travel)
We just had few problems with packing at first, as we need to take the whole baby stroller, including the basinet with us. That sure took lots of space in the car, but with some clever organization we still managed to left some free space – have in mind we also had our car-bed in the trunk. Luckily the basinet from Peg Perego can also be used as a baby bed and whenever we stopped for lunch and Ren was sleepy, we just put the basinet outside and he was sleeping close to us, surrounded with nature.
The bassinet from Peg Perego was perfect as an outdoor bed (Sardinia travel)
A view towards the Caccia cape (Sardinia travel)
Picturesque views while driving on the panoramic coastal road at the western side of Sardinia (Sardinia travel)
I also decided to be sitting at the back of the car, together with Ren, to make traveling easier. He was not complaining much and he knows how to play by himself, but now and then he also enjoys my company. Every time he lost his own motivation, I started to talk to him, sang songs and he was all cheerful again.
Beautiful Cala Sissine (almost) all to ourselves (Sardinia travel)
The water was freezing, but we had to wash ourselves somehow (Sardinia travel)
Our travel to Sardinia was even a bit more special due to additional company. We were exploring Sardinia together with few more overland travelers from Slovenia. Our car park was 1x Toyota LC 95 (our car), 1x Toyota LC 80, 1x Toyota Hilux and 1x Nissan Patrol. Even though we did not know each other well before the trip, we really enjoyed each other’s company. Everything was even easier, as Ren was not the only baby – he was the youngest, but there was also a 5 months old girl and another one, having 1,5 years. To top it all up, there were also 2 dogs with us.
A group photo with our cars (Sardinia travel)
A group photo without our cars (Sardinia travel)
We are all well-travelled and know how to adapt and adjust to each other, so during the trip, there were no conflicts what so ever. In fact, we had such a great time that we are already planning our next adventure together. We did stop a lot because of our youngest travelers, but there was never a bad mood because of that. I guess it helped that we all understood what traveling with a baby means – full of feeding and changing diapers.
Nothing can beat sleeping in a million stars hotel (Sardinia travel)
Some times improvising in finding a spot for our camp was a must (Sardinia travel)
We did 2600 kilometers overall, 1400 kilometers were done solely on Sardinia – many of them on dirt roads with poor conditions. We even needed to plug in the car reductor for some parts what put a shine on the men part of the team. But honestly, we were searching for these kinds of roads, as we wanted to see the real Sardinia, away from typical touristic paths. As always, this kind of exploration is always more rewarding from just following the ordinary roads, which everyone can take.
Kids were asleep and it was time for travel stories and plans (Sardinia travel)
We really enjoyed all the dirt roads at Sardinia, taken us to the most beautiful corners on the island (Sardinia travel)
This overland travel to Sardinia was Ren’s first real travel and from his mood, we are certain he was enjoying it a lot. Not that he knew what was going on, but he surely enjoyed our company and full attention. Having 4 months, he was already old enough to start looking at everything he was surrounded with and it looked like he was having lots of fun.
Our first real travel as a family of three was so much fun, we cannot wait for more (Sardinia travel)
Now that we are home again, we are already looking forward to our next adventure. Luckily there’s another one just around the corner…
