On train travel days, we would wait until 45 minutes before departure time before leaving our hotel

On previous trips to Europe, we put together loose itineraries but rarely family adventure travel made reservations ahead of time, unless we required family adventure travel a fast train or long-haul/overnight train. But traveling with a baby requires better planning, so we made sure our most recent trip to Europe was organized prior to arriving. Fortunately for us, this time around we partnered with Rail Europe and they took care of our reservations (and we are very grateful for that!).
We ve used Rail Europe train passes before, so we were familiar with the process. However, this was the first time traveling by train with Baby B (this year has been filled with firsts!), so we were unsure how he would react to spending hours on a train. We re happy to report that he also loved it!
There are many reasons why we prefer train travel to alternative methods of transportation, so we thought it would be helpful to put together a list of reasons why we like traveling around Europe by train with a baby .
Babies need to eat a lot. Well, at least Baby B does. He s still breastfed but he also eats rice cereal and pureed fruits family adventure travel and vegetables. I loved that I could easily family adventure travel breastfeed, be discrete and most importantly be comfortable. To make his hot cereals, family adventure travel most trains are equipped with a bar-buffet car or an attendant, so we were able get hot water. It also meant that we could get coffee, well needed after dealing with baby jet lag .
We had first class tickets, so most of the fast trains came with a meal and beverage service included (at least they did for the breakfast trips that we were on). This may not sound like a big deal, but when you re spending 40 Swiss Francs for breakfast it certainly helps the travel budget.
Unlike being confined to your seat on an airplane or car, traveling by train allowed us to get up and move around as we pleased. When Baby B got upset, we walked with him and let him play on the floor.
Many of the trains had several empty seats, so it gave us lots of space to move around. We were traveling with a lot of items stroller, car seat, luggage, baby bag, food bag so it was nice to offload our items on a different seat and not feel cramped.
Being on the train also meant that Baby B did not need to be stuck in his car seat. He HATES his car seat and rarely lasts longer than 15 minutes before he freaks out. We actually chose the train over a car pick-up by a family member. The thought of a 2 hour drive from Luxembourg City to Reil, Germany made us very nervous, so we passed on the generous family adventure travel offer and opted for the train instead.
Baby B loved to snuggle up to one of us and look out the window to watch the countryside pass by. The movement kept him interested and it had a calming effect on him he often fell asleep once the train got moving.
Time seemed to fly by as we passed through vineyards, open fields, mountains and centuries old villages. Had we not been on a train, we never would have seen these places and we would not have enjoyed the journey as much.
However, we don t like fumbling over road maps while trying to decipher street signs that are written in foreign languages. Securing a parking spot in European cities can also be a challenge and parking can be very costly, so the thought of departing and arriving from a centrally located station is quite appealing (most hotels in Europe are located within walking distance to a train station). Trains are also a heck of a lot faster and don t require you to stop for fuel.
On the surface, flying from one European city to another seems like a faster option. But in reality, when you factor in the time it takes to travel to the airport, clear security, wait to board the flight, air time, offload the aircraft, baggage claim, and travel to the next hotel, it can often take much longer than originally planned. Sure, the flight time is only an hour, but it takes 5-6 hours of travel time go from hotel door to hotel door. This is a big deal when you re trying to plan around family adventure travel baby s nap time.
Most of the hotels we stayed at were located within minutes of the central train station, which saved us a lot of time, money and headache. Traveling with a baby can be frustrating at times, so eliminating unnecessary stress is well worth it. Let me tell you, trying to secure a baby car seat in a taxi is not fun during family adventure travel a European heat wave!
On train travel days, we would wait until 45  minutes before departure time before leaving family adventure travel our hotel room. This gave  Baby B more time to roll around and play in the comforts of the hotel room. It rarely took longer than 30 minutes to exit the hotel, walk to the train station, board the train and find our seats leaving family adventure travel us 15 minutes to spare.
Europe is known for cheap airlines. However, when you factor in all the extra costs, it can add up quickly. Taxis and extra baggage fees can quickly tip the scale and make that cheap flight not so attractive, especially if you have to purchase a seat for baby or pay the additional fees for the stroller and car seat.
We made this rookie mistake the last time we were in Europe. Rather than look at the TOTAL cost (we had to stay at an expensive airport hotel one night), we only compared the ticket prices. This is not always the best approach, so make sure you find out what airports these discount carriers depart from. Or, consider taking the train.
This recent trip to Europe had multiple occasions where travel plans needed to changed. Nothing major, but we needed to adjust departure times to accommodate changes in our itinerary. Babies don t always follow the game plan, so flexibility is very important.
Because we had the Eurail Global pass, we didn t need to worry about it all. As long as the train did not require a reservation, we simply family adventure travel took whatever train we wanted. There were no additional costs for changing trains, no phone calls or cancellation procedures, no hassle.
Security staff wants everything put through the x-ray machine, which means we had to take all of Baby B s items out of the stroller basket, fold up the stroller family adventure travel and place it nicely on the belt, all while holding him and taking family adventure travel off our shoes, belt and personal items. family adventure travel Then, after we passed through the metal detector, our items piled up at the other end, with the next passenger s items quickly following. Of course, the other passengers looked at us funny, like we re purposely trying to inconvenience them. It just sucks and we have yet to come across a helpful security agent that likes their job.
Many thanks to our travel partner Rail Europe. Travelling by train is the best way to see the wonders of Europe, and with Rail Europe you can see 22 countries and 25,000 destinations on over 11,000 different routes. Learn more here –  www.RailEurope.com.au
Cameron and Nicole Wears are a married couple and newbie parents currently living in beautiful Vancouver on the west coast of Canada. Traveling to over 65 countries and territories together, they are the couple behind the popular travel blog Traveling family adventure travel Canucks . They now travel as a family of three, sharing baby travel tips that they learn along the way. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
If given the choice, I d prefer train travel to an airplane. There are so many advantages to riding a train, most significant of which, is the scenery that you never get on a flight. You re right, these places are only seen when you get on a train. Don t we love it!
Train travel is an affordable as well as comfortable way of traveling. As in train you can save a lot of money by Rather than cramming yourself into an ever-shrinking airplane seat or squinting at road signs trying to figure family adventure travel out where to make your next turn, why not relax on a train? It s one of the least stressful forms of transportation and also kids enjoy more in train.
Connect With Us! About Tips For Baby Travel TipsForBabyTravel.com is the personal travel blog of Cameron and Nicole Wears, a married couple and newbie parents living in Vancouver, family adventure travel Canada. Having travelled to over 65 countries & territories together, our life journey has changed since welcoming our baby boy in late 2011. Tune in for helpful baby travel tips that we learn from our adventures.