Most people wait until retirement to travel the world. Our daughter started at six months old.
Since being born in Prague, our now 2-year-old daughter Elodie has joined us on adventures across 13 countries. From sandy adventures in Oman and Egypt, to snowy festivities in Austria and Germany, from Irish pubs to Greek island ferries, and even a detour to San Marino just because it looked fun on the map.
She doesn’t have a passport full of stamps (thanks, Schengen), but she does have very strong opinions.
And while most toddlers review life in screams and snack demands, Elodie prefers to offer insightful feedback like, “Too many pigeons,” or “I don’t like that sand. It’s not soft.”
Here’s what she thought of each place, toddler-style (obviously written by her ghost writers - hi, we're the parents).
#1 Greece | ★★★★☆
Greek yogurt = elite. Rhodes medieval Old Town = not so much. Elodie enjoyed feeding stray cats and watching sunsets on the beach, but wasn’t thrilled about the heat or the lack of slides on the island.
10points
#2 South Africa | ★★★★★
A sensory wonderland. Penguins, elephants, cousins, beaches...it had everything. This was the trip where she truly became a barefoot beach baby. 10/10 would return.
9points
#3 Italy | ★★★★★
Pizza. Pasta. Gelato. Repeat. She believes Italy is a theme park where everything is edible and Nonna hugs you. Perfection.
8points
#4 Austria | ★★★★★
Big fan. Lots of cows. Endless meadows. Excellent playground-to-cake-shop ratio. Elodie gives Austria top marks for “farm fun,” “Almdudler,” and “Aunty ‘Mana’s house,” which might be the real reason it wins.
8points
#5 England | ★★★★☆
Top scores for squirrels, double-decker buses, and how everyone seemed to clap when she said “ta.” She now thinks Paddington Bear lives at every train station.
6points
#6 Germany | ★★★★☆
We only visited Dresden, but it happened to be Elodie’s very first Christmas market experience. Snowflakes, twinkly lights, and gingerbread hearts? She was enchanted. She still tries to say “Glühwein” like it’s a magic word.
6points
#7 Oman | ★★☆☆☆
Desert dunes were fun…for five minutes. Then Elodie declared, “I’m finished,” and tried to eat her shoe. There were camels, though, which earned it a bonus star.
6points
#8 Serbia | ★★★☆☆
Serbia surprised her, mostly thanks to a massive dinosaur-themed playground that she declared “the best in the whole wide world.” She was less impressed by the rakija fumes at dinner, but overall, it was a win.
6points
#9 San Marino | ★★★☆☆
Small but mighty. Elodie mainly remembers the steep climbs and how many times we said “look at that view!” when she really just wanted a biscuit.
6points
#10 Egypt | ★★★★☆
Camels = comedy gold. Pyramids = “very big triangles.” Elodie was confused about ancient mummies (“Where are their toys?”) but loved every falafel.
5points
#11 Northern Ireland | ★★★☆☆
Castles are cool. Giant’s Causeway? More like Giant’s “Ouch” for tiny feet. Elodie recommends better toddler footwear.
5points
#12 Portugal | ★★★★☆
Big on tiles, trams, and treats. Elodie loved Lisbon’s pasteis de nata and river views, but cobblestones were a stroller nightmare. She advises future toddlers to bring knee pads.
5points
#13 Czechia | ★☆☆☆☆
The place of her birth, but honestly, Elodie was too busy sleeping and learning to blink to form any real opinions. We’ll revisit the rating when she stops associating Czechia with immunization appointments.
3points
Final Thoughts From Elodie:
“I like traveling. But not planes. Planes make my bum tired.”
Follow Along:
We’re a small family of travel filmmakers raising a tiny explorer. You can find more of Elodie’s adventures (and snack reviews) on Instagram.