The Happy Kid, one year later

The first of June has a special meaning for us. Exactly one year ago, we were launching this blog and preparing to embark on a lifetime adventure. At that time, we were not sure how the future will look like and we didn’t even have a clear plan for it. We were prepared to leave behind almost everything we had achieved and to start a journey into the unknown. Looking back, it was the best thing we could do! Traveling long term with our little kid was the best decision we have ever made!

We recently returned to Romania, to our home in Cluj, and I have to admit we have mixed feelings about this. We are happy to be again with our dear ones, but nostalgic about the freedom we had while we were gone. We embrace the stability and the feeling of home, but we miss the tropical weather and lush landscapes. We are grateful about everything we lived during the last year, but excited and anxious about what the future will bring us.

What means to travel full time for almost one year with a kid? It is more than we can explain and it is something you need to live to be able to understand! It is an experience that changes you forever and something I would encourage everyone to try. Yes, it is hard to imagine you can do it, but trust me, it is easier than it seems.

This adventure meant over 300 days away from home. We spent the summer of 2018 on sunny Bonaire, readjusting to our new lifestyle, getting used to be just the three of us and planning for future travels. Beginning of September, we left to South America for two months, then we stayed a bit in North America, before moving eastern. After a short break in Dubai, we spent 5 months in Asia. We lived out of a backpack for more than 200 days, staying just a few days in each place. We learned a minimalist lifestyle and how little we need in terms of material possessions. 

Now we are home again, but The Happy Kid story continues, even though on a lower peace when it comes to travel. As Eric is growing, his needs are developing too. In the last 2-3 months he started to need his own space and is more and more interested to interact with other kids. While the whole experience was extraordinary for him and helped him develop in unbelievable ways, it is true what people say that traveling with kids is easier the younger they are. It is a piece of cake to travel with a baby or a young toddler compared with being on the road with a 3 years old!

We’ve seen awesome and spectacular places, we met interesting people and listened to amazing stories. Lots of people ask us about our favourites, but we just can’t pick one or two. Each place is special and unique in its own way, there’s no place for comparisons. This is exactly why we started this blog. We try to present each destination from our own perspective. We tell you our personal experience and what family-friendly attractions and activities can be found in each location we visit.

This blog started as a hobby and I’m happy to see more and more people are following us and ask for advice. We grew a community of over 25k people on social media and our blog is read by thousands of people each month. We had the chance to work with famous brands in the tourism industry, but also with smaller, new names, both equally interesting and challenging. And this was just the first year, I’m sure the future holds many exciting things for The Happy Kid!

For the following months, we will be readjusting to living in one place. As we traveled the world, we realised we don’t know our country enough, so we plan to explore Romania, and especially Transylvania, during this summer. We have some more extensive travel plans for the end of the year, but there plenty to be done by then. Stay close, interesting topics will follow!