Avantika_Talwar

I'm a first time mom traveling with 1 year old baby to Central Europe for 3 weeks with my husband, could you please suggest me how to pack for my vacation. I will be covering countries like Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czec,, Slovakia & Greece. I want to travel light also don't want to miss on any essentials.We are pure vegetarians & eat no meat/eggs.

Your help is appreciated.

Thanks
Avantika Talwar.

nytraveler

I think "traveling light" and traveling with a baby are mutually incompatible. Won;t you need a stroller? A crib or cot? (Where will the baby sleep?) A diaper bag - with baby toys, food, formula, snacks, clothes etc.

Also - if you eat no meat, fish or eggs you need to do work now to find restaurants where you will be able to eat. It;s certainly possible to do so - but it can be difficult - esp in smaller towns.

Kristinelaine

I agree with nytraveler. Both traveling with a baby and being vegetarian will make the trip a real challenge. I personally can't imagine trying to do it, but I prefer to have things a little easier. Best of luck.

J62

I know at least in Germany they have become much more used to vegetarian diners over the last decade or 2, so more and more restaurants are able to offer special dishes even if there's nothing on the menu.

If you really dig you may find there is a beef or chicken stock used in many so-called vegetarian soups, so either dig if you are very particular, or don't ask and they won't tell if you're not. Many common vegetarian dishes like roasted potatoes may also commonly come with bits of bacon, so don't assume if the main ingredient is veggies it's necessarily vegetarian.

In my experience Asian restaurants like Vietnamese and Chinese can often be the worst 'offenders' in this regard, as the use of fish oils is very common in many dishes. Eggs as well.

janisj

That is a heck of a LOT of territory to try to cover in 3 weeks. 7 countries - and when you deduct all the travel time you end up w/ about 2 days free in each country. And w/ a baby no less.

brotherleelove2004

This will help with the search for vegetarian restaurants: http://www.happycow.net/europe

unclegus

http://www.livingprague.com/
this website may help you a bit with the Czech Republic and Prague,lots of good info about travelling with children.

lavandula

You won't need to bring a travel cot if you prearrange with your hotels or apartments for them to provide this. You may need to provide bedding. Our little girl sleeps in a sleeping bag (Grobag) so this wasn't necessary although I did bring 2-3 muslins and a small light blanket which we used on the plane and for some of the places we stayed at. They can double for bedding. Likewise with the car seat - you can rent this for a small fee from the rental company if you decide to travel by car. We had a very light stroller for travelling with - quite flimsy and with no basket underneath, but adequate for travelling with. We used a backpack-style diaper bag (advantage is that it keeps your hands free), and packed it in our luggage for the journey over, and stored everything we needed for the trip in our cabin bag (food, toys, diapers, books, etc). We had 2 suitcases plus a cabin bag and netbook, and divided our clothes (for 2 adults and one child) between these bags. We did laundry quite often - the advantage of staying in apartments is that you can do laundry as often as you need and self-cater. If you want more detail about what to expect, check out my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...rning-long.cfm

Lavandula

lavandula

Oh, and I didn't mention - we were travelling in June this year and found that there wasn't quite a summer yet in Germany. We packed clothing for every possibility (from swimsuits to winter coats) and indeed used them all. I don't know when you are leaving but do your homework on what clothing is required for your destination!

Lavandula

Avantika_Talwar

Thank you all for your responses and advice. I will clarify a few things which have been raised in the posts

a) We are not really covering the countries listed in totality. That's quite impossible. For example we have been to much of Germany and Austria before (before the kid). This time we will be visiting only Berlin before moving on Krakow in Poland. Similarly in Austria we visit on Vienna and in Greece our itinerary for this visit is limited to cooling off in Santorini for a few days and a night in Athens. Our total trip length is actually more around 4 weeks (27 days total).

b) We have booked apartments at most cities where we are spending 3-4 nights such as Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Berlin. As lavandula has mentioned, all apartments will provide a cot as will all the hotels barring one (in Cesky Krumlov). The apartments also come with a washing machine in the unit so we will have several opportunities to do a quick wash.

c) We are seasoned traveling in countries which don't particularly have a tradition for vegetarian food. For example, we visited Japan for two weeks when the little one was six months. Food-wise it was an interesting experience. We did carry a lot of Gerber food with us but realized that with a little patience we could always find something or the other. We dont really care for fine dining experiences so that's not an issue. I was looking for some color on the kind of food typically available in these countries (Poland, Czech, Hungary). Do they carry decent baby food in their grocery stores or should I carry my own. We will have a kitchen at many places so expect to make some food to consume through the day.

d) We will be renting a car and have booked a car seat.

lavandula - we are traveling between mid-sept to mid-oct. Do you think a light jacket will be enough to carry along.

brotherleelove2004 & unclegus - both are great links...I've bookmarked them. Thank you.

unclegus

In Pargue there is a big Tesco supermarket in the MY shopping store at Narodni Trida which is pretty much central Prague.I am not sure about baby foods there but I would presume they have a range ,not something I go looking for.Also the open air market at Havelska is superb for fresh fruit and veg (not sure if it operates on a sunday)

lavandula

Hi Avantika,
I am not a seasoned traveller in Eastern Europe but I would think by October it could be getting a little cold. I know Germany better; maybe something the weight of a light parka or leather jacket with the option of a pullover underneath is the go. Maybe someone else can help out here.

Lavandula

akrobat

Avantika,

We will be doing a portion of your trip with our 1.5 year old and am curious which apartments you chose in Prague. We will be there for 6 nights and are currently looking into where to stay. We like the idea of an apartment in Prague (particuarly having a washing machine in the unit), with hotels at our other shorter stops.

akrobat

maitaitom

Below is the link to the menu at a very good Thai restaurant we went to for lunch one day in Prague. Very near Old Town called the Orange Moon. The menu has a vegetarian section.

http://www.orangemoon.cz/

Avantika_Talwar

Thanks lavandula and others

Akrobat - we have booked with these folks. They have a very good selection of apartments.

http://prague-stay.com/

girlonthego

Many years ago we traveled with our daughter who was about 15 months old to Hawaii. Not exactly foreign, but expensive in buying baby items. I brought some diapers, but needed to buy more and paid about three times the price. I wish I had brought more with me. Maybe a suitcase full of baby items checked that could be filled with items to bring home? Also, we brought the fold up stroller which was great and worth it and was cheap if lost. The prices for things like diapers may be more or maybe less. I wonder if anyone here would know that?
I wish you good luck! I do think traveling light might be difficult with the baby in tow!