SLOW talks #2: Marta Marčáková
Slow travelling with small children. Does it go hand in hand? Is it even realistic? A lover of a good book, minimalism, beautiful environments, travel and most of all in love with Miška and Milo. In this pre-Christmas atmosphere, I interviewed Marta, also known as Thestoryofacake, about what it's like to travel with small children, especially when she wants to take it slow.
"Traveling with children teaches me not to have excessive expectations and to enjoy the present moment as much as possible."
So, Marta, what is it like to travel with children?
Enriching and tiring at the same time. For me, traveling and exploring new places is an important part of life. It was like that before children and my mindset hasn't changed since I became a mother. It's just that a new dimension of responsibility for two miniature people has been added, now I have to suppress my ego more often, moderate my travel expectations, adapt to the needs of children and accept that plans can change from hour to hour. That's what parenting is all about, not just traveling with children :D
I try to choose destinations always taking into account the age of our children, Miška is 3 years old and Milo is 9 months old. Currently, I wouldn't dare fly with them to an exotic country (I don't mean staying in resorts), or to a big city like NYC. I don't think any of the four of us would enjoy it there.
What is SLOW travel about for you?
Well, first we can define what it actually is. The goal of slow travel is not to see as many sights as possible and gradually cross off all the tourist attractions from a long list, but to consciously slow down on the road, for example, to stay in one place longer, soak up the local atmosphere, get to know the locals, enjoy the local gastronomy, visit local shops, plan less and enjoy the present moment more, perhaps even discover lesser-known corners of classic tourist destinations.
"I used to be anything but a slow traveler."
I used to be anything but a slow traveler. I would set my alarm for 5:00 AM just to make sure we got as much done as possible, e.g. to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia or to go to bed at 2:00 AM because we wanted to see the northern lights in Iceland. I was just chasing experiences. Maybe I would be like that now, if it weren't for those kids, who knows :D
In my opinion, with small children, every action traveler naturally slows down. After all, they have their own regimes, e.g. you must not ignore lunchtime naps, because it will take its toll on you :DD (true story) You also have to take into account their needs, for example - in Copenhagen or another city I will not drag mini children around museums and galleries all day, but I will choose just one attraction and spend the rest of the day in a park, botanical garden or playground. I simply plan the trip so that it is an experience for every member of the group :) (And I want to hint to you subliminally that Copenhagen is a very baby friendly slow travel destination;)
Traveling with children teaches me not to have exaggerated expectations and to enjoy the present moment as much as possible. Slow travel has its own charm, it brings more intense and deeper experiences than when we just rush from monument to monument and then actually don't remember anything at all anyway.
Do things with children always go according to your expectations?
Of course not, but what about small children, does it go as expected?
Just leaving home for kindergarten or the playground every day is a test of nerves and patience, and on the road, a parent has to brace themselves even more and prepare for unexpected situations, changing moods, an illness can happen that completely disrupts plans or sometimes it is better to cancel the trip altogether. Many parents who regularly travel with small children probably know this. We can have any plans, but children often mess them up😄
Is there a mindset that parents should adhere to?
Traveling and trips should be enjoyable and enjoyable. Of course, it will never be a romantic trip with children like in a catalog, but if you are feeling stressed, worried, or anxious, I advise you not to travel. Children perceive these emotions, take them over, and in such a setting, no one enjoys traveling and it is very difficult. Or postpone trips to distant, lesser-known destinations until later, when the children are older and prefer to discover new places in their surroundings. I myself am surprised at how many beautiful places and nooks we have here in Bratislava, in the vicinity, just across the border in Austria or the Czech Republic. And I discovered them all only thanks to trips with children.
What advice would you give to parents with children who want to experience traveling slowly?
A practical piece of advice that I also came to over time is to stay longer in one place, not spend hours unnecessarily moving from accommodation to accommodation. For us, long journeys by car are quite difficult, so we prefer destinations that are within 3-4 hours of Bratislava or a short flight. The longest we traveled was to the Canary Islands, it was a 5-hour flight, I wouldn't dare go on a longer one with the kids.
If I have to look back, the most challenging road trip for us was the one with the campervan. Miška was 11 months old at the time, we really moved around a lot and in the end we were just extremely tired. But then, you can travel more comfortably with a campervan/caravan, this was our mistake, because we were really stressed out :)
What dream winter destinations are on your wishlist?
Oh, this is a very long list. But from personal experience I can say that it's not much fun with small children in the winter, so I'll wait a few more years and then we'll go to winter Lofoten or frosty Lapland to see Santa Claus Village :) But I would like to go back to Iceland or the Faroe Islands in the winter. One has to dream :)
Where to go on a trip with kids this winter? Tell us your 2 tips.
My tip is the cozy, modern cottage Hytta near Zlín. Those who like minimalism and Scandinavian design will definitely be thrilled :) There is a dense forest around the cottage, perfect for slow walks, you can walk to the Vyhliadka nad Lípou viewpoint and a few km from the cottage is the Bata town of Zlín.
My second tip is Zochova chata, or rather the surrounding area, which is magical even in freezing weather. We will definitely run there with the kids this winter. We will have coffee and cake at Hollerung Cafe in Harmonia and then we will go on a hike to Veľká Homoľa. We probably won't get there and will turn around halfway through the route, but I am completely at peace with that. The journey is also the destination, especially with mini tourists :D
"The goal of slow travel is not to see as many sights as possible and gradually tick off all the tourist attractions."
Marta, and finally a difficult question. Mulled wine in hand, a crackling fire in the fireplace and a view from the window of snow-covered trees, or a book in hand, sand under your feet, and the sound of the sea??
All this, and when we add the sleeping children and I have a moment to myself, it will be a completely idyllic moment.😀
You can find more about Marta and her travels on her Instagram account @thestoryofacake. We made their last trip to the Czech "piece of Norway" more enjoyable for Miška and Milo with products from ENGEL - a jacket and overalls made of merino wool, which you can still find in our e-shop. You can find the ENGEL product range at the very end of this page.
ANGEL NATURE
A German family business that has been producing underwear and clothing for over 80 years. ENGEL specializes mainly in merino wool products. The products are made exclusively from mulesing free wool, which is obtained from sustainable sources. You can find the entire offer below or in person at Medená 17 in Bratislava.
