On August 30, 2016 the Michael W Travels family got a big surprise. Theo couldn’t wait to meet his family, arriving 5 weeks early.
It was definitely a bit scary at first. Theo had to spend some time in the NICU, although not nearly as long as what we were originally told. After six nights, Theo came home and got to meet big brother Lucas.
Boy what a difference a year makes.
Theo turned one recently and we got to celebrate and wish him a very Happy 1st Birthday in Vanuatu! (We’ve since returned home from our 5 week trip to the Pacific.)
Much like Lucas, Theo is a real pro at traveling. He’s a very good flyer although he needs us to hold him standing stand up on the plane a bit more than Lucas did. Theo’s also really come out of his shell- smiling, yelling (to get people’s attention) and letting others hold him during our most recent trip.
Theo took his first flight at just 7 weeks old to Portland, Oregon. I also shared Theo’s six month travel update back in March.
With Theo having turned one during our trip, I wanted to share some details about his first year of travels. It’s been quite impressive, even blowing away my expectations.
Where Has Theo Been?
- USA (American Samoa, DC, FL, NY, NJ, PA, OR )
- Costa Rica
- Ireland
- Northern Ireland (UK)
- South Korea
- Saint Lucia
- Tonga
- Fiji
- Solomon Islands
- Samoa
- Vanuatu
As you see from the list above, Theo’s already been to 11 countries!
He’s been a great travel partner so far. And, while he may not remember the destinations he’s visited, travel has made him a much friendlier little guy and we can always show him photos from our travels when he’s older.
Some Flight Details:
It’s been an awesome year of travel for the Michael W Travels family. Theo’s spent quite a bit of time on planes during his 1st year, flying just shy of 56,000 miles on 13 airlines. Theo’s been to 31 airports located in 14 countries. It’s pretty crazy to think that my little guy’s spent around 5.5 days of his life flying on airplanes! (He’ll thank me for it when he’s older… I hope!)
At the moment we currently don’t have any trips in the works. However, I know this will change soon. We recently got back from our summer trip and I’m already looking into some things! (Maybe I should go food shopping first!)
Traveling with a child has been a lot of fun for Kim and I over the past 5 years with Lucas and now it’s even more awesome traveling with two little boys. Don’t get me wrong, there are times that are challenging/stressful, however it is all worth it.
I want to wish Theo a very Happy 1st Birthday. You’re an amazing little boy who brings a smile to our faces everyday!
Here is a photo of Theo in each country that he’s visited:
I hope that this inspires you to travel with your kids. (Pretty much) no place is off- limits. Hopefully the Michael W Travels family has shown you this over the past 5+ years!
