Before Benjamin was born, Jude and I decided we were going to travel as much as we could during the first year. There was no doubt about it: we were going to bring Ben to meet his Zimbabwean family. What we didn’t know was that my brother was going to marry the woman of his dreams in New York City just 90 days after Benjamin was born. We also weren’t sure that we’d find ourselves in the California desert, on the cobbled streets of Amsterdam, the beaches of Newport, or in our favorite city on the planet — Cape Town. What a year, indeed.

Thanks to this handy little website, I was able to quickly add up how far the three of us flew the past nine months. Since December 2009, Benjamin, Jude and I have traveled just over 33,000 miles. That’s 3 continents and a total of nearly 70 hours in the air. I can’t begin to guess how many more hours we spent in trains, buses, rental cars — pushing our stroller around carrying 50 pounds of gear. It’s easy to say we’d do it all over again if we had the chance, but it’s even easier saying that we’ve already done it and once is enough. We earned the memories and the photographs we made.

Here are a few tips if you plan on flying across the world with your baby.

1. Be patient and remember you’re having fun.
2. Break the flight up into 15 minute sections. It’s easier to digest 15 minutes at a time instead of thinking about how you’re going to survive the next 7 and a half hours. Also, avoid the Moving Map channel. That little plane and estimated arrival time will drive you insane.
3. If you can, try to book flights which depart around a usual nap. Wheels up = nap time.
4. Take more than you need. More everything. More food. More diapers. More wipes. More clothes. Yeah, it’s true: you’ll be the guy in the airport you always said you would never be, but weather and airline schedules don’t get along too well.
5. Find a dollar store and buy a handful of kitchen utensils, like spatulas and measuring cups, or a rubber ball and a slinky. It’s cheap entertainment and bringing out a new toy every hour makes the world turn.
6. Save yourself a lot of trouble and buy an umbrella stroller. We own the UPPA G-Luxe, and the thing is G. Check it plane side when you board, and pray it comes back with four wheels. Ours didn’t, so have a contingency plan when you arrive in Africa and the grounds crew says “I don’t think the other wheels are coming; you better go.”
7. If you have a nice flight crew, go stand in the galley after the meal is served and they’re not cleaning up. Have you ever seen how many knobs, buttons, lights, switches, cabinets, drawers, and sliding things there are in there? It’s a boy’s paradise. Just watch the coffee pot. That one is usually hot.
8. Do not let other people’s comments or dirty faces bother you. If needed, remind them they are ugly and they were a baby once, too.
9. If you’re crossing time zones, be prepared to be up all night when you arrive. Babies don’t like being on different time zones any more than adults do. And being up all night can be fun (if you can sleep all day).
10. Don’t read too much about flying with a baby before you actually do. You know, like this site that has 20 tips for how to survive a flight. Much like anything else, you just gotta do it.
11. Make lots of photographs. Memory cards are cheap.

36,000 feet

Cape Point, South Africa

Cape Point, South Africa

Table Mountain, Cape Town

In addition, Dr. Bronner’s products practice what they preach. Their soaps are made from certified organic essential oils and are wrapped in 10% hemp-flax / 90% post-consumer recycled paper from Living Tree Paper Company.

They come in multiple scents, using the same base ingredients that make up the magic formula: organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba, and hemp oils.

This mix creates a one-of-a-kind soap that cleans effectively without being abrasive to the skin, resulting in a soft lather that leaves the skin refreshed and rejuvenated.

Use it daily or take it on your next adventure. It’s the closest thing to luxury when you’re in the middle of the jungle somewhere and you need a refreshing cleanse.

(via Matador Goods)

I’ve been listening to Joe on Red Sox radio my whole life, and with any luck, he’ll keep covering the games long into my unborn child’s life — similarly to how Johnny Most covered the Celtics until he practically couldn’t talk anymore. We’re still a month away from meeting Baby Healey, but I’m of the opinion you can never start preparing someone too early to become a member of Red Sox Nation.