Have infant daughter, will travel

Last year, adding adventure to adventure, Damien and Polly Gallagher set off backpacking in Asia — with their 18-month old daughter Ava. Here's how they got on.

Two and a half years ago, when our daughter was born, I imagined life would be settling down, that the adventures of youth were over and that the presence of trusty tartan slippers, lap blankets and mugs of Horlicks was just around the corner.

There is a general conception that life stops when you have children and even I briefly fell into that trap — neatly summed up in my step-father's soft Irish gait, “That's the end of the fun, then!” So, it was unsurprising that many were shocked (indeed, some were appalled) when Polly and I announced we were packing our bags and taking our one-and-a-half year old travelling in South East Asia.

If you have any experience of small children, especially ones as energetic and feisty as our little Ava, you will know that even a trip to the local super- market can turn into an Herculean task: wills clash, nappies need changing, bellies start rumbling and, inevitably, one of you ends up doused in the juice she's merrily been waving about. Oh, and we were well aware that the terrible age of two was fast approaching and under no illusions as to the transformation that can signal in a child's character. So, how did it go? Fantastic. In fact, we loved it so much that what was planned as a one month trip became a six month epic.

Our journey began just as summer was giving way to the cold of British autumn and it seemed that no sooner had we discussed it than we were actually on our way to the airport. If you're anything like me, you'll know the mixture of pre-travel nerves and excitement that suddenly thrusting yourself into the unknown can bring and no amount of careful planning could quell. Actually, planning was probably the trickiest part of the whole affair. With so many unknown quanti-ties and with the interests of an extra little person in your charge it can, at first, feel quite overwhel-ming. But once you start it's not all that bad.

There are a plethora of great resources out there from the guidebooks (we found the Rough Guides to be the most balanced and reliable) to websites (such as the Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum) that were an indispensable source of information and advice both before and during our travels. Health was probably our greatest worry and while a quick trip to our family doctor proved futile, she did point us to Masta, an excellent travel clinic who were able to give us advice on vaccinations and precautions for the countries we were visiting.

There are also a few websites that give good information on health and security issues, though it's best to stick to sources you know, such as government agencies.

We had set off with the foreknowledge that we could always come home should travelling prove unenjoyable but, thankfully, any anxieties we'd had quickly dissipated once on the road. It's easy to forget just how adaptable children are and apart from a brief period of getting used to the heat, Ava was as happy as ever — partly, perhaps, because she now had the undivided attention of both her parents.

Over the next six months, we covered Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia travelling, as it were, with a new and ever changing extended family of locals who accorded our daughter nothing less than minor celebrity status. One great thing about Asia is that people don't have that very British characteristic of ignoring children. Almost everyone we came across wanted to say hello, hold, kiss and give gifts to our little girl, though, I have to admit, sometimes it did get a bit much.

So numerous were the offerings that we were forced to leave a trail of cuddly toys around the region as one was left behind to make room in our luggage for the next.

Naturally, travelling with a child is worlds away from going it alone but just as rewarding, if not more so. For one, you have to be content with ambling along while other travellers appear to gallop at full pelt. We generally stayed in each place up to five or six days before moving on, and then tried not to over-stretch ourselves on the journeys.

We soon found our natural rhythm, developing a well rehearsed drill to prepare for the longer journeys. Do, we discovered, bring lots of snacks, a sunshield, a colouring pad and a storybook. Once in the swing of things, the slower pace means you get to soak in the culture of the area and get talking to the locals. In that respect, having Ava definitely opened many doors for us.

On one occasion, in a small village in Northern Laos, we were called in to a restaurant full of locals singing and drinking. Having been given pride of place at the head of the table, Polly and I were duly plied with Lao Lao (a rather strong, distilled rice wine they insisted was good for the kidneys) and enjoined in the celebrations. Ava, meanwhile, was making best of friends with all their children.

One of the great joys of moving around was in finding the quirky little guesthouses that are just full of charm and character. We always tried to stay in small, family run places — not only for the atmosphere, but because we could also be sure Ava was safe in bed while we had our dinner and a few drinks in the restaurant downstairs. They tended to be cleaner and more lovingly run with better food than the fancier locations and, Asia being the land of the extended family, Ava usually had lots of other children to play with. Though the food was by and large local, most places served a couple of Western dishes that were sometimes a lifesaver when it came to feeding Ava, or even us for that matter. Food was hardly ever a problem, though, and it was easy to find dishes to suit all our palates.

If we ever had doubts about taking Ava away from home life for such a long time, they were only fleeting. Just as we, she was enthralled by the culture and the new experiences that every day brought. I will always remember her eyes full of wonder when she first came across monks in their bright orange robes laughing and chatting around the temple. In her mind, things were adding up and she was making her own associations — standing at the feet of a great statue of Buddha in the “Fear-lessness Mudra” (one hand held out, palm facing forwards) she once exclaimed, “Buddha high five!”

Though she will remember but glimpses of our time away, I know that, for her, it was truly an amazing experience and, for us, it was all of that as well as a welcome and much needed chance to bond deeply as a family, in a way that the pressures of work and city life cannot afford. After six months away, I found we were ready to settle back home and get on with long overdue dreams but I look back on our travels with great fondness, conjuring up memories that are still saturated with an air of the exotic: trekking in the Thai jungle; the hill tribes in Northern Laos; the Mekong Delta; Hanoi, to name but a few.

Two months after our return, Ava — now two-and-a-bit and just starting nursery — still sometimes mentions our trip. As her memories fade to be replaced by the new experiences of life in London, I have a feeling she will always keep a little something from that time away, perhaps a great love of adventure like her parents.

Text & photos: Damien Gallagher