Welcome to Paradise! Barbados is a Great Destination for Kids.

Living in a cold country where winter can sprawl over more than 7 months, a week in a tropical island is a welcome relief. This is exactly what we had in January: a week in Barbados with my mom. We found out that Barbados is pretty much the middle of the way between where she lives in Brazil and my home in Canmore, AB. A total of 9 hours or so (depending on which way you are going) flying divided into two flights and a beautiful Caribbean island at one end.

‘Welcome to Paradise’ is the common greeting in Barbados and it is easy to understand why. Blue, turquoise sea and white sands surround the island. The Atlantic side of the island is not the best place for swimming with its rough coast and big waves, but the Caribbean side makes up for it. Our hotel was just meters from the beach and we soon learned to walk around the island using the local transportation. I felt safe and at home as much of it resembles Brazil.

Ian is learning to be a world traveler and his experience, in such a tender age, is amazing. He’s been to Europe, uncountable times to Brazil, US a few times as well, and Canada’s east coast. It was our first time in the Caribbean but it certainly didn’t look like first time to him! He is curious and adventurous and will try any food you give him, which I think is a big part of experiencing any foreign country.

On our first night in Barbados, we went to a small village called Oistins for supper and stumbled upon the recommended Oistins’ Fish Fry. It was Friday evening and the place was packed with tourists, noisy and smoky from the barbecues. We had to share a table with some other families and Ian was unsure, seeming a bit shy at the beginning. I was surprised by his reaction but realized it was his first time experiencing such place – hopefully not the last.

The beauty of travel to a foreign country is the opportunity to experience different things you wouldn’t otherwise. We jet-skied around sailing boats, we sailed and swam with turtles and colourful fishes, we jumped from the sail boat into a turquoise water, we got sun burnt, we drove around the island and into some very bumpy roads, we went on a submarine ride, we had good food, we walked on sandy beaches, we visited an amazing cave, and we jumped some waves on a warm ocean.

But come back home is as good as going away on a vacation. My back was ready to lie down on my own mattress and Ian was mildly homesick. He decided that home was better than Barbados because of the toy stores we have in Calgary. And I decided that Barbados is the perfect place to bring a kid: no toy stores, no spending temptations and the freedom to enjoy nature at its best.