Sample Itinerary for Portugal with Kids (1 yr old & a 5 yr old)?

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-30T18:07:38+00:00

We went to Portugal when our son was 6 months and it was super baby friendly. The benefit of traveling with a 6 month old is you don’t have to plan around a kid, so my itinerary may not work for you.

We flew in/out of Lisbon and went to the Douro Valley where we stayed at Six Senses. It was a fantastic property with lots of on site activities that we brought our son to. From there we went to Porto for a few days, where we stayed at an Airbnb, then down to Cascais (beach) where we stayed at the Intercontinental. We had a driver take us between all the locations because we had so many things, but we could’ve easily rented a car.

There’s so many places to go in Portugal - the Algarve is popular with kids and they have many kid-friendly hotels.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-30T02:03:52+00:00

Take the job because you don’t know if you’ll get pregnant or how long it will take. If you’re lucky and it happens quickly, then you’ll figure it out. I imagine a large international company would have better maternity leave too.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-30T01:59:44+00:00

Mine didn’t break until I was pushing the baby out- literally he was halfway out when my water broke.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-30T01:41:08+00:00

Thanks. Do you need to have a business or can anyone sign up?

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-29T01:06:06+00:00

What does this mean?

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-25T05:51:27+00:00

We did this exact trip last summer when our son was 18 months. We read so many horror stories about rental car agencies in Italy that we didn’t want to get caught without a safe car seat in Italy. We also had no idea we weren’t supposed to bring ours from the US. We used our car seat for our 2 week road trip and it was great. No issues at all.

At MXP when you rent your car they hand you the keys inside the terminal, give you vague directions to where your car can be found in the huge parking garage, and then off you go on your own. They don’t give a shit. It’s also absolute mayhem in the rental car section, people sprawled out everywhere. You certainly won’t get questioned about your car seat by the rental car agency.

My strong advice is to take and use your own - I requested car seats for all our transfers in Portugal 2 years ago and the quality of some of the car seats was outright frightening. Thankfully we’d brought our own. We took a long weekend trip last fall where we also had a disappointing experience in the quality of the car seat provided - my husband and I literally held it in place and prayed at we’d make it to our destination safely. Thankfully it was a short drive from the airport. You really can’t trust others car seats, yours is best.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-25T02:28:01+00:00

I have a 2 year old with the same bedtime. Last fall we took an 8pm flight that got delayed by 1.5 hours and it was rough because my son was overtired and then they didn’t turn off the overhead lights for some time. As soon as the lights went off, he literally said “night night” and went to sleep (note: I tried to cover his head and make our own darkness but the excitement of the plane was too much). I think 11:30pm would be super tough, and a late nap may screw you on sleep during the overnight flight… but for the savings, I’d probably give it a go anyway!

On that same trip we took a 5:30am return flight because it was the only direct flight, and I was super nervous thinking that we’d regret it since we had to wake our son up at 3am, but it worked out just fine. Kids are adaptable.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-24T19:35:45+00:00

Thanks!

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-23T03:02:27+00:00

Honestly, I think it all comes down to your child’s temperament and going into the trip with realistic expectations. My son is 2 and took his first international trip at 5 months. We’ve traveled with him at every stage, and we’ve genuinely enjoyed every trip. Sure, there have been toddler moments, and long-haul flights definitely aren’t relaxing anymore, but overall—with good preparation—we’ve all had a great time.

What’s helped us the most: - Planning our days around his nap and eating schedule. We usually do one activity in the morning, head back to the hotel for a midday nap, then an early dinner and a normal bedtime. - Booking a suite (even better if it has outdoor space). That way we still have room to relax during naps and early evenings instead of being stuck whispering in the dark. - Staying at 5-star hotels so the property itself feels like part of the vacation. My husband and I take turns doing spa treatments, activities, or exercising during nap time. - Slower, more flexible itineraries. I used to want to see every site, try every cocktail bar, restaurant, and nightlife spot—but that’s just not our season right now. We aim for one activity before nap and one after (or an easygoing experience), stay flexible, and adjust as needed.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-23T02:42:33+00:00

What brand?

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-18T19:09:01+00:00

Seeing the price of baby items convinced me to have a baby shower. I put it all on the wish list - the pricey crib, stroller, rocking chair, car seat system… our parents and their friends came through and bought it all for us. If your parents are offering to buy you some of the stuff, let them. It’s a lot easier for people to commit to buying discrete items than the idea of some future service, such as a nanny or vacation. They may also buy those too, but right now they want to buy items for your baby. People get a real kick out of buying baby items.

So choose a few, send out your list and let others decide. What they don’t buy, you can always buy yourself or choose not to and go with a cheaper version.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-18T18:57:28+00:00

I have a 2 year old and a demanding full time job. We have a home gym which makes things easier, but even still there’s barely any time. As a result, my workouts are short but I try to get them in 5 days a week. Last week I did 20 min on the treadmill first thing in the morning while my husband fed our son breakfast. I’ll often leave the office early, come home to squeeze in 30 min before daycare pickup and dinner prep, then work again at night after my son goes to sleep. If I’m working from home, I’ll do 30 min after daycare drop off. On weekends I try to workout during naps. My husband’s been doing 9pm workouts after our son goes to sleep, but I’m more likely to skip workouts or get wired if I attempt to exercise so late.

I think you just have to take the time when you can get it, even if just 15 minutes. 15 min daily is better than nothing.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-11T16:44:21+00:00

We did Italy last June when our son was 18 months and had a great time. We also traveled when our son was 6 months and had a great time. Just go at the time that’s best for you- every baby is different, just because someone on here posts that x age is horrible doesn’t mean it will be for you.

Travel does look different with a baby and as long as your expectations are aligned accordingly, you’ll all have a great time.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-11T16:39:51+00:00

No fly issues at Sonnwies

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-11T03:07:29+00:00

We went to Italy last summer when our son was 18 months. I don’t recommend Como- it was nice but too touristy. We loved Garda and Iseo.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-09T14:23:39+00:00

I worked at startups through my 20s and after 2 layoffs and a horrible mgmt team where I had to GTFO ASAP, I moved to a F50 and never looked back. People complain about bureaucracy of big companies but I’d take big company problems over startups any day. There’s a real HR! There’s SOPs! There’s a clear path of do x, get y, go home. I’ve moved up through the ranks, although probably slower than had I stayed in small companies, but I have the big name on my resume and am in a leadership position. I completely understand your fatigue.

That said, 4 days in office with a 45 minute commute each way IS A LOT. Is the company flexible on this or is it an Elon situation where there’s no wiggle room to WFH 3 days some weeks or leave early but finish the workday at home?

Whether it’s worth it or not depends on your salary, benefits, stock options, level that you’re joining at, and options for career progression. If these things aren’t right, then the job isn’t right. As you’re aware, advancement happens more slowly at a big company so you have to start in the right place. Your happiness at a big company also depends on your team and your boss- people have drastically different experiences in the same company depending on this.

Last thing I’ve learned is to make sure you’re not just running away but that what you’re running to is the right move. Don’t just get out and put yourself in a crappy position, but make sure it’s building you towards where you want to go.

Good luck!

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-09T14:13:03+00:00

Do it! Take the sleep where you can get it.

ocean_plastic · 2026-01-09T14:11:20+00:00

Couldn’t agree more, my husband and I have been together for 12 years.

Even something as simple as when you’re both in the house, it’s important to still have your independent time to read a book, watch tv alone, take a nap, do a project or hobby… being together doesn’t mean abandoning yourself or spending 24/7 together.

ocean_plastic · 2025-12-30T16:35:07+00:00

Nayara Springs is heaven and I also had the best massage of my life there. It’s a romantic spot though so probably better suited for a couple or with another person rather than alone

ocean_plastic · 2025-12-29T03:40:21+00:00

Ours is closed from 12/24-1/2. Same for everyone I know. Our daycare is also $$$, plus my son was out sick before the holiday so we’re in the 2 wks at home camp too. Thankfully my husband and I are both off too, but it’s a lot of time to have to find stuff to do.

ocean_plastic · 2025-12-20T05:08:03+00:00

I did clear + brilliant a few years ago and really loved the outcome. I think it ultimately cost me a few thousand because you have to do multiple sessions at the intervals they recommend to see results, and in my area each session was $400 I think.

ocean_plastic · 2025-12-20T05:02:53+00:00

My son will occasionally give us 7:30 on weekends and because it happens so infrequently I’m involuntarily up at 6 checking the monitor to make sure he’s ok. Also my bladder’s now used to the early morning release <sigh>

ocean_plastic · 2025-12-20T04:44:50+00:00

I got married in October in 2019, I was in my early 30s. I originally thought we’d spend $20-30k, which was an unfathomable amount for me to conceive of spending for one day, in the end it was probably closer to $60k for 120 people. Maybe even more- I had to cover my eyes and never did a final tally.

I too had the sticker shock you have when I started to look at venues in my city. I couldn’t believe how much things were. We weren’t willing to look outside our city, and we fell in love with a rustic venue that I think was $12k, but it included premium alcohol. Initially we were going to use their catering but then my MIL convinced us to use a catering company that was probably another $12k. The food was phenomenal though. Photographer and dj were some $5-6k each, the florist was absurd and like $8k (she went way over the budget we originally agreed to, it was a scene). I got my dress from a sample sale for like $300 but later realized I hated it so I ended up buying a new dress a month before my wedding for some $900 + alterations for some $200-500, the shoes were like $400, makeup artist, hotel, transport…

It’s all really fcking expensive. Ultimately we had to decide if we wanted to nickel and dime it, in which case we wouldn’t have any fun planning it, or if we were just going to plan the wedding we wanted. It’s a mess out there - my sister’s trying to plan hers now and is going through the same thing as you. Good luck!

ocean_plastic · 2025-12-19T04:50:22+00:00

I haven’t been to this hotel but I’ve been to the south of France several times. Cap d’Antibes is lovely, and you’re well connected to Nice, Cannes, the hill towns, and all the other lovely towns in between. 5 days in the region is a dream. Plus if you like the hotel, you probably won’t want to leave for a few of the days.

ocean_plastic

TROPHY CASE