A mum says people called her “crazy” when she shared her plans of travelling the globe with her newborn in tow.
Esther Draycott’s maternity leave isn’t spent lounging on the sofa at home – she’s on the beach.
When organising their lives for the birth of their son, Reuben, the 31-year-old mum and her husband Daniel decided that adventure was on the cards.
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They packed a few bags, grabbed their toddler – and their 13-year-old daughter, Bella, and flew nearly 5,000 miles from Nottingham to Asia for a six-month trip of a lifetime.
But Esther, who is an NHS midwife, admits that other people took issue with their rogue plans.
“A lot of people thought our plans were crazy,” she told Luxury Travel Daily.
“I don’t think they believed we were going ahead with it until we booked the fights.
“The grandparents were upset that they would miss out on so much of Reuben’s first year but they were supportive because they know it’s amazing opportunity for us all.
“My biggest fear was our health while we’re away but I was treated for a sinus infection and the private healthcare out here is outstanding and I made sure we took out a very comprehensive travel insurance in case we needed it.
“I’m also breastfeeding Reuben so I know he’s getting lots of antibodies and I don’t have to worry about making up or sterilising bottles.”
The couple are using their savings and some inheritance money to fund the trip.
Reuben was born in June last year.
Not long after, the family were on their way to Vietnam – the first of many stops.
Esther said: “[The idea to travel the world came after our] honeymoon in Thailand.
“[Daniel and I] fell in love with South East Asia and realised that we hadn’t seen enough of life and the world.
“We wanted to do some travelling ourselves but it felt impossible.
“[Then] I saw a post online about another NHS worker who was travelling during maternity leave [and felt inspired].
“[But] we didn’t book the flights until Reuben was born and we knew we were both healthy enough to travel.”
The family-of-four have since been to not only Vietnam but Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.
They plan to cram in up to 11 countries into the remainder of their journey before heading back home to the UK in April.
Engineer Daniel is on sabbatical and will head straight back to work when they return.
But before that, the family will visit Malaysia, South Africa and the Maldives.
Esther and Daniel are travelling light with just one check-in bag, a collapsible stroller and three hand luggage bags.
Despite some negativity from others, Esther believes the travelling experience is “amazing” for Reuben’s development.
Bella – who was taken out of school to join the family on the journey – helps take care of her little brother, too.
The mum said: “There’s baby sensory everywhere we go with all the different sights, smells and sounds.
“He happily sleeps in his carrier and loves all the attention he gets from locals.
“He’s such a happy and relaxed baby.
“We plan our activities to avoid the midday heat and we book our accommodation a day or two in advance, which gives us the flexibility to stay put and rest if we feel the need.
“We know he won’t remember the trip but we feel so lucky that we get to spend every day together as a family when he is growing so fast.
“It’s been much easier than we were anticipating.
“There are some grumpy days or nights where he wakes up a lot but being away doesn’t make it anymore difficult.
“The school agreed with us that it would be educational for Bella as she will learn so much about history, geography, culture and religion.
“We took her to the genocide museums in Cambodia and we plan to teach her about the apartheid in South Africa.”
The couple prepared for Reuben’s growth by packing three to six months clothing, as well as six to nine months.
Esther documents the travels on her Instagram account Draycott Family Backpackers to encourage other families to follow in their footsteps.
She added: “We planned so carefully what we would pack but we didn’t need most of it or could have bought it out here.
“We would have packed less if we’d known.”
“When I was looking for advice and trying to research travelling with a baby, I couldn’t find much.
“I built up the confidence by watching another woman on social media and blogs who is doing the same thing.
“It would be great if sharing our experience could help families to travel.
“We’re having an amazing time and taking it all as it comes.”
