This Mom Used Her Maternity Leave To Travel The World, Baby In Tow

#1 Karen Edwards and her partner Shaun Bayes decided they would take their daughter on a world trip.

The catch is, their daughter Esmé was 10 weeks old when they embarked on their trip, and it was Karen's maternity leave from nursing. For the next 10 months, the family would be exploring Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

#2 Karen and Shaun were both backpackers before Karen became pregnant.

"everyone thought we were completely nuts when we said that we were going to take Esmé when she arrived We have no regrets, she got to experience new sights, scenes and smells as she grew and that is incredible."

#3 The family packed only one bag.

They visited Ireland, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Hong Kong. This trip was a dream come true for so many reasons, and their tiny daughter was getting to experience it right away.

#4 Karen’s goal is to inspire other parents.

"‘Your travel days do not have to be over'. It is all about incorporating your little person into your way of life." And that's exactly what she's been doing. They booked most of their flights months in advance, saving them roughly $3,000. When they returned from their trip, they found it hard to keep Esmé entertained. So they decided they would set off again, this time to Thailand, Cambodia, and New Zealand.

#5 “She was really well behaved…

"and because she was small it was easy enough to keep her in the harness when we were on the move The only time I felt Esmé was missing out was not having much socialising with other children. However the libraries always have free rhyme classes if you need to socialise your child a little

#6 “People say having a child ruins travelling, but it really doesn’t.”

"Obviously there were times, like at night in the hotel room when you fancy a beer and the baby is asleep, and when you crack it open she wakes, that makes it harder. But it's worth it.

"You can still do everything, including snorkelling and diving, but you just take it in turns. I can't imagine having spent my maternity leave any other way."

#7 Karen says traveling with her daughter was occasionally difficult.

She says the main issues they experienced were when Esmé needed a nap and everyone was in the same room or when there were lots of people around while she was having a tantrum.

#8 It was also sometimes hard not having enough toys…

or not being able to enjoy dinner because they were in a hurry to avoid "cranky time."

Karen created a blog called Travel Mad Mum and an Instagram to share her stories that she creates while traveling with her family.

#9 “‘As relatively new parents, we have already been on many travel expeditions with our baby…

several road trips, long ferry journeys, long and short haul flights, stopovers, camping trips and much more planned for the coming months. It is through these experiences, I want to share factual information, personal stories as well as top tips for travelling with little ones."