Meet Sylvie from Travels With Eden
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Say hello to Sylvie from Travels with Eden.
Hi, I’m Sylvie, I’m 21-year-old Geography student, and I run the blog Travels with Eden, which focuses on family travel, budget travel and backpacking with kids. I live in Cornwall, the UK, with my 9-month-old little girl, Eden. I started Travels with Eden in January 2020. I’ve always had a passion for budget because it enables me to see more places. When I found out I was pregnant, I wondered I could carry on travelling. The answer is YES! You can still travel with a baby in tow, it just involves a little more organization and planning and a few changes. I now find the cheapest private rooms rather than hostels and I’ve swapped nights out with cuddles and cooking. I love going to the local market and buying fresh food to cook with.
How Long have you been blogging for? Why’d you decide to start a travel blog?
I’ve always enjoyed reading other travel blogs and finding out about people’s stories.
I find blogs so useful for planning my travels because the blogger has first-hand experience in the destination.
When I started researching travelling with a baby, I realised that it was unique to travel solo with a baby; that’s when I found my niche (Just me, the baby, and a backpack).
I hope to help other new parents find their passion to travel after having kids.
Do you have any tips for new travel bloggers/Aspiring travel bloggers?
Write about what interests you and find an area of travel that you love writing about and then focus your blog on that.
This helps Google to see you as an expert in the field as opposed to writing about a broader topic.
What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started traveling?
Don’t be afraid to ask. People are always friendly, whether it’s advice about the best way to get from A to B with a baby or a free late checkout.
When I recently stayed in a hotel with no baby bath, one of the staff went home to get one!
Why do you love to travel?
I love exploring new places and experiencing different cultures. Oh, and trying the local food!
What’s your best and worst travel experience?
My worst travel experience was when I was volunteering in Sri Lanka before I had Eden; there was a massive storm.
It wrecked the turtle conservation centre I was working in as well as some of the bars we liked to go to. We had to stay indoors for a few days with no electricity or WIFI.
My best experience was my first day exploring Edinburgh with Eden in January. I realised that I was right and you can still travel with a baby. I even managed to go on the hop-on-hop-off bus.
Do you prefer solo travel or traveling with other people? Why?
I’ve done lots of solo travel before I had Eden; I also tried volunteering projects where you stay in shared accommodation with the same group of people for an extended period. I liked this because you really get to know people.
I also tried group tours which I didn’t like as much. I would say I prefer travelling solo or travelling just Eden and me.
It gives you the flexibility of sudden changes in plan, and I get to meet more people and check off more from my bucket list.
However, I do love travelling with family too, but that’s generally on package holidays.
What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to? Why?
I personally loved Sentosa Island in Singapore. I love the whole city, but when I stepped onto Sentosa, it was like a dream world.
I would love to bring Eden back here one day, it’s one of the most family-friendly places I’ve ever been to (fingers crossed for 2022).
There’s so much to do, the weather was terrific, and there are three beaches to choose from.
The highlight of the day was visiting the Southernmost point in Continental Asia on Palawan Beach, which has views out towards Indonesia and beyond.
What’s your biggest travel tip?
Allocate yourself a set amount of spending money per day so you don’t run out of money. If you don’t spend it all one day, it can roll onto the next.
Is there one specific thing you like to do, see, or buy in every place that you visit?
I always buy a fridge magnet as a souvenir.
I’ve also covered my wall with postcards from every place I’ve been to.
Now I’ve moved rooms, and Eden sleeps in my old room; her room is covered with postcards. I’m sure she’ll love looking at them when she’s older.
Is there one particular food that you’ve tried while traveling that you loved? What food was it and why do you love it so much?
When I was in Sri Lanka, I loved Kottu Roti. I love the mixture of fried veg, Sri Lankan spice, and crispy roti. I’ve managed to replicate most things I’ve tried abroad but not kottu Roti.
Quick Questions
Plane or train? Plane
Hotel or hostel? Family-friendly hostel (with a private room)
City or nature? City
Popular site or off the beaten path? Popular site
Suitcase or backpack? Backpack all the way!
Fast travel or slow travel? Fast travel (3 days ish in each place)
Professional camera or phone photography? iPhone Photography
Warm or cold weather? Warm Weather
Interested in following Sylvie from Travels with Eden elsewhere? Be sure to follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
All photos used throughout this post are taken by Sylvie from Travels with Eden.
