I always love to visit places. Thank goodness I have a husband who’s also a keen traveler. No, we’re not that kind of free spirited travelers who can spend weeks or months wandering cities, mountains and seas. We’re just a regular married couple who happen to love beautiful places.  This is why we already took our daughter to more than 5 cities before she even turned one. Nowadays, I know I can’t make a travel plan in a blink of an eye anymore. No more ‘go-show’ kind of trip. And the bliss of being a light traveler is quite hard to achieve when you have a baby/toddler. One large suitcase, one backpack and a stroller have always been the best method for a family trip like us.

Now, our daughter is a toddler. We don’t have to bring that much clothes and cooking tools, but she always ask for her favorite toys. And when the night comes, she would ask for her favorite books. I learn one thing about this ‘bring her/his favorite toy’ thing. Most of us probably love to see new places. We are always fascinated with beautiful sights and stories we find while we travel. We can’t get enough of delicious food to satisfy our pallet. BUT we always miss what we called home. It’s a place where we feel safe, comfortable and we can be who we are. And this is why we need to bring some of our favorite things too while we travel.  They represent ourselves, and most important is they represent our home..and well you know what Dorothy said, there’s no place like home. :)

One of the easiest things to bring while traveling is books. I always love to bring books even though I know I probably  won’t have that much time to read. But books make me feel like home. I also love to bring a piece of scarf or a small blanket and put it somewhere in our hotel room. Last week during our trip to Balikpapan, I brought Haruki Murakami’s ‘1Q84′ for me and Olive Jeffers’ ‘The Heart and The Bottle’ for her. I also brought this black and white small rug from Bobobobo (along with a black and white toddler legging. Sorry! Couldn’t resist simple pattern kids clothes). This rug is actually a table runner, but I put it on my two-seater sofa. I even used it as a mat when we went to the beach.

Anyways, we really had a great time in Balikpapan. We went to our favorite breakfast spot, Depot Miki, three times! They served the best Kopi Susu I’ve ever tasted, and their chicken bakpao was yummy too. I strolled around art and craft market called Kebun Sayur while husband had a lunch at Haur Gading (they had this enormous tasty shrimp and seafood). We went to Komplek Pertamina Gunung Dubs for a little walk on the hill surrounded by beautiful old houses and stunning view of the sea. When the sun down, we played at the beach. It was lovely and our daughter had a fun experience too. When we came back to our parents’ house, she occupied herself with toys and books. Things we brought from home kept her happy and content. :)

How about you? Do you like to bring your favorite things when you travel?