Olso was an unexpected surprise. We only passed through this beautiful walk-able city because we booked our European adventure on a new airline, Norse, and coincidentally Oslo was one of the very limited destinations from LAX. The tickets were half price what Delta Airline flights were, but we spent the savings on visiting two new cities, Oslo Norway and Berlin Germany (for our return flight home).

Traveling internationally with a toddler can be a bit intimidating, but it's also an incredibly rewarding experience. My family recently took a trip to Europe with our 18-month-old daughter and had a blast exploring new places together.

One of the keys to a successful trip with a toddler is to plan ahead and be prepared. We made sure to bring plenty of snacks and toys to keep our little one entertained on long flights and tram rides. We also packed a small, compact stroller to make it easy to navigate busy airports and crowded streets.

When it came to activities and sightseeing, we found that it was important to balance our own interests with our daughter's needs. We made sure to plan plenty of breaks and downtime throughout the day to let our toddler nap and play. We also sought out parks and playgrounds wherever we went to give her a chance to run around and burn off energy.

One unexpected benefit of traveling with a toddler was the way it opened doors to meeting locals and experiencing the local culture. We found that people were often very friendly and eager to interact with our little one, and this led to some memorable experiences.

Of course, there were also some challenges along the way. Our daughter had a few meltdowns in public places, and there were definitely times when we felt a bit frazzled and tired. But overall, the trip was an incredible adventure that brought us closer as a family and exposed our daughter to new sights, sounds, and experiences.

If you're considering traveling internationally with a toddler, my advice is to go for it! With a bit of planning and flexibility, it can be an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience for everyone involved.

I will never get over how clean and breathtaking Scandinavian cities are. We are so drawn to the Scandinavian style and way of life. Although their comfortable lifestyle is not as inviting when your toddler wakes up at 4 am due to jet lag and then you end up walking the city at 6am looking for breakfast only to find that nothing opens until 9 or 10 am. We weren’t prepared for the laid back morning routines and limited store hours during the weekends. It’s all very un-American. And I suppose that’s most of the charm.

So we spent a few hungry mornings, but walked what felt like the entire city, pushing Indie around in her stroller. She took early naps and we were able to enjoy a late morning coffee and pastry which tastes all the better after walking a few miles before breakfast.

Oslo had the most functional little parks scattered all around the city. I remember thinking they felt so frequent, it was great knowing a park was always nearby. Indie was working out her jet lag so our operating hours were all over the place that weekend. We mostly walked from coffee shop to coffee stop and then to a park so Indie could get her wiggles out.

Oslo was the first of 5 countries on our first Europe tour with a kid. For future travel planning, I’m glad we had a long weekend to take it easy adjusting to the time difference and stayed in a city with lots of parks and a quiet neighborhoods. It definitely made the time transition a little less stressful.