Travelling Portugal with a child or toddler? Here’s one thing you should know

The young American said travelling around Portugal was far easier with a child. Photo / Unsplash, Instagram

Travelling with young children may have its rewarding moments but it certainly isn’t easy.

However, according to one travel influencer, there’s one European country parents should not visit without a baby or toddler.

In a video posted to Instagram, 27-year-old Kiesrsten DeCook surprised travellers by claiming she and her husband didn’t just enjoy exploring Portugal with their toddler Adaline, but wouldn’t return without a small child.

“You’ll never believe this but my husband and I decided that we are never coming back to Portugal without a baby or a toddler,” DeCook said in the Instagram video, which has been viewed almost 3 million times.

In the video, DeCook shares clips filmed outside tourist attractions, which show massive crowds and seemingly endless lines, before explaining how they didn’t have to wait.

“In Portugal, there’s a law that if you have a baby under 2, are pregnant or have a disability, you get to skip the lines and have priority,” she said in a voiceover.

The rule meant most of their first day in Europe was not spent waiting in a queue but exploring the sights.

“This has quite literally already saved us hours in line at tourist attractions and has definitely put Portugal and the top of the list of family-friendly places to visit,” DeCook added.

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A post shared by Kiersten Brooke: Travel Mama (@kierstenbrooketravels)

Travelling with a small child wasn’t without difficulties, she added.

“On the other hand, we just got to Europe so we are very jetlagged and this is super challenging with a toddler,” she said, sharing how they couldn’t just sleep whenever they felt tired, even in the middle of the night.

From travel lover to travel mama

Originally, DeCook’s Europe itinerary was planned just for her and her husband in 2020, but then Covid-19 happened, and a baby soon followed.

“I had a trip all planned out and then the world shut down the week before our flight was supposed to take off,” DeCook shared with her followers. “I never would’ve imagined that a couple years later I would be traveling more than I had ever travelled before- WITH my daughter!”

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A post shared by Kiersten Brooke: Travel Mama (@kierstenbrooketravels)

After finding out she was pregnant at 24, the American decided to share all the information she was researching for this new stage of life on social media.

Today, DeCook’s ‘travel mama’ Instagram profile has more than 116,000 followers.