Travel advice from the jet-setting actor, Nathalia Ramos

We spoke with Nathalia Ramos, an actor, producer, writer, and Mom to Theo whose career and widespread family take her all over the world. Nathalia shares her experience and advice on what it’s like traveling long distances with an infant and now toddler, and reflects on what she thinks are the benefits of traveling with your little ones!

Can you share some background on why you travel so much? 

Growing up, I shot on sets around the world from England to Colombia. My family is also in Spain and Australia, so I grew up spending holidays and summers visiting them. To add to my already blended family, I married a Vietnamese-American, so we are truly a multi-cultural, global family.

When you had Theo, did you continue to travel the same amount? How do you balance travel with being a new mom?

I am used to always being on the go and becoming a mom was a huge adjustment for many reasons. Not only did I want to maintain my career (which requires significant travel) but it’s also so important to my husband and I that Theo be connected to his roots and his family. I want my kids to grow up the way I did, where Spain and Australia were home to me, truly forming part of my identity and core memories. I never felt like a tourist in my heritage countries, and I want the same for my kids. In Theo’s first year we took him to my best friend's wedding in Australia and on our family holiday to Spain. And while I’m more selective about my work travel now, I did take several business trips that were important to me. This was only possible because of the incredible support of mine and my husband's parents. 

What were your biggest fears before traveling with Theo for the first time, and what did you do to better prepare for the journey?

Probably disturbing other people on the plane. I still have anxiety about being “those parents,” but you realize quickly that you can’t control a baby, and most people are understanding about that. Nonetheless, my husband and I were SUPER prepared. His first flight was 14 hours to Australia at 3 months old - no small feat - but I was not going to miss my best friend's wedding. We pre-prepped all his formula, had the toys, diapers, clothes, all at arm's length, and alternated our sleeping so one of us was always on call. In retrospect, I was over prepared and traveling with an infant is 100x easier than traveling with a toddler. 

"The ability to land in any country and immediately get into any car or Uber without having to think about a car seat, or just the simple ease of getting around day to day and moving from my car, to my parents car, to Ubers, is such a luxury!!"

How many times have you traveled with Theo, and what are the biggest takeaways you took from each trip? What do you think are the benefits of traveling at such a young age to Theo? 

Theo is a pretty lucky kid as we’ve traveled quite a lot in his 2 short years. Even though he won’t remember these trips, I do think that experiencing new environments, adjusting to different beds and time zones, and being exposed to different languages and people has made him more resilient and flexible. He is a pretty easy going kid who adapts well to change, and I am sure that his travel has played a part in that. However, in truth the biggest benefit he probably won’t fully understand or realize until he is older, is the connections he is already beginning to develop with his family and roots overseas. To give my grandmother and all of our extended family the chance to bond with him and be an integral part of his life from the very beginning is priceless. He knows his great grandma in Australia just as well as he knows his auntie down the street. That is worth every miserable flight! 

How have you navigated Theo’s experience while traveling including jet lag, being out of his routine, eating habits, etc.

There’s no secret bullet or magic trick. It’s challenging and you just have to mentally prepare yourself for one or two bad nights. I just remind myself that it's so worth it. Our parenting style is fairly laissez faire to begin with, we’ve never been very good at sticking to a rigid schedule, even at home. That has its pros and cons, but when it comes to travel I think it has been a positive because he does adapt to change really well. When it comes to eating, he eats everything! He is so lucky because at home his Vietnamese family makes him the most delicious Vietnamese soups and dishes and when we travel he eats whatever we eat. 

How did the Doona Car Seat & Stroller help while you were traveling? 

There is no way that travel would have been as easy, or even possible, without Doona. The ability to land in any country and immediately get into any car or Uber without having to think about a car seat, or just the simple ease of getting around day to day and moving from my car, to my parents car, to Ubers, is such a luxury!!! The day he outgrew the Doona was devastating for us, it’s the one thing I still miss the most about his baby days. Now I’ve had to buy a car seat for each of our parents' cars and traveling is much more complicated. We have to either fly with a car seat, prebook a car service with a car seat, or rent a car and commit to driving on our holiday. Definitely adds an extra headache and expense for the next couple of years.

What advice would you give to new parents wanting to travel with their baby for the first time? 

Get the Doona!!!! It will be the single best travel decision you ever made ! 

Any upcoming travel plans this summer? :)

We will be going to Europe again this summer and hoping to squeeze in a visit to Miami. Theo loves it there. 

Nathalia Ramos is an actor, producer, and writer. She is Associate Director of Studio B., the production studio of the Berggruen Institute. Prior to producing, Nathalia had a two-decades long career as a film and television actress, most known for her leading roles in Nickelodeon’s successful TV series “House of Anubis” and the feature film “Bratz”. Stay connected with Nathalia through her website and Instagram. 

At Doona, we’re always trying our very best to make parenting simpler for every family. Which is also why we’ve created our innovative and revolutionary Doona Car Seat & Stroller which transforms from a car seat to a stroller in the click of a button; and Liki Trike — the most compact folding toddler trike on the market that grows alongside toddlers with five modes of use.