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Traveling via Cebu Pacific to Fukuoka with a PWD & a Toddler

October 21, 2020

DiploBaby is praying for the safety of DiploDog while we are away

Last October 2019 we traveled overseas for the very first time since TD got sick with cancer. This was a huge milestone for us, because it was a long road to walking after he had a limb saving operation for the bone cancer in his femur. He still limps to this day, but we were so happy that we could finally travel overseas as a family.

Our very first trip was to Fukuoka, Japan. We chose a less busy place because being bipolar I did not want to be overwhelmed by a busy city. Also, the flight was on super promo sale on Cebu Pacific. We only travel on promo deals, so this was perfect!

NAIA TERMINAL 3

There weren’t many people traveling in the middle of the day.

DiploBaby love sitting in the counter seeing everything when we check in.

Halloween decor in some of the stores in Terminal 3

The DiploFamily – excited for our first ever trip to Japan!

Traveling with a stroller is so important when with a toddler. Even thought DiploBaby never uses a stroller in Metro Manila, we need it when traveling huge airports & other cities because we wanna avoid having an over tired toddler and we want to be mobile even with a sleeping baby. Especially since DiploBaby is super heavy. Whenever someone tries to carry him they are always so surprised by how heavy he is.

MARY GRACE CAFE NAIA TERMINAL 3

One of my secrets to to drama free travel is FOOD! Everyone should be well fed and nobody is hungry so nobody gets HANGRY or Hungry-ANGRY! We had a bit of time before our flight so we headed over to one of our favorite restos in Manila, Mary Grace Cafe. So thankful they have a branch in Terminal 3!

My favorite is their Mary Grace Chicken Caesar Salad & Fresh Tomato & Herb Pasta. We ordered them split between me & TD because the serving is a bit big so splitting it makes both just right!

Another favorite is the All Cheese Pizza which is what DiploBaby always has. You can see the lovely menu of Mary Grace Cafe.

HEADING TO THE GATE

Cebu Pacific terminals are usually at the very end of the airport, so it’s important to ask for a wheelchair if you have someone who has problems walking.

Though TD can walk already, he cannot walk too far or too fast. If he walked to the very end of the terminal, he would have pain in his leg and it would affect his ability to enjoy the rest of the trip.

MUST HAVES FOR TRAVELING WITH A TODDLER

1. A super light and compact stroller that can fit in the plane’s overhead compartment

It was really important for us to have so that we could push DiploBaby around the airport. We do not want to have an overtired toddler.

So though he is a big boy already at 4years old, we invested in a GB Pockit Stroller which is the lightest stroller and does not need to be checked in. It fits in the overhead cabin compartment like a handcarry luggage. We never check our stroller at the gate because our son usually falls asleep in the plane and he is super heavy. We do not want to be carrying a sleeping baby or toddler from the plane till the luggage collection area. He was about 35lbs already at this time.

IMPORTANT NOTE: After this first trip we sold the GB Pockit and bought a Looping Stroller just because when not in use it can be pulled around like a trolley/handcarry. Unlike the GB Pockit that has to be carried when not in use. Though it’s super light, it’s a hassle to have to carry while traveling. Between the BabyZen Yoyo, GB Pockit and the Looping, the Looping really checks everything!

2. A LIGHT & COMPACT DIAPER BAG THAT CAN BE ATTACHED TO THE HAND-CARRY TROLLEY

Though we have a nice roomy mint one for daily use, I got this from Amazon because:

  1. A knapsack diaper bag is important for travel because it keeps your hands free
  2. The color is very forgiving and perfect for travel. Black will show each spec of dust but this type of gray is forgiving.
  3. The bottom is waterproof
  4. It’s slim, very light yet carries a lot so perfect for travel
  5. It has a hidden anti-theft pocket for your wallet and mobile phone.
  6. Most importantly it has that strap that you can insert into the pull handles of your hand-carry so it doesn’t have to be on your back all the time
via Amazon

Unfortunately it is no longer available on Amazon and I can’t find the same feature for travel on any of the ones they are selling. If you can find a similar bag, please let me know! I would love to link it here!

3. BOOKS TO READ & SHOWS TO WATCH ON THE PLANE

We usually bring a book with lots of different stories when we travel. This helps lessen screentime. When flying Cebu Pacific it’s definitely super good deal during promos, but there is no in flight entertainment.

We try to limit screentime but make exceptions for when we travel. So TD makes sure to download a few shows on his phone that we stand on our nifty wooden keychain.

4. SPECIAL TREATS ON THE PLANE

We reserve some special treats for when we are flying with Cebu Pacific. Specifically: Pringles and C2 Apple Iced Tea. It’s DiploBaby’s favorite so he doesn’t really care how long a trip is or if it has anything fancy. He just gets excited that he gets to eat these forbidden things LOL!

5. Yaya B, of course!

We traveled with Yaya B so that we could have a relaxing trip. I think if it was just me and TD with DiploBaby, we would probably want to kill each other by the end of the trip LOL!

This is a special perk for her because she has been with our family for 13 years now! Imagine that! We feel so lucky to have her as a part of our family!.

THE JUAN EFFECT

I saw this in the magazine in-flight shop magazine and I think it’s amazing! Hope that they become even more sustainable for their in-flight food service!

Arrival For the First Time in Japan

We left in the afternoon and arrived in Fukuoka in the evening. Thank God for the stroller because DiploBaby always falls asleep in moving transport. When we deplaned, we just plopped him on the stroller!

When we arrived in Japan we were really excited about their clean and fancy toilets that do everything from cleaning you down their to drying you. And I love that they have seats for babies, for moms who are traveling without company. So thoughtful! There are even toilets that are bigger so you can go in with your luggage and stroller.

Another thing I love about Japan is how that most public toilets use foaming soap. If not they use really diluted soap which I think is brilliant and super saves on soap! That’s why we have foaming pump bottles also in our home.

We were so excited to ride their super clean taxis that are so well maintained that you don’t even see a finger print on the windows. They also have these nice washable knitted covers for the headrests which is always pristine white!

DiploBaby was just mesmerized by the screen behind the driver’s seat. He’ll take whatever screentime he can get LOL!

And of course he was super excited to see a 7eleven on the way to the hotel!

UP NEXT: A REVIEW OF OUR HOTEL ROOM & WHERE WE HAD DINNER ON OUR FIRST NIGHT!

If you liked this post and found it helpful in planning a future trip to Fukuoka, please don’t forget to share it on social media or pin it on Pinterest! Thank you so much!

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

GOOD TO KNOW GUIDE

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport? We are very lucky th HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport?

We are very lucky that the Geneva Airport is very near because it is located 4 km northwest of the city centre. It takes us less than 15mins by car & is easier to get to than airports outside the city.

BUT also means that many of the Geneva residents suffer from AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION. 

In some parts of Geneva, like Vernier, Meyrin, Bellevue, Versoix, etc will have the airplane pass on top of you or very near you. This is something to consider when you are MOVING TO GENEVA & looking for a home.

When we were in @bioparcgeneve recently, it felt like airplane after airplane was going overhead every few mins. The poor animals were screaming each time.

A  report by the European Environment Agency(EEA) in 2017 said that 12% or 73,500 Geneva residents have their hearing disturbed by aircraft noise. Probably the figures have risen with the natural increase population & travel?

“The EEA describes noise as a pervasive pollutant that directly affects the health and well-being of humans and wildlife. Populations exposed to high noise levels can exhibit stress reactions, sleep-stage changes, and clinical symptoms like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. All of these can contribute to premature mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that humans exposed to noise levels above 40 decibels at night experience adverse health effects.

Across Europe it is estimated that noise contributed to at least 900,000 additional cases of hypertension in 2011.” - @le_news_ch 

DID YOU KNOW that owners of homes affected by the noise can request for soundproofing to be paid for by GVA? 

Check if your home meets the conditions for FREE SOUNDPROOFING c/o Genève Aéroport here:

https://www.gva.ch/en/Site/Geneve-Aeroport/Questions-Reponses-FAQ/Bruit#

SAVE or SHARE this now with someone you know who might be moving to Geneva or is already suffering from aircraft #noisepollution. 

#UDWinGeneva #UDWgenevagoodtoknow #expatingeneva #diplofamily #expatlife #genevaswitzerland #expatingeneva #filipinoingeneva #pinoyingeneva #movingtogeneva #movingtoswitzerland #movingtogeneva #genevaexpats #switzerlandexpatlife #geneva #genevaswitzerland
MERCADONA HAUL Whenever we go to Spain, we love t MERCADONA HAUL

Whenever we go to Spain, we love to go to @mercadona. It might be small but has a good affordable selection. It’s my thrifty Spanish MIL’s favorite.

We were so lucky that we had a @mercadona right beside our hotel Marina Badalona. Very convenient.
Our favorite things to bring home are:

☕️ frozen porras (bigger than churros)

🐑 baby lamb chops (the only lamb I eat coz it’s not malangsa & all you need to do is fry till crispy in olive oil with S&P) it’s called Chuletas Cabrito but TD calls it lechal 

🐽 chicharon or crispy pork rinds

🥔 Homemade potato chips. The best potato chips for me are from Spain. I don’t know how it’s so much yummier! The olive oil???

🎣 canned Sardines & tuna for me and Yaya B

TIPS:

🧊 For frozen items, we usually ask the hotel before we buy if they can put it in their freezer until we fly.

✍️ I usually bring different sizes ZIPLOCK BAGS, MASKING TAPE & MARKER when we travel so we can put everything in, label with our name and room number.

📸 then I take a photo so we can just show it to the staff and they can easily find it in their freezer.

✈️ When it’s time to pack, I placed our beach towels around the frozen packages coz I know they will SWEAT & I don’t want our other things to get wet 💦 

What  grocery do you usually like to shop for when in Spain? Where do you buy them?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries #udwtraveltips #udwtraveltip #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW C FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW Calisthenics Park 

📍Chem. des Tuileries 140, 1293 Bellevue

After the lovely BIOPARC we headed across to this chill park with ample PARKING that had so many things for kids & anyone who wants to move & work out:

⚽️ The kids wanted to kick around a football so we borrowed a ball from @boxup.app (they also have pumps, 🏓, 🏐, 🏀, etc) just download the app & turn on your Bluetooth & follow instructions! Return after 3hrs.

👟 Outdoor gym - this was a huge hit with the kids

⚽️ football - this too!

🏀 basketball court

🏓 Ping-pong 

🏐 Beach volleyball court

🤸🏻 Monkey bars

🛝 small playground

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon guys @lidia_otilia_botezatu! 
How lucky are we to have these beautiful, clean open spaces. And the free rental gear is AMAZING! so convenient.

This is in Geneva, about 15mins drive from where we live.

SAVE THIS on your list of PARKS to visit!

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. It’s not as close as the bioparc but bring earplugs/earphones if you are sensitive.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
BIOPARC GENÈVE Yesterday was a holiday in Switze BIOPARC GENÈVE

Yesterday was a holiday in Switzerland (except for Geneva). It was raining & miserable so I wanted to take @diplobaby out for a few hours. Thankfully midafternoon it stopped raining.

We met with our friends @lidia_otilia_botezatu in @bioparcgeneve and had a lovely time in this volunteer run zoo.

TIPS💡

🆓 It’s free for families on your FIRST visit!

🦢 you walk inside animal enclosures so wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty/stepping on poop. We wore boots & happy we did

🅿️ there’s parking inside on wood chips, if it’s full there’s another pavement parking (free up to 4hrs) across the roundabout 

🦔 Do not feed or touch the animals no matter how cute they are

🗺️ There are 2 routes (purple & blue) and 1-1.5hrs #diplshould be enough 

❎ Park closes at 4pm

SAVE THIS NOW if your looking for a fun & not too you can do in well und2hrs. It’s nice that you can go inside unlike most zoos so it’s quite unique.

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. @diplobaby who is super noise sensitive did not mind as much as I thought he would because he was so entertained by the animals.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
MARINA BADALONA HOTEL At first we were going to MARINA BADALONA HOTEL 

At first we were going to stay in the heart of Barcelona, where we stayed 8 years ago (I didn’t even know that @diplobaby was already in my tummy at 2 weeks old) but the “hotel” is now expensive with no amenities & small rooms. So TD found a hotel in #badalona - a 20min taxi ride from Barcelona city center - that was so fabulous & slightly less expensive.

SAVE THIS NOW for future trips to Barcelona

WHY I LOVED marinabadalona
🤍 All white interiors was so beautiful & calming
🤍 Gorgeous view of the Marina 
🤍 Everything was so aesthetic, even where you tap your card to enter the room
🤍 Massive bed
🤍 Electric curtains
🤍 Lots of closet space & hangers
🤍 2 TVs
🤍 Refrigerator
🤍 White/cream Nespresso & kettle
🤍 Architecture & interior design is sooooo me!
🤍 Small rooftop pool with unbelievable views (need to do a separate post)
🤍 5min walk to the beach
🤍 Gorg esplanade
🤍 Yummy restos beside
🤍 Mercadona right beside - so convenient!

FEW RECOS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
✌️ Loved the textured wall paper, but it’s difficult to keep clean inside the bathroom
✌️ The bathroom surface area was a bit small & our stuff kept falling off the sink
✌️ Not a single chair in the family room so when we had room service we had to eat standing
✌️ No salt & pepper with room service so we called to ask & were told we would be charged for them taking it up. After TD clarified that there was no S&P with our meal, they said they would bring it up. The person brought a small bowl of of salt & pepper combined. The salt was for DiploBaby’s salmon, but he can’t eat pepper, I wanted both for my pesto. Had to run down in my slippers & the resto staff were very apologetic coz who serves a mixed S&P ever? They gave me individually packaged ones which I really appreciated.
✌️ Since the hotel has a pool & is by the beach, I wish there was a place to hang & dry swim suits. Our suits & watershoes did not dry in the tub.

All in all the value we got from staying in this hotel was so high compared to a more expensive hotel in Barcelona. No hotel stay is perfect.

Now, would I stay there again? YES PLEASE! Would you?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries
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