This baby’s life is a dream, as at just 11 months old, Atlas Montgomery has already seen more of the world than most people will see in their lifetime. He has visited 23 countries with his parents, Bex Lewis, 29, and Will Montgomery, 31.
“It never occurred to me that it was possible to travel with a baby,” Lewis told the Southwest News Service. “It seemed very unrealistic, but it’s not that hard.”
The UK-based family of three has been traveling around Europe in an RV since baby was six weeks old, taking advantage of Bex Lewis’ maternity leave until early November.
Lewis added: “It’s been amazing, you can see every bit of his growth. It’s great to be able to travel with just the three of us.”
So far, many of the milestones Atlas achieved as a baby have been identified in every country: he learned to crawl while the family was in Switzerland, he got his first tooth in Norway, and he started eating solid foods in France.
They also visited Italy, San Marino, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Norway, among others.
She started the trip in New Zealand and Singapore to visit her husband’s family side. The couple then bought a Fiat Ducato van for approximately $14,000 (about R$70,000) during the trip back to the UK so that Atlas could meet Louis’ parents, who took them for the rest of their travels.
Lewis said they had “a lot of space” in the mobile home, which includes a bathroom with shower, 10 storage closets, a sink and toilet, as well as two office areas.
“The atlas has been to 23 countries so far and it will be to 25 when we’re done,” said the mother.
“It will be exciting for him to see all the amazing things he’s done when he’s older,” she added.
The family is documenting the trips on their Instagram page, which they hope to show Atlas when he’s older. Before starting to travel, the two saved money by selling most of their possessions and ending the lease on the house.
What’s more, they also choose to travel smart and on a budget, spending only about $4 a day on food.
“We stick to one meal per destination, except for Italy, where we get a little crazy with all the great food!” Lewis said.
So far, some of her favorite destinations have been the French Alps and Luxembourg. “Luxembourg was a surprise because we hadn’t intended to go there, but as we drove by we thought we’d stop and spend a week there,” Lewis explained. Information from the New York Post.
“We love Italy for its culture and history, and the French Alps were amazing.”
And while the trip was a lot of fun, Lewis admitted that some family members were quite skeptical of the idea before they left. Their indecision, she said, made her and Montgomery doubt themselves.
“Crazy is a word that comes around a lot,” she said. “We were very lucky that our families supported us, but they were skeptical.”
“No one was rude, but simple comments like ‘You’re braver than me’ than many made us almost cancel the trip.”
However, Lewis and her husband did not let the cynics get the better of them, and said that, at the very least, it proved the importance of doing the right thing for your family; What was that trip? “It proves to me that you should always do what’s best for your family, despite people’s experiences,” Lewis told SWNS.
She confirmed that she feels “very proud” of her young family. “We didn’t do anything to prove anything, but we felt proud to show that it was possible,” she said.
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** Julio César Ferreira is a journalism student at PUC-SP. He was awarded the 13th Fernando Pacheco Jordão Prize for Young Journalist for the story “Brazil Under the Smoke of Disinformation”. Her interests include human rights, culture, fashion, politics, pop culture, and entertainment. As an iG trainee, he has worked at Último Segundo/Saúde, Delas/Receitas, and currently at Queer/Pet/Turismo.
“Friendly zombie guru. Avid pop culture scholar. Freelance travel geek. Wannabe troublemaker. Coffee specialist.”