Winter travel

In my last post, I mentioned traveling across the country with my little one.  Traveling in the winter is not as easy as it would be any other time of the year.  We thought that there may be an issue with air travel because of the change of pressure but learned from our doctor the real issue: colds, germs and RSV are next to impossible to avoid during air travel over the winter months.  We've all been there; trapped on a plane next to someone who keeps hacking or sneezing.  I rarely get sick but it almost always happens after a flight.  It's not a stretch to think that a preemie would stand no chance of avoiding a cold or worse in those circumstances. 

So we considered the alternatives: it's completely impractical to drive from Alberta to Ontario and not safe to keep your child in the car seat for any extended period of time.

And that's how we found ourselves traveling by train from Alberta to Ontario.  We got ourselves a 2 person cabin, which included a private bathroom. This allowed us to keep him in the cabin at all times, away from all the germs.  We cavi-wiped the cabin when we first arrived and he had no idea he was confined to such a small space for the duration of the trip. Rather than take turns eating in the dining car, we had room service for all our meals.  There are obvious downsides to train travel: departure is from Edmonton so added driving time, overall travel time, cost and comfort.  The upsides were that we had our own space and the food was good (always had vegetarian options available and they made my food dairy-free upon request).  The most important upside was that it gave us peace of mind that we were limiting his exposure on a much needed visit with family.

Via has 50% sales in down periods so if you keep your eyes open you may be able to get a good deal. Consider train travel www.viarail.ca/en/deals.