The Surprising Life Lesson I Learned While Traveling in Copenhagen (yes... this applies to YOU)

I promise that 1) this post absolutely is NOT written in Danish and 2) there is a 93% chance this lesson also applies to YOU.

Hey, hey, my friend—

Let me set the stage:

As I write this entry, it is a foggy, drizzly mid-April morning.
Raindrops are rolling down the windows like an indie music video.

I am typing on my laptop, sitting with perfect posture at my desk
(jk, I am absolutely 100% laying horizontally in bed), surrounded by unpacked luggage, still wearing my PJs, and sippin’ my 2nd cup of coffee as I fight off the jet lag.

(okay, okay. it’s my third cup…... LET ME LIVE OK)

And, you may be wondering—
WHY are you experiencing all of this sleepy, snoozy, jet-laggy energy, Kate?

WELL, my friend, the Eskuri fam is fresh off of a week spent traveling internationally to Copenhagen, Denmark!

And, I know what you’re thinking…

➖Are we a little nuts to travel internationally with an 8-month-old? Sure.

➖But is life FUN with our little bestie in tow? You bet.😘✌🏼

It was such a ball. Delicious food, long walks on the canal, striking museums, gorgeous buildings, brightly colored city streets, trips to the countryside, seeing friends, intentional time together…

AKA, BLISS. 

but there was an unexpected lesson—

Of course, all of the Copenhagen goodness was the main event, but I *also* had a POWERFUL realization this vacation. *Cue lightbulb illuminating above my head*

(And, no, it’s not about motherhood, travel, babies, or discovering the secret to HOW THE HECK EVERY SINGLE DANE DRESSES SO CHIC, etc.)

It applies to LIFE. 

(and I have a feeling you just may need to hear it today…)

Ya ready? 

first, let’s rewind—

Before this Copenhagen family trip materialized, there is a different trip we need to address. This past December, we saved up our credit card points and traveled to Paris when Miles was 4 months old.

Our first international trip with a kiddo.
(ahem, a baby).
And, WOW, I was nervous.

For *literal* WEEKS leading up to the trip I had been manically researching the details of traveling with a baby—

HOW do I get breastmilk through security? Could I pump on the plane?!, HOW to check your stroller (at baggage claim?! At the gate?! help!), what forms of ID does my baby needed to fly (ya know how you go to the DMV and they make you feel like you need the flippin’ Declaration of Independence?!?! I was so scared of that), HOW do you even get on the plane with a baby and your hands full, how do you *actually* decrease ear pressure in your baby’s flight, what is the #best way to get your baby to sleep on a long flight, etc. etc. etc.

And, guess what—
We did it! It went well! We learned so much!

Now, fast forward to Copenhagen…

The lead up to this trip was SO different.

Honestly? I kind of feel like an old pro. A seasoned professional.
Like I knew what I was doing.

Because, even though we had only gone on *ONE* singular big trip before this with a baby, I felt SO. MUCH. MORE. equipped.

• Does this mean I felt 100% confident and had 0 nerves? Of course not.

• But I *did* feel like I vividly knew what to expect. 

Packing in carry-ons as a family of 3? No problem.
Knowing how to get through airport security with a baby? I got this.
Choosing what to put in the diaper bag for the flight? Effortless. 

This was quite the contrast from Paris, where I had been compulsively “researching” every. last. detail. (yet still feeling anxious).

This trip…. I barely googled anything.

—and not in the way that I wasn’t still antsy about the flight (because I definitely still was), but moreso, I had DONE it before. I somewhat knew what to expect. I KNOW you don’t need the birth certificate now. I KNOW how to get my breastmilk through security. I KNOW that you can ask to bring your carseat on if there are extra seats open on the flight.

And I know this… because I’ve done this.

From just one prior experience of international travel with a baby, I held a calm confidence.

and it was a good *LIFE* reminder that ya simply can’t perfectly “plan” or research or orchestrate everything—

sometimes you just have to learn by DOING.

---

And, obviously, this lesson stretches MUCH larger than just traveling or motherhood. I’ve had similar experiences countless times before— 

• HOW do I publish my first substack newsletter? 

• HOW do I put up wallpaper?

• HOW the heck do I make a website?

• HOW do I quit a job in a respectful way?

• HOW do I paint the exterior of a house? 

• HOW do I make eggs benedict?

….and, now, all of these things are no-brainers in my life. (okay, okay, I still haven’t mastered making hollandaise sauce)

But, the point is– I didn’t learn these skills by researching & studying & reading & planning endlessly…

I learned by DOING them. By EXPERIENCING them. By PARTICIPATING in them.

Get out of your head– and get GOING.

As a chronic overthinker and semi-anxious person, it is VERY easy for me to get stuck in the “researching” phase of ANY venture. 

You know what I mean– the endless, planning, envisioning, and “thinking” loop of something you want to do “someday”. 

Whether it’s travel, a project for my business, designing a room of our home, etc., I find myself in a familiar pattern– I will google, google, and google some more, I will ask for opinions, I will write down what needs to be done, look into things, read different experiences, make a rough “plan”, look for ~inspo~, annnnnd in the end—

This is just a sneaky way of stalling. Of procrastinating. Of delaying the inevitable.

But it’s funny, right. Because we convince ourselves we are being productive by “planning”. but in reality— we would learn a lot more (and see results faster) if we just put down the pen & paper and finally TOOK SOME DAMN ACTION, ya know?

REMINDER: You can’t research your way into *true* experience:

Because, the reality is– before our first international flight to Paris with a baby I had spent HOURS researching.

• And I still felt nervous.

• I still felt unsure.

• I still felt confused.

• Because this “thing” existed solely in my head.

Anxious thoughts & ruminating & overthinking abound!

But, before this venture to Copenhagen, I felt a peace. I didn’t “look up” a single thing– but yet felt much more confident. More steady. More at ease.

This experience was tangible– not imaginary.
I had done this before. And I could do it again.

TAKE HOME POINT:
planning isn’t “bad”….
but don’t let it hold you back

Does this mean it’s bad to research, be intentional, and plan ahead?
Absolutely not. 

I still put a lot of thought into our flight times, how I packed the diaper bag, the seats I chose on the plane, our travel arrangements, etc. But, moreso, I had fewer questions. More knowledge. An ease. 

And I’ve experienced this in so many ways throughout my life– publishing my first blog post. Running my first marathon. Learning to drive. Keeping my houseplants alive. Creating my resume. Learning how to gua sha. 

Because, no matter what it is– most of the time you learn by DOING it. Not reading. Not scrolling. Not researching. Not planning.

So, whether it is trying to make sourdough, experimenting with watercolor paints, starting an etsy shop, going to a new type of fitness class, writing your first cover letter, or posting your first tiktok,

there WILL BE a gradual confidence that builds when we take action, actually experience something, and utilize that knowledge to move forward. 

So stop livin’ in your head, ok???? ;)

over-thinking and under-doing

Alright, my friend— to wrap it up, I gotta ask you–

WHERE in your life are you stuck in the “planning” phase. WHERE are you over-thinking? WHERE are you saving the things you want to do for “someday” instead of just taking incremental action today? 

Your “thing” could be big or small– 

• learning to make kombucha

• applying to grad school

• running your first 5K

• tackling a DIY home project

• getting out of debt

• job-shadowing a career you’re interested in

• rearranging the furniture in your living room

• updating your LinkedIn

• traveling across the world with a baby

• hosting your first dinner party

✨Whatever it is– it’s TIME stop thinking about it, and start DOING it. ✨

Don’t forget that baby steps do build up. So, CLOSE the planner— and take some action, ok? 

PSSST: want to see a little digital scrapbook of our time in Denmark? Click here!