We spent decades exploring the world. Having a kid in our 40s entirely changed how we travel, but it's not all bad.

• My husband and I had our first child right before we turned 40 and it changed how we travel.
• Travel has turned into brief road trips, long stays at beaches, and hotels with spacious rooms.

Before parenthood, travel for my husband and me meant long layovers, adventure, and adrenaline.

We spent our late 20s and most of our 30s traveling off the beaten path, taking budget flights, and staying at hostels or hotels with shared bathroom facilities.

Then, we had our son a few months before our 40th birthdays.

A lot of things changed once we were traveling with a baby.

We went from backpacking adventures to seeking out spacious hotel rooms

On one of our first trips as parents, we booked a boutique hotel that ended up not being accessible by stroller.

We had to store the stroller in a garage far from our hotel building in the dead of winter. We also had to be really careful not to knock over the curated items in our pretty but small room.

After that trip, we learned to only book rooms that are at least 20 square meters, so we have space for our kid's travel cot, stroller, and other belongings.

Gone were also the days of just traveling with only carry-ons. We began to check a large piece of luggage to fit all of the essentials for a family of three.

And, after years of enjoying Europe's excellent public transportation, we bought a car.

We ditched long-haul flights and learned to enjoy road trips to towns just a couple hours' drive from where we lived. Since we're based in Switzerland, that meant places like Austria, France, and Italy.

Driving gave us the freedom to bring all of the supplies a baby needs, from stacks of diapers to toys and outfit changes.

Now that our child is a toddler, our requirements are shifting again. We all love a good beach where we can stay for several days.

Our child stays busy using his imagination on the sand, and one of us adults can go for a walk or swim while the other keeps an eye on him.

Our travel style has shifted, but we're still having great adventures

Before our son, we could immerse ourselves in each country we visited, easily going from city to city.

But vacationing with a kid means visiting quiet beaches with a calm surf and spending less time seeking out art and history. It's now a requirement to stay in a spacious hotel room with a playground nearby.

I'm grateful for the freedom and adventure we had during our early days as a couple. But I'm OK with how much our travel style has changed, and I know it'll keep changing as our son gets older.

Our kid is teaching us a new way of traveling — and we're becoming comfortable doing one thing at a time and exploring places at a slow pace.