our first week in amsterdam (testing out living in europe with our toddler)

a weekly travel vlog of us settling into our spot in amsterdam! we'll be here for the next 2.5 months testing out what it's like to live here as a little family with a toddler. love being able to share this journey with you! xx
TIKTOK: / hopey_girl
IG: / hope.ss.cha. .
All music from: www.epidemicso...

[@hannahcintronrector545]

yes show me the grocery store!!!!! that’s my favorite part of traveling so I want to live vicariously through you 😅

[@hope.ss.chambers]

omg I love that hahah ok tour coming up for you ;)

[@suzifatke6902]

So happy you're getting settled! Love seeing Nico on the bike, and how big he is getting!

[@adjuajames2370]

AMAZING VLOG, super helpful! Loved that socialising is still on the agenda with a mini one. Maybe you could share more on how you navigate childcare and work? Spots you’ve found. Also, where did you find your apartment? Finding it so hard to lock down a nice place in Amsterdam.

[@hope.ss.chambers]

Thanks so much for watching! My husband and I are both freelance so we split doing childcare 50/50 and work the rest of the time. We've found a lot of great indoor places to take Nico though! I started following instagram.com/thelabourdept/ before moving and then found other similar places through them (places that are like a coffee shop, indoor play area, and host for classes for kids). We had a really hard time finding a spot to live too. We started through AirBnb and then messaged hosts until we found someone willing to coordinate a specific setup for us with a more long term lease.

[@kazmiradavies]

You’re thriving & as much as I miss you, I love that you’re there. Also, Nico really does look like he’s thriving 🥹

[@hope.ss.chambers]

Miss you!!! He gets so excited every time we go outside-- it's really adorable

[@RealConstructor]

A coffeeshop in The Netherlands is a shop where you can buy all kinds of weed. If you don’t mean those, say that you like to go to a coffee place, coffee corner, coffee bar or cafe. A cafe also serves alcohol, like beer, wine or liquor.

[@lilou.foresman]

Subscribed!!! My husband and I want to start a family real bad but can't imagine it doing in the US 🥺 we hope to be in y'alls position soon! Can't wait to continue following your journey!

[@hope.ss.chambers]

Aww so glad you found me and I hope you find an option that works for you all- it can be really hard to make these decisions. We’re just taking 1 step at a time!

[@RealConstructor]

Be careful in busy traffic on a bicycle, a bicycle doesn’t have right off way all the time. You’ll have to look on the pavement of the cycle path if there are sharks teeth, when the point is pointing at you, you’ll have to give right of way to crossing traffic. Also with a traffic sign of a triangle (white with a red band) when the point is down. And trams have almost always right of way, even when the turn and you go straight on, this counts for motorized traffic and also pedestrians and cyclists.

[@RealConstructor]

Almost all apartments (with more than one bedroom) and family (row) houses in The Netherlands have a separate small toilet room next to the front door or in the entrance hall. There can also be a toilet in the main bathroom though.

[@lennartvers1767]

Lovely people! You would fit in quite nicely in our little country. Hope you had a great time!

[@lore4933]

Hi Hope! I am not very surprised by the toilet situation, in Europe you'll find quite often the toilet separated from the bathroom. and it can placed in very weird places! for instance in my flat in Paris the toilet was right next to the main door as a few decades ago you had the toilet on the level floor and not in the flat, and people were sharing the toilet (ew). it is still the case sometimes for very tiny studio room on 6th floor by the way... then they modernized, owners bought the toilet space and merged it with the flat :) loved this vlog! I am so surprised how easy you guys make friend! 💛 Also I'd be super interested to see more of your grocery shopping and meals you do for you both and Nico :)

[@hope.ss.chambers]

Oh that is so interesting-- thank you for the history lesson! I was so confused at first when I realized they were separate haha. Thanks so much for following along! Will plan to show the grocery stores and meals in the next vlog!

[@yvonnebirch6026]

It is common to have the toilet separate in its own ‘room’ . All over the country. May be most of Western Europe.

[@user-bg2ip3zt8m]

Hi! Do you mind sharing what neighborhoods you found best for your familY I'm currently scouting an apartment since we're moving next month :)

[@redheadhippie7945]

Enjoying these vlogs! Would you mind sharing the links for the toys that helped Nico with the flight/ the ones he loves? I live in Panamá 🇵🇦 and we are traveling in July to visit my family...and it is going to be a long flight 😅

[@hope.ss.chambers]

Thanks for following along! We didn't bring too many toys because it was an overnight flight we wanted him to sleep on, but we bring a few of his favorite books (especially a pop-up one he loves to play with), his Yoto Mini with headphones to play music, this Montessori toy (www.amazon.com/Montessori-Silicone-Activity-Sensory-Toddlers/dp/B09XR5CG4K) and downloaded some Ms. Rachel episodes on our phones!

[@redheadhippie7945]

@@hope.ss.chambers thank you! I can't get the link to work for some reason!

[@gradysmith6965]

Hi, I enjoyed your video! I may have missed it, but how did you furnish your apartment so quickly? I love the look.

[@hope.ss.chambers]

Thanks! It came fully furnished because we’re only here for 3 months for now :)

[@kazmiradavies]

I need those croissants and to be biking immediately

[@hope.ss.chambers]

you would thrive hereee

[@markvanderknoop131]

Walk the stairs sideways.