But instead, they found a little lounge below deck, perfectly quiet and cozy. The rocking motion put both North and Bennett to sleep. For a blissful stretch of time, Scotty and Ellis sat side by side, pisco sours in hand, watching the Chilean coastline slide by. “It was like striking gold,” Ellis says. “Everyone else went kayaking, and we just… exhaled.”
The most magical moment
At Refugia Chiloé, the lodge hosted a curanto, a traditional feast where shellfish, sausages, and vegetables are cooked over hot stones buried underground. Guests gathered to watch as the food was unearthed from its steamy hiding place, while local musicians played folk tunes.
“North was slurping mussels, dancing to the music, and just totally in the moment,” Ellis recalls. “We met other travelers, made new friends, and felt completely immersed in the local culture. It was magical.”
Flights and sleep: a mixed bag
Sleep is tricky enough at home, let alone on a red-eye to another continent. For the flight down, they splurged on lie-flat business class seats and tried to keep bedtime rituals intact. “We did our full bedtime routine—pajamas, teeth brushing, stories—and it helped North settle,” Scotty says. Unfortunately, turbulence made the night less restful than they’d hoped.
The return trip was in premium economy, and oddly, it went better. “We built a cozy little nest for North, and he slept like an angel,” Ellis says. The only hiccup: American Airlines only provided bassinets to economy passengers on that flight, leaving Ellis “nap-trapped” with Bennett for the entire ten-hour flight. “It was uncomfortable, but we survived,” she says.
But the travel moment they’ll never forget came on the short hop to Chiloé. Twenty minutes into their Santiago-to-Castro flight, a mascot resembling a hot dog started parading down the aisle with a camera crew in tow. Completely bewildered, the family found themselves pulled into some sort of airplane raffle—and impossibly, they won! Scotty and North were dragged to the front for a Spanish-language interview about winning a free meal at a choritos (Chilean mussel) restaurant as well as a three-night stay at a hotel.
“The entire plane was cracking up at the confused family, and honestly, so were we,” Scotty says. Later, we met people at the hotel who had been on the same flight, and we all laughed about it together.
Stilt houses in Palafitos on the Chiloé Peninsula, not far from Refugia Chiloé.
What their toddler loved most
While parents might obsess over scenery or bucket-list activities, toddlers care about entirely different things. One of North’s favorite memories was a low-tide foraging trip at Chiloé. Outfitted with boots and baskets, he helped dig for mussels and clams, rinsing them in seawater before carrying them back to the kitchen. “He absolutely loved it,” Scotty says. “It was one of the more peaceful moments for all of us.”
