Having a family in London gives us access to so many wonderful things- world class museums, some of the finest eateries, and endless opportunities to experience major events in person (Wimbledon, the Olympics, the Royal Wedding, etc.). Sometimes I think about the things my kids have seen or do on a normal basis, and it blows my mind a bit. What seemed foreign and exotic to me at 25 is everyday life for them before they’ve even started school. London is an incredible place to have a young family in so many ways.

But the truth is, life in the city with kids is also physical in a way that I can’t explain. Every outing comes with the challenge of physically getting us there. Each fun weekend plan comes with nearly equal parts of transport to get us there- which normally results in a cocktail of buses, trains and ubers that is pretty exhausting.

We are finally at the point in life when we crave to get out of the city in free time- hoping for some space to run free and explore with the kids. Just at the same point in time that we’ve been seriously talking about getting a car, Fiat offered us one of their iconic Fiat 500 series cars to drive for a day. We, in all our middle-aged-yuppie delight jumped at the opportunity faster than you can say “Organic flat white” and started scheming up how we would spend our day gliding around without fussy bus drivers or uber drivers crunching on potato chips as they drive you.

We opted for heading to Kew Gardens- which, until this moment, had felt like too much of a hassle. Google Maps has it as an hour away from our home by public transport… or a measly 20 minutes by car!

When our car was dropped off, we all stared out the window at it non-stop. I could hardly get the kids dressed, but finally- we had all our clothes on, tossed some diapers and snacks in a bag, tossed our stroller in the boot (read: “trunk, ” if you’re American) and cheered as our friends pulled up to join us on our day out to Kew.

And then from there? Well, I wish I could give you a monumental break-down of the journey there. but the truth Is, it was just really easy. The kids chattered and sang in the back, I navigated and played DJ, and Tyler drove.

Because we had a car, we suddenly had the best of both worlds- access to an amazing city without the standard hassle of doing them. Plus, when you’re in a cool car like a Fiat 500- getting there becomes a fun part of the adventure, too.

It was tiny enough to squeeze into a small parking space on our street, and yet roomy enough to fit in two car seats and a stroller. Oh, and you can get an automatic car… which is really handy if you’re an American and/or need a free hand for trivial things like passing juice bottles back to kids in the back. It was the perfect fit for our family to get out and go.

And while it may not have broken our backs to get out to do something fun this time, it may have just been the final straw to break the proverbial camel’s back and push us into finally getting a car! (Because let’s be honest…. Going out with kids has enough challenges and it’s nice to take a shortcut when you can!)