“I plan to be on paternity leave with Judith for about six months in total, including one month of double days.”
Taking paternity leave was an obvious choice for Johannes. But choosing to travel to Australia for some of that time was a slightly less obvious choice. He started his paternity leave by taking out double days and traveling to Sydney in Australia with his family. They stayed there with Johannes’s sister for a whole month.
Thanks to our double days, we could swim, read books, drink coffee and cook.
“My first week on paternity leave definitely had a wonderful vacation vibe to it. Thanks to our double days, we could swim, read books, drink coffee and cook, either together or taking it in turns.
In another six months, I’ll be starting the second part of my paternity leave and have sole care of Judith. I’m guessing that will feel less like a vacation…”

4 things I want to do during my paternity leave
- Get to know other dads
- Cook – do a lot of slow cooking
- Exercise with kids – how do you do that? I need to figure out the best way to work out!
- Learn more about how babies develop and perceive the world around them. Babies have some cool skills that disappear as they grow older.