When I became pregnant I heard over and over again how my wanderlust ways would have to come to an end. People assume that traveling with a baby is impossible but it’s not. We planned many affordable family vacations despite the negative comments and now have the most amazing memories. Here are 5 reasons to travel with kids!
You’re Forced to Slow Down and Notice the Small Things
The biggest change I noticed when traveling with my girls was that I wasn’t moving as fast as I usually did. At first I was a little annoyed, I wanted to get out and see as much as possible. I had a checklist and needed to cross everything off. As my kids got older I realized a lot of my travel was exactly that, just checking things off but not really taking it in. Traveling with toddlers prevented me from moving as fast, in turn enhancing my travel experience. Due to their vantage point they see things I don’t and are always pointing them out for me.
A time that sticks out is when we were on the beach in Phuket. My youngest was crawling in the sand and noticed some baby crabs walking along the shoreline. We would have totally missed this had she not pointed it out. We watched them go in and out of their shells for next 20 minutes!
You Learn More Traveling with Kids
“What is that?” “What are they doing?” “Why?” Those are just a few of my kids favorite questions. I don’t know about your kids but mine will not take “I don’t know” for an answer. I’ve learned to love this, as I learn more since I am forced to get the answers to their questions.
You Meet More People Traveling with Kids
Children are natural icebreakers! I’ve engaged in conversations with more people than I normally would because of my girls. Sometimes the conversation starts just by someone giving them a compliment or because my eldest says hi to everyone. Once this happens the floodgates open and the conversation continues. This has often led to us finding out about a cool place or nice restaurant in the city we are visiting that we otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
Your Children Will Easily Adapt to Different Situations
No car, we have to take a tuk tuk? No forks, we must use chopsticks? No traditional bed, we have to sleep on the floor? No problem! My girls know about different modes of transportation, different foods (my eldest is far from a picky eater), and know things won’t always be as they are at home and that’s okay. I know travel is making a positive impact on their personality, outlook on the world and even their behavior.
Family Travel is Educational
I am a firm believer that most things learned are taught outside of the classroom and travel is a great teacher. Even at 2 years old my eldest has learned that there are many different types of people in the world who all look very different. She knows and understands there are different languages spoken and different foods served based on where you live. She doesn’t have negative preconceived notions about people who are different from her, in fact she has plenty examples of many different types of people who have been kind to her.
If you haven’t taken a trip with your kids yet, go for it, the memories you create will last a lifetime! Have we inspired you to travel with kids? Here are 8 tips for flying with babies, 5 tips for flying with toddlers, and tips on surviving long haul flights with kids. Share this article to inspire someone else!
