Why We Travel with Our Kids
For many experienced travelers, the thought of making space for new tiny cargo is a far-flung concept. But once a new addition comes into your life, you’re forever changed— and the way you travel is, too.
Before the kids, my husband and I trekked across Eritrea.
We trekked across Eritrea, and we smuggled ourselves through a pre-Houthi war in Yemen to reach Socotra, a Galapagos-like island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We hiked up razor sharp volcanic glass and dodged lava balls in Kamchatka, a peninsula in the Russian Far East. We got engaged on the side of the road on a mountain pass in Kurdistan, where a passing shepherd took our photo.
Then our new piece of (cute, and totally portable) cargo arrived, but with my husband working as a travel photographer, we never thought twice that life would have to come to a halt because we had started a family. Was it blind determination, naïveté, or because we wanted to be together? Time would only tell, but we decided to reframe travel to fit the needs of our babies (hint: no flying lava balls).
For experienced travelers, the thought of entertaining an infant with the inflight magazine on a long haul flight, jimmying a stroller across cobblestone streets or carrying a toddler against his will like a football through Myanmar’s temples doesn’t sound like anything anyone wants to be a part of. And it certainly doesn’t fit in line with the more intrepid version of travel we once identified with.
I would soon find out, and every person with children reading this will nod their heads in unison— parenthood is its own odyssey without the flight logistics, packing, car-renting, language-learning, navigating, organizing, or toddler-schlepping. On the other hand, we’ve quickly learned that there is no better experience than combining these two endeavors.
In the end, though, parenting has taught us how to travel better, and travel taught us how to be better parents. Below are some philosophies we’ve gleaned from traveling with our kids:
It’s never been logistically easier to travel with children.
In our increasingly connected world, there is always some sort of infrastructure in the destination you arrive in.
If not, then we have the tech to find out what we need and where to go. You can most always find diapers, baby wipes and other infant amenities wherever you go, and clinics are usually reachable in the rare case something happens.
We have more streamlined pieces of gear to assist us logistically- breathable baby carriers, compact strollers, and the apps that get us from A to B. Take advantage of the pre-boarding, bulkhead seats, extra snacks and extra care airlines usually extend to families. In this case, your baby can be your best travel partner.
Kids are door openers.
Two universal truths: Babies and children exist everywhere, and people usually love them.
They are the rhetorical door openers in any situation. We have found that wherever you go, there is no easier way to start a conversation than with a baby in your arms. When our daughter was an infant we’d pass her around the plane like a disgruntled coconut— she didn’t love it, but we met and started conversation with fellow travelers, found out what to do, where to stay, and were invited places because of her. Thanks, Sia!
Since then, our daughter herself has developed that muscle, and is now used to communicating herself, makes new friends and playmates around the world easily.
Because your kids view life with innocent eyes, it in turn reframes how we perceive the world. Being a parent allows you to be more vulnerable and closer to strangers without it being awkward. And by taking care and being more intentional where to go and what to do because your children are will you, it will open your eyes and heart to another side of travel.
The benefits of travel for children are substantial.
For kids, there are so many long-term benefits of travel which we would hope guides them to becoming more curious, open-minded and empathetic adults. From the patience developed in sitting in long car rides, learning a few phrases in a new language, adapting to make new friends on playgrounds, learning to read a map or trying Dad’s suspect-looking pickled herring, these are all experiences out of their comfort zones that build flexibility and adaptation.
“They're going to start learning the tools for developing meaningful relationships, especially across differences, from an early age. Travel has the potential to create a new narrative that teaches children about the similarities with others and lays a strong foundation, especially in the early years. We have the potential to raise a generation that knows how to live and coexist with each other.”
— Dr. Robyn Hancock, Early Childhood and Global Citizenship Educator.
A Few Starter Tips for Traveling with Children
If you’re leaping into travel with an infant and were previously used to uninterrupted hours at the Tate, coupled with a glass of pinot grigio and a good book— or like us, driving eight hours on a nondescript road through northern Kurdistan to reach an obscure UNESCO site before nightfall— traveling with a baby changes things. But we’ve learned a few mindset changes that make it enjoyable for all.
For babies and younger children, plan a trip the way you would want to travel.
Children are so flexible, don’t need much to have a great time, and including them in your travels raises the bar on your creativity. Turn a roadside waterfall into your water park, make a family-owned boutique hotel your family-friendly hotel. Traditional “family friendly” establishments are great with a grain of salt and oftentimes essential if done sparingly, but you might tire of them quickly. The trick is to be creative in making every place fun. It’s just as possible to have an incredible time in the more intimate boutique hotel in town, and most of these accommodations are so happy to cater to families.
That being said, make sure to book a period of downtime if doing more strenuous traveling or spending long stretches in the car. A few days at one place with a swimming pool does wonders for everyone in the family. Balancing and your pace of travel to accommodate for baby, siblings, Mom and Dad all together is the key.
For older kids, include them in the planning.
Watch videos on YouTube to visually prep them for what they will experience. Open out a map and let them try out their geography skills, Let them help with some of the research. It will also give you new insights into what they enjoy, and what kind of person they are becoming. Who knows, they might suggest something you’ve never thought of and will change your own experience with the place.
During your trip, patience is key. Travel mom Kristin Dennett of the world family travel blog Inclined2Travel says, “Allow extra time for everything and lower expectations of the things you will do in one day. If you plan you will only see one or two things a day (instead of three or four) then you won’t be disappointed. After all, even getting out the door takes longer with kids!"
The secrets of playgrounds and plazas.
One of the best ways to get a vibe of a city is the local playground. Because it’s a safe space and kids and babies are present, people themselves are usually uninhibited, natural, and open for striking up a conversation. Plazas and city squares can be just as fun and open for kids to run around, and mom and dad can share a well-deserved sangría. Win/win.
Trade off some responsibility with your partner.
Does your better half like to photograph medieval castles and subterranean cave systems? Do you like to meander through Helsinki’s art district with circular Kamupak cup of coffee and marvel the painstakingly gorgeous porcelain Tasses? (Not speaking from experience, of course). Send the kids with him and hit the gallery by yourself. Splitting up the job makes the entire movement more sustainable— literally— for all.
