You know what really, really drove me insane when I was pregnant with my first baby? Not the morning sickness, not the reflux, not that I could no longer see my toes, or the constant necessity to go to the bathroom way more than should be humanly necessary.
Nope the most annoying part of being pregnant was being told that I won’t be travelling anymore.
Or at least not very often. Even the hubby subtly attempted to suggest that our travelling days were to become a lot more restricted – he had no idea what I had planned!
I was the sort of person who would be planning the very next trip as soon as I had stepped off the last plane, if not before leaving from the current trip. Being told that your most cherished interest would be ripped away from you because you choose to have a family was a bitter pill to swallow.
I have always been focused on working hard, saving the dollars and being able to fly myself off to the next exciting destination. I am not the sort of person who can just go through the motions of a ground hog routine taking the chance that something outstandingly interesting will happen. Life is not meant to be lived inside a tiny little box.
So why is there such an incredibly overwhelming opinion that having a family means staying home and closing the door on adventure? After all they are just little versions of ourselves so with a little care and planning isn’t anything still possible. I sure think so.
I was so adamant to prove people wrong that both my kids had their first passport photos taken laying on their backs in the Australia Post office cause they couldn’t yet sit up. And ten years on we are still travelling strong with our kids with no plans to stop.
Today I am aiming to dispel all those well-worn arguments over why travelling with kids is too difficult. Check out these excuses below…..think you may have used one of them before or had someone else thrown them your way?
Please let me attempt to persuade you to think differently.
Excuse 1: Why Bother – Your Kids Won’t Remember Anything
Whilst young kids won’t remember finer details of a holiday when they are young there is no denying that they remember the overall experience and feelings. They remember the building excitement before you leave home, when packing the bags and talking about the trip, filling their little minds with excitement.
They remember the little things, like another kid they may meet and play with or the cool park they got to visit. They recall the points of difference such as the different food or different climate.
Perhaps the biggest things kids will remember is the dedicated time for them to be with their family without external distractions. They associate holidays with being able to spend more time with their brother or sister and to receive quality one on one time with parents.
Importantly with this excuse I think it is super important for parents to not fall into the trap of a holiday being only about the kids. You need to allow yourself to keep travelling once you have kids - and keep living a life full of fun and adventure. Kids are an addition to your life, not an anchor to never go anywhere again.
Excuse 2: I am not Flying with a Baby or Toddler
I have touched on this issue in my Make travelling with kids fun article however the reality of flying with kids is that the vast majority of other passengers are helpful, considerate and friendly to kids on planes.
Unfortunately, yes there are also highly opinionated and downright rude people who have the ability to make parents feel unworthy of being able to travel with their kids but fortunately they are outnumbered by the nicer ones.
I remember reading some extremely scathing comments on travel advisory boards when my kids were babies that filled me with terror at the thought of my kids playing up in front of such a contained audience on a plane.
Now, after years of travelling with my kids I have really reached the point of not caring what people think. You can only do your best and the experience itself is never as difficult as your own imagination would like you to believe.
As long as you do your best not to impede and worsen the experience for other passengers, most people will accept you are doing your best in a challenging environment.
Note: even as a parent the one thing that will guarantee to drive your fellow travellers nuts is allowing your kids to kick the chairs in front or hang off the back of the seat pushing back and forth. Keep your kids from doing this and you will be sweet :-)
There are loads of advice and other blogs giving some fabulous ideas to make the flying with kids thing easier. Some of my best tips include:
Plenty of snacks – food fixes most things! And a range of age specific activities such as colouring in, sticker books – I find it best to take things that are disposable so that you can lighten your load when you reach your destination.
Just be okay with screen time and bring kids their own set of headphones as the plane ones rarely fit or stay on little ears
Bring a change of clothes on board the plane – you never know when spills and accidents require a full change for the whole family
Check your airline provides pillows and blankets – much easier to get little ones to sleep if they can curl up warm and cozy
I always try to select seats towards the back of the plane – generally flights fill up from the front so if there are vacant seats they are likely to be found at the back of the plane – more room to spread out especially when you have babies or infants on laps
Be prepared to walk and wander. Kids need to move and you may spend a considerable amount of time on a flight with toddlers needing to stretch their legs. The galley area near the exits are usually an okay spot to let them stretch out.
Board one parent first to set up the seats and pull out all the necessities from bags without juggling kids at the same time. The other parent can then board the flight at the last moment with the kids (nothing worse than restless kids before the plane even pulls away from the gate)
If travelling with two or more kids it can also help to split the kids between the parents and to sit separately. Gives a little more space from sibling squabbles and they can swap seats throughout the flight for a change of scenery and to do something different with the other parent
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm – kids can sense when parents are getting stressed and uptight. Take your time and stay patient and relaxed and everything is more than likely going to be fine.
For more fantastic tips to make flying easier with kids you can check out this link from Lisa at FlipFlopGlobetrotters
Excuse 3: It Costs Too Much
There is absolutely no doubt that travelling with kids is more expensive than solo travel. It requires careful budgeting and planning but is still very achievable.
For us the lure and passion for travel is enough to make us work hard and save to get there. It comes down to how badly you want it. What are you willing to give up in order to save more money, or committed to do to earn more money to pay for it?
Having said that, there are definitely some big cost savers when it comes to booking family travel. If you are interested in some awesome tips for finding cheaper travel for families check out my article on 11 Tips for Affordable Family Travel.
Want more? Make sure you sign up to my newsletters for updated travel deals and destination advice to make family travel more affordable.
Excuse 4: It’s not a Holiday – It’s Just Hard Work
I like to argue this point quite vehemently. Firstly, being at home now that you have kids is just harder across the board.
Yep. No secrets here. Life since having kids is way more complicated! It’s demanding, your patience is constantly worn thread bare and of course every day of the week is a juggle to balance the fifteen plates that you manage to keep spinning in sync.
This doesn’t mean that you would choose not to have a family. You grow resilient to the pressure and in some ways thrive under the pressure cooker conditions. Read how to make your next trip with kids fun and easy. There are loads of tips to make life easier for travelling parents.
Holidaying with kids is no different. It can be extremely challenging, but the benefits and highlights far outweigh any negatives.
The key to a successful family holiday really just comes down to a can-do attitude and some seriously good planning and forethought. I spend a lot longer planning and booking my trips with kids to ensure the balance is right and to blend enough highlights for both adults and kids. If you would prefer someone else to help do the planning for you then check out my personal travel planner service.
You need to consider the times of day you are travelling. You need to factor in rest times and plenty of unstructured play or relaxation time for the kids. I always mix hustle and bustle with open spaces and fresh air. Kids just need more time to recover and get ready for the next big activity or sightseeing.
You won’t get far trying to pack too much into one particular day so I now always look to at least 2-3 nights in any one place so we can travel more slowly. This is actually a really wonderful way to travel and I look back at past travel experiences where we whirl-winded through some places without really taking anything in and miss the opportunity I had to experience it differently.
Excuse 5: It’s Not Safe
The media does a really sensational job at making us feel like the World is a big dangerous place. Without sounding too blasé you really just need to get on with life. Take heed of any travel advisories through DFAT or your Government travel advisory but keep the momentum when it comes to exploring all corners without fear or trepidation.
Use your common sense and trust your gut feelings to keep your family safe and check out my guide to child safety when travelling.
You just never know what lies around the corner and you will kick yourself if you haven’t lived your life to the max. Work will always be there, day to day demands will never disappear, your kids however will grow up and you might just miss out on spending some absolutely amazing moments with them.
Excuse 6: You Have Too Much Gear Travelling with a Baby
Whilst travelling with babies and infants can involve planning with military precision there are some handy hints to get you travelling lighter and easier.
Yes you will need to travel with more gear but thankfully this is only for a shorter period when your kids are babies and toddlers. As they grow up things get simpler again and you can return to normal travel packing.
In the meantime latch onto my Travel Packing List or read about how we packed for 5 countries in 5 weeks with two young children!
To help you factor in everything start shopping with my guide to the best travel gear for families.
I hope I have encouraged and inspired you to take the plunge. Live bravely and start travelling with your family. Taking a holiday with your kids is truly addictive - trust me!
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