Greetings caregivers of small humans! As we return from the holiday season and have a bit of time before spring and summer breaks, I thought it might be helpful to have a real world account of traveling with kids… and is it worth it?
I don’t remember traveling much as a child, but when I went away to college and had opportunities to travel abroad, I set my anxiety and homebodied nature aside and gave it a try. I went solo and made memories and friendships that will last for a lifetime and was hooked. Not only did I receive many bug bites, but also caught the travel bug… and it never went away. Traveling was a mental reset and something about seeing the way that other parts of the country and world gave me a perspective like no other. It was my passion, my recharge, and part of what made me, me. I met my husband through our love of travel. Prior to 2020 and having my own little one, my husband and I traveled… A LOT. We loved it. We couldn’t wait to start a family and show our child how awesome travel is.
Then, I had fertility treatments and a high risk pregnancy followed by a preemie baby…in a pandemic. Travel was off the table for almost 3 years. When we finally made our first travel attempt (a short trip to see family) she cried the whole time, barely slept, had the biggest blow out I have ever seen in the airport as the plane was boarding and then we all got sick. It was a rude awakening of how different travel looks as a parent. We tried a few months later, again to visit family. Her schedule was completely messed up, we were awake all hours of the night, and this time she screamed uncontrollably the entire 5 hour plane ride home. Fun fact: the airline lost our pack and play… twice. In addition, packing for travel with children five and under basically requires preparation not unlike what I imagine training for an Olympic sport is like. We decided to table travel topic and chill for a bit.
But once you have been bitten by the travel bug…it only stays dormant for so long. Slowly, we kept trying, always integrating family and having helping hands with us and telling ourselves it will only get easier! She started showing resilience. She would smile at flight attendants and sleep through the night in her slumber pod. She got to try new foods, learned to sleep in different settings, explored sand and snow, the smile and joy on her face in new places made our lives feel complete! Travel WAS worth it! We COULD do it! She was our little baby travel buddy… and kids under two fly free! We researched the internet for baby travel tips and followed them all. We thought we figured it out. But then, a la parenting, as soon as you think you figure something out, it changes. For us…she became a toddler…with opinions.. and her favorite word is no.
Our little one is almost three. We are about to embark on our first long, international trip, just the 3 of us, no family and no helping hands. Even more fun for me, she is in a mama only phase, where my partner can’t help her do anything… at all… As many preschool aged humans are, she is both a perfect angel and an irrational, emotional being who tests boundaries and has forgotten how to sleep through the night. Will it be worth it? Traveling with our baby was worth it but she’s not a baby anymore…Will traveling with our child be worth it? I once again turned to the trusty internet for travel tips, but this time instead of helpful tips and products to make your life easier, the tips were more along the lines of “Don’t have expectations, give up on any set plans during travel, it’s going to be messy, and have a back up plan”… uh oh…
So as we embark on this experiment, I’ll report back next month to the resounding question… was it worth it? And if so, what are actual, tangible helpful tips and tricks?
Stay tuned for next month’s blogs:
Traveling With Young Children: Is it worth it and are there any tips or tricks that actually work?