Why Travel With Children?

When I had my first child, it never even crossed my mind to stop traveling. I knew our trips would look a bit different, that I would have to adapt to my child’s needs, and of course, that everything would become more challenging.

People criticized me for various reasons - that I was “torturing” such a small child or baby, that I was wasting money, because he wouldn’t remember anything, and even that traveling wouldn’t make me happy, and I should look for happiness elsewhere.

Well, I didn’t listen to any of that. I went on my first trip with my baby when he was seven months old. And that’s when I realized it was the best decision ever. It’s been almost nine years since that first trip and many more kilometers traveled - first with one child, then with two.

So, why travel with a child?

A child learns to wait - they learn patience

Patience isn’t something we’re born with. It’s something we learn and develop through upbringing. In today’s chaotic world, everything is available instantly, right here and right now. But when you travel, you often have to wait - sometimes several times a day. If your flight is delayed, if unforeseen events cause you to miss the last bus, if the car ride takes hours… With each new trip, both of my children have become increasingly patient and adaptable.

A child learns to be bored

Another big challenge for today’s children. With all the electronics, social media, and endless toys, kids hardly ever feel bored anymore. But when traveling, they often do - at least in the beginning. Somewhere halfway through the trip, boredom slowly transforms into creativity. It’s pure joy to watch them build a pirate ship out of natural materials on the beach, fueled by nothing but imagination, and then play for hours. Yes - without a single toy, without a phone, without the internet.

A child broadens their horizons

Life is so much more than school, work, and home. Meeting different people, cultures, religions, and ways of life - and learning to accept differences - is priceless. And that ability to embrace diversity is the best life lesson I can give them. Only then will they truly understand that the world isn’t black and white, but wonderfully colorful.

Priceless time together

This is our time - when we spend 24 hours a day together. Time without responsibilities, except deciding what we’ll see, what we’ll eat, and how long we’ll sleep. It’s the time when we relearn how to simply be together and enjoy each other’s company.

There is no room for selfishness

It would certainly be easier to leave the child at home with grandma and grandpa and go traveling on my own. But is that really what I want? Could I truly travel carefree, enjoy the beauty of the world, while pushing my child into someone else’s care? No. Because I am not selfish. I once read that we only have 18 summers before our children leave home and create their own families, their own lives. And I don’t want just those 18 summers - that’s why we will continue to make the most of every moment while traveling.

It’s not always perfect

However, I don’t want this to sound like traveling with children is always perfect, as if I’m only praising it and not being realistic. I’m a very realistic person, so I also want to share a few words about those times when everything goes wrong. Somehow, bad luck seems to follow us, and at least one child usually gets sick while traveling. Diarrhea, vomiting, ear infections, fever - we’ve experienced it all, and more. My husband and I like to joke that we simply have to test the healthcare system abroad, because a doctor’s visit never seems to escape us. From constant hunger, endless bathroom breaks, complaining because one child simply can’t stand the car seat or car rides. For our first trip with our second child, we decided to travel by car. It was during the time of COVID, when borders were slowly starting to reopen, so we chose a destination about five hours away from our hometown. At the time, we didn’t yet know that our younger son couldn’t tolerate the car seat or car rides at all. After just one hour, the crying began - and it went on and on. We couldn’t calm him down; songs didn’t help, stops didn’t help, and neither did food. Since then, we haven’t taken a car trip longer than three hours.

Make memories that will last forever

All of this is part of the travel experience. There are many challenges, even difficult moments, when you truly wonder if it’s all worth it. And yet, at the end of every trip, I always come to the same conclusion - it was worth it. Every journey, every new experience opens my horizons even more. And the sparkle in a child’s eyes while talking about adventures from the other side of the world is simply priceless.

So, if you’re wondering whether to go or not - yes, go. Experience it! Enjoy it!