Why Traveling With Kids Should Be Done Early and Often
So, it goes without saying, that sometimes we really need to get away from our children. Believe me, I know, and I’m not here to judge you. But, sometimes, it is important that we go traveling with kids too. Not only to make precious memories, but to give them a chance to see the world as it should be. As you become an adult, society and societal pressures can really weigh you down. They can even make you jaded and cynical. So that when you do travel the world that lens can alter and dominate your experience. This is especially true when you are traveling to more impoverished communities or communities with less tourist infrastructure.
For example, I have a friend who went on a trip to Belize, and I was dying to hear about his experience when he got back. All he could talk about was the poverty that existed outside of the resort towns. He could talk of nothing else. Further, he never wanted to travel outside of 1st world countries again after that experience, because he did not want to “see” the poverty. We had the similar experiences when we told people we were traveling to Cuba. The food sucks and the infrastructure is crumbling is all anyone could tell us about Cuba when we asked.
It blows me away, that there are people in the world that cannot see the beauty of a place because their own experiences have made them too closed off. But when you travel as a child, you are naturally more open to the world around you. So, here are the 8 reasons why traveling with kids should be done early and often.
1. Traveling Gets Children Away From Screens
Are your children addicted to screens? I know mine for sure are. These days in an over-connected world, it’s difficult to even raise children in the US without one. In fact, it’s even difficult to remove myself from my phone or computer. I always feel like our relationship with technology is out of balance. However, when we travel, we all disconnect from our screens and instead connect with the real world. We also spend a lot of time connecting with each other, and these days that is a luxury. The small goofy moments that happen on a trip are some of the best memories we have as a family. Memories like a squirrel jumping on me in the Grand Tetons trying to grab some of my food. Memories that I hope my children will carry with them forever.
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2. Traveling With Kids Makes Them Brave
Travel is filled with all kinds of dilemmas. From not knowing the language, to not knowing the area. You’re constantly having to adapt to ever-changing conditions and face new unexpected challenges. Part of the beauty of traveling is facing your fears and coming out on the other side a braver person.
When we were in Australia, we took a sailboat out to the Great Barrier Reef for a day trip. It rained and made the waves very choppy. And the boat basically jumped up and down with the waves. My son SCREAMED HIS HEAD OFF. Until we got to the island where we could snorkel, he screamed. He was so scared. But he still remembers that boat ride to this day, and has never ever been afraid to get on a boat ever again. Because he knows he can get through it.
3. Traveling Broadens Children’s Horizons
When we’re children, we are told that we can be anything, do anything. But we aren’t actually exposed to people playing different kinds of roles throughout the world, to know what the perfect role for us would be. So why not show children all kinds of different jobs while they are still young enough to aspire to them? Maybe seeing the awe-inspiring life in the ocean influences your child to be a marine biologist. Or going on a safari makes them want to be a safari guide and live amongst wild animals. Astronaut? Take them to a NASA Center. Farmer? Take them to one of these amazing regenerative and sustainable farms. When they are young, and you’re telling them that the world is their oyster, be sure you are showing them the world.
4. Introduce Children to New Cultures
This is a big one. When we never travel, we tend to grow up with the belief that our culture is the center culture. This closes us off. It closes us off to learning about different religions, different people, different ways of life. And what’s more, it closes us off from embracing those differences and that diversity. Being able to have experiences that allow us to learn from those cultures helps mold us as more open-hearted human beings. Allowing children to integrate into different cultures early teaches them to be more worldly. And more worldly children grow up to be adults who are able to collaborate more freely to find innovative solutions to the world’s problems.
5. Traveling With Kids Inspires Them to Protect Our Planet
It has been proven that guilt is a very low motivator for real action. Basically, only your mom is skilled enough to guilt you into doing chores 😊. Therefore, no progress is made through guilting people into protecting our planet. Instead, a more powerful motivator is inspiration. What could possibly be more inspirational than seeing some of the beauty of our amazing planet up close while still at a young age? Nothing.
The entire reason we went to Australia was due to the coral bleaching event that occurred around the world in 2017. I was afraid that I would live my life, never having seen the Great Barrier Reef. But when we got home, we made huge changes to our daily routine to protect our planet. We stopped eating beef, started recycling, and started buying sustainable products. We made those changes without hesitation. Why? Because my children couldn’t imagine living in a world where clownfish didn’t exist.
6. Ignite Their Passions
I think one of the greatest things about travel is the downtime children have just to think and daydream. The first few days of a trip my kids are always telling me they are bored. When I do nothing about it, they finally give up and try to find something worth their time. Drawing, reading, music, whatever it may be travel gives them the time and space to explore their passions. Or pick-up new passions. My daughter didn’t realize how much she really loved hiking until we built some trips around it. Now she can’t get enough. She even likes to come home and discover local hikes to do.
7. Travel Is Good For Mental Health
The workload that most children have to take on these days is insane. And the older they get, the worse it gets. Not only do children have hours of homework, but on top of it we fill their days with piano lessons, soccer, basketball, or other activities. Once our children are past the pre-k age, we stop letting them just be kids. As a result of this immense amount of pressure, their mental health is in a decline. Especially in teenagers and young adults. Traveling with kids can be just the mental health reset they (and you!) need. Taking away those obligations and just giving children the freedom to just be them. Additionally that time and those memories can have long-lasting effects and carry children through those tough times of stress. Travel can be an outlet for children just like it is for adults.
8. Leaving Room For Slow Travel
Finally, travel with children leaves room for slow travel. I personally believe that slow travel is one of the greatest things in the world. And you definitely have to slow down when jetting all over the world with your children. Some people see this as a downside to traveling with kids. Working around naps or not seeing that 5th museum because the kids are not into it.
Whatever the case may be, it can feel limiting. You feel like you aren’t getting to do everything you want. But, what if you are getting to do something you didn’t know you wanted? Stopping by a playground to give the kids a break and soak in some quality time. Hanging out by the pool drinking a beer while the kids beat jetlag on some floaties. Sleeping in and having a late pancake breakfast. Some of these moments end up being my favorite from a trip.
As you can see the benefits of lugging your children all over the world way outweigh the possible hardships of the logistics or any limitations in itinerary. Plus, good news is that the more you travel the easier these things become! So, for any parents out there afraid to travel with your children, go for it. Travel with kids early and often.
Are there other benefits of traveling with children that I missed? Let me know in the comments!
