When should you start traveling with your kids? Short answer - immediately.
I remember clearly the first trip we took with our 6 month old son. I will be eternally grateful to my in-laws for offering up the second bedroom in their Florida condo rental! Initially, the logistics seemed so overwhelming we almost backed out. I was still nursing, flying with an infant who had frequent ear infections and babies need SO MUCH STUFF. We had to rent a minivan just to fit the STUFF. (FYI - it took a grand total of 1 trip to figure out what could be left behind next time, and it was a lot.)
Our son had his feet in the Atlantic Ocean at 6 months and the Pacific Ocean before he was a year. He traveled well from the get go, but our daughter, on the other hand, was a bit more of a challenge. None of us got any sleep her first few trips, but we persisted. By age 2 she was as much of a road warrior as her brother.
People told us we were crazy, but it was the best decision we could have made. Our kids may not have been old enough to remember all of our trips, but they were old enough to learn. To this day, on every trip we take, they absorb their surroundings, feel peace when in nature, come alive in urban areas, try local foods and most of all, they experience.
The Early Years
Free airfare - take advantage of kids fly free until 2 and rack up the miles! I have 2 words for you my friends – GATE CHECK. You absolutely need that stroller and car seat combo while you are wheeling around the airport, but you don’t on the plane. Best of all, if you gate check it, you don’t have to pay for it! You get a stroller and car seat checked for free with almost all airlines, whether at the gate or the counter, but if you take it to the gate, it will be waiting for you when you step off the plane.
Skip the gear - I was a 1st time parent, too. There was absolutely no way my infant was sleeping in the pack 'n play that 500 other kids had slept in – until I realized a clean sheet and a Clorox wipe were a lot easier to pack (or buy, or get from the hotel) than a 48” x 12” x 12” bag.
Snacks and diapers - mission critical, but you also get an additional personal item (hello diaper bag) on most airlines when traveling with kids under 5. Speaking of diapers – just fill that bag with what you need for the plane ride and the first day. There are not many destinations without a place to buy diapers, even if that precious baby bottom can only be touched by absorbent pulp from sustainably harvested forests and GMO-free corn. Same goes for snacks – think plane ride and one day in the hotel. Buy everything else when you get there. Who knows? Baby may learn to love something new!
Destinations - beach trips are great for the littlest travelers, but don’t be afraid to try something different. Explore the city streets with a stroller, the trails with a carrier or even tackle Disney – you might think Pre-K is too young for the Magic Kingdom, but I will never forget the wonder on our daughter’s face when she met Snow White for the first time at age 3. Added bonus – you don’t need a ticket if your kiddo is under 3 (her bday was while we were there, still free AND lots of magical moments for her special day)!
Elementary
Oh the places you'll go - by this time, your kids will be seasoned travelers! It’s time to push the boundaries and go wherever you want to go – your kids will have fun just being with you. We still love the beach, but most of our favorite recent trips have been to National Parks.
Experience nature - I have talked about our animal game before – if this is your first read, my husband came up with the idea to pay winnings to the first person to spot every species of animal native to the area we are in. What makes it interesting - if Mom or Dad are first, the kids have to cough up the cash! Our kids absolutely love playing and we love that it keeps their eyes away from screens and toward the windows. When you enter a National Park, ask the ranger at the entrance station for the list of animals found in the park. Most have one, complete with pictures and descriptions, and it gives an A to Z of what to be on the lookout for.
Junior Rangers - the program is another National Parks highlight. You can dabble or go all in, and no matter how you participate it is completely free (and by completely free I mean no more than what you already paid to get in the park ;)). How it works: Kids age 5-13 complete a series of activities during a park visit to earn a patch and certificate. Their motto is “Explore, Learn, and Protect”. Once your kiddo has completed the required amount of activities (based on age) they head to a Visitor Center and share their activity book with a ranger. There is a very “official” ceremony where kids raise their right hands and recite the motto. Most of the larger parks sell vests and hats for patches. Tip from our Adventure Travel Specialist Gail Clark: You can also buy vests at Bass Pro – more affordable and more room for badges. Our kids have even been given some really unique gifts from the rangers after being sworn in – the last was a great book at Sleeping Bear Dunes written by a local author.
Souvenirs - escape the dreaded trip to the souvenir shop by starting family collections. We buy a Christmas ornament on each of our vacations. The best part of decorating for Christmas every year is going through the boxes of ornaments with our kids and reminiscing about where we got each one. Our daughter collects souvenir tokens from each National Park she visits (beware, they are new and not all parks have them yet) and our son coins. If your family likes to hike, medallions make really cool additions to walking sticks and you can pick one up at the Visitor’s Center at most of the parks.
Tweens
Entertainment - we have recently entered the tween stage and know how precious those moments away from electronics can be. Our key – keep them busy! We have gone white water rafting, horseback riding, camping, jet skiing, kayaking and on A LOT of hikes. We use the REI Parks app for national park trail maps. We let the kids look at the different hikes before we go and pick their favorites.
Memories and dreams - getting them to start a travel journal is an absolute parental win. Voluntary writing you say? It works. Have a budding photographer? Novel concept these days– print their pictures. Our daughter was thrilled to cut her favorite shots into shapes to paste into her journal. She loves writing about her experiences. She also loves looking up information about places she wants to go and journaling about them. Today's travel dreams will be tomorrow's memories!
Involve them in the decisions - it's time to let those tweens lead and learn not only about the places you go, but how to get there. Let your kids figure out how to navigate airports. Tell them what flight you are on and have them lead you to the gate. Road trip? They can map your route and be your co-pilot. Have them use Roadtrippers to plan stops at places that interest them - face it, they are probably more tech-savvy than you are. Have the kids make the playlist for your trip. Their favorite music in the car will keep headphones off and let the conversation flow. Don't worry, you get to sneak some of your favorites in there, too and expand their musical horizons. Proud parental moment - when requests for The Beatles and Beastie Boys top Post Malone.
The Next Generation
Create future travelers - our family mission is to make it to all 50 states before our kids graduate high school. We got a family travel map - the kids love marking all their new states when we get back from our trips. Every fall when their teacher asks, "What was your favorite thing you did this summer?", we love that their response is "Family vacation!"
We have a deal with our kids - if they get a college scholarship, we will take them any place in the world the year before they start university. Current picks - Paris for our daughter, Dubai for our son. How amazing is it that our kids have plans to see the world while they are still in elementary school? We see our love of travel growing in them, and can't wait to see them pass it down to the next generation of explorers.
Take the trip. Get outside.
Explore | Dream | Discover | The Road
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