I can vividly remember the look on my dad’s face (and the profanities on his lips) several years ago when I told him I was off to Uganda.
In essence, he really didn’t want me to go. For weeks he told me horror stories from the reign of Idi Amin, sent me emails about the dangers of travelling through Africa alone and pretty much convinced me that I would contract the Ebola virus.
None the less, the tickets were booked and off I went.
It was incredible.
But having become a parent a mere month ago, I have found myself questioning how comfortable I will feel when my own daughter comes of age and asks to go on school exchange, or tells me she is having a gap year OR that she is off to Uganda alone.
Am I a hypocrite? Yep. I think I am. These things will terrify me.
There’s no doubt in my mind that I want my children to travel, for us to travel as a family. But I’d be lying if I said I knew how to do this. Faced with the prospect of our first trip overseas with our brand new baby soon, I have been going back and forth on whether this is a) achievable and b) worth doing. So I have thought long and hard about why I want so badly for my daughter to see the world, even if she is too young to remember it, and I think the answer is this…
Fifteen years ago I told my parents how badly I wanted to do a school exchange program in Japan, and my mum worked nights to make it happen. So selfless, and so obviously done for my benefit with the hope that it would help to shape me. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this trip would be a life-changing experience, and the beginning of my life-long love affair with airports. I think when you’re young you take these things for granted. You don’t, or maybe can’t, appreciate them enough. You might even be like me, get to 30 and realise you’ve never said thank you. But despite this, many parents continually make selfless decisions and gestures in the hope of shaping their child’s identity.
That is the kind of parent I hope to become.
I want to be like my own mother, and encourage my daughter to see the world, and hopefully share some of these experiences with her.
So I’ve been wondering how travelling with kids will be different to travelling as an individual. And while everyone around me is quick to point out the obvious logistical challenges like the difficulty of flying, the added expense of nicer/cleaner/safer hotels and the perils of street food, my main thought is that travelling as a family allows me an opportunity I’ve not pursued before: travelling with purpose. The purpose being to deliberately expose my daughter to people, places, philosophies, foods and experiences that will ultimately help to shape her identity.
The trip my husband and I are considering is to see two of our best friends marry in Malaysia. Sure, our daughter will only be six months old and she won’t know what’s going on around her…but one day I’ll get to tell her stories from our trip, one day she might ask me why a wedding in Malaysia is different to the weddings she sees on TV and one day she might even see a family photograph from the wedding and realise that her parents were once young and adventurous and aspire to be the same. And just like me she probably won’t appreciate her parents’ efforts at the time, but maybe, just maybe those efforts will influence her life in a long lasting way.
Logistically, I think travelling with kids is one of those things that you have to learn by doing. You can research and prepare as much as you like but ultimately each kid, each family and each experience will be different. All you can do is be prepared for things not to go as planned, expect the unexpected and make sure you pack your sense of humour.
One thing is for sure though, traveling with a baby is going to be the mother of all adjustments! But it’s an adjustment I look forward to.
How did you adjust to travelling with kids? And how does travel as a family compare to travelling as an individual? Share your experiences in the comments!
Travelling with kids. EASY. Try travelling even within Australia to see how many anti-animal people are out there. And yes, my dog is my best friend.
I agree Graeme and I actually think it’s a problem that is in Australia as opposed to the rest of the world! If you look at how animals (particularly dogs) are treated and hosted in the USA and Europe, I think Australia has a lot to learn! Its become part of the culture to keep most places animal free and from that breeds an anti-animal sentiment but that doesn’t exist elsewhere! Our dog used to come with us whenever we travelled locally, at least there are lots of holiday parks and holiday homes that welcome them now!
My dog is such a big part of my life too Graeme, and finding pet-friendly accommodation is right at the top of my priority list when traveling within Australia! I think ‘fur babies’ are such an important part of so many people’s families nowadays that those places that do offer a pet-friendly environment are starting to get a real following. Hopefully we see more and more of them emerge in the not too distant future 🙂
My daughter went on her first flight when she was 6 months old. She took to it like a duck to water. She is now 17 and we have been to London, Paris, Maldives, Malaysia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Dubai and many others, I hope I have infused her with a desire to keep exploring the world. My regret is eventually she will want to travel with other people of her own age and not with me anymore ha ha.
Hi Bill, I am hoping for the same thing with my daughter. She has also been travelling since a young age and we are currently living in New York for a year or so. Whilst she might not remember these early trips, I am still hoping they will shape her in some way and spark her curiosity about the world. It’s fantastic to have such opportunities isn’t it!
Bill, you are my hero!
What amazing experiences for you and your daughter to share!
My husband and I would take at least two holidays (one domestic, one international) every year prior to having kids. Aaaah the days of being a DINK family. So we made a conscious decision to continue to travel with our kids. We took our son to Hong Kong, Germany and England when he was 12 months old and, as long as we stuck to his existing routine, he was so happy and really manageable. We just had to adjust our expectations .. for example hotels are easier than B&Bs (port-a-cots and in room dining), and we wouldn’t be out all night. Having 2 changed things a little for a while as it wasn’t as easy with 2 toddlers, but we are already looking forward to our next adventure with them. You would be surprised how much they love looking at photos of where they have been (particularly if they are in the photos) even if they can’t remember the trip.
Belinda, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there – it’s all about adjusting your expectations and opening yourself up to new kinds of experiences! I’m constantly amazed by what people with babies are achieving; a friend of mine with a ten month old leaves for New York next week to compete in the iconic New York Marathon…starting a family is definitely not always the ‘hand-brake’ I had initially expected. In fact, sometimes I think it’s the exact opposite and it can in fact be a motivator.
After watching your show on TV today I got onto your website and love it. So much interesting topics about travel. Just love it.
Love your site