Traveling with kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you only go to super “safe” places with your kids? Or are you willing to go off the beaten path?

I would love to take my kids to places like Nicaragua, Rwanda, etc but my husband refuses to let me. So we go to super boring “safe” places like the Caribbean or Canada.

I want my kids to see the world, not just nice resorts.

My mom had this attitude. She dragged us as toddlers backpacking in Guatemala during the most intense war years. It was miserable for everyone involved. After that awful trip (which forms one of my earliest memories) we stayed on the beaten path until we were teens.

Travel to more developed countries unless you're from there until your kids are at least old enough not to be constantly putting things in their mouths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is downright insane to hitchhike in foreign countries with your kids. Or even in the US for that matter. I think you can do these trips safely on guided tours.

Op - I literally hitch hiked all over Latin America in the back of pick up trucks for 2 years. Never once had a problem.

Same experience. But I don't do it with my kids because that's foolhardy. Do you know how many people get tossed out of the backs of pickup trucks and have major head injuries or die? I know several people who've had accidents like this. Putting your kids at that kind of risk just so that you can still feel hip is idiotic.

[Anonymous]

You are making this way more weird and complicated that it needs to be. Hitching with kids? Who’s going to pick up 4 people on the side of the road? Are you going to ride in their truck bed?

Be normal, OP. Go to someplace not ultra touristy, rent an apartment/airbnb, rent your own car and go exploring on your own, visit local restaurants/street vendors, visit markets and cook some of the stuff you buy. This is how you have an adventure while being safe, responsible, and making the trip enjoyable for everyone. You don’t have to stay at all inclusive resorts, we never do.

[Anonymous]

OP, I know and admire a single mom (maybe she posts here) who has traveled the world and had amazing adventures pre-parenthood. She infuses her toddler's life with so much adventure. Even when our kids were babies, she was traveling locally, checking out new spots. It's just who she is. I have no doubt that she will continue to bring excitement and adventure to their lives together. But to my knowledge, none of her travels with her child involve mysterious snacks on a chicken bus.

I agree with the other posters that adventure is what you make of it and can be found closer to home. Kids love and crave routine - can you "discover" a local beach that you visit together? Think of these next few years as providing the home base that your children will be prepared to stray from and explore - and feel about coming home to.

I'm not trying to put you down, but from the description, it sounds like DH is trying to prioritize the mental health and physical well-being of your family at this stage. Gently, is there something else that might at issue here? I know that when I get the travel bug, I either book a flight, or examine how I can have mini adventures in the meantime.

Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everywhere

My DH is very risk adverse. The most adventuresome he has ever been traveling is Greece. I have lived all over Latin America and traveled by bus, hitch hiking, walking, etc.

Kids are under 10 years old.

I did wait to go to countries with a high risk of gastrointestinal illness until they were big enough that I didn't have to worry as much about them being dehydrated. I wouldn't take a 4-year-old to India for instance where they can get dehydrated really quickly if they caught a bug. But I have no problem taking my 11-year-old there. She has enough body mass and will drink when I tell her to drink.

This. I wouldn't take small kids ( under 8) to exotic places since they are more sensitive to dehydration. My soon to be 10 year old is finally strong enough to walk certain distances, drink and eat, take pills when needed to etc.

[Anonymous]

We go pretty much everywhere with our kids. Currently in Zimbabwe with them, we’ve been all over the world and while we don’t go to places that are actively dangerous beyond the usual common sense precautions we don’t let fear dictate our lives.

[Anonymous]

There’s a significant difference between a Caribbean all-inclusive resort and gorilla trekking in Rwanda (where the minimum age is 15). You can explore the world with your family and learn a lot and have authentic experiences without hitchhiking in Central America.
Honestly op I find it hard to believe that you and your husband have such opposing views of life.

[Anonymous]

I don’t take my kids everywhere. Safety is a main concern. I’d like to do trips to Egypt, Jordan or Israel for example but won’t take my kids when we do. Certain parts of Africa I won’t take them to as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You want to hitch hike with kids? Why? Go wherever but hire a car or a guide. You'll see more and more efficiently in many cases.
Once you are a parent you are responsible for your kids safety and not just your own. Including if something happens to you.

Op - because it is an easy and convenient way to get around some countries. And a typical mode of transportation. That or buses.

A car service just makes you stick out like a sore thumb.

You can’t be serious. No I don’t think you need to drag your kids around Latin America hitch hiking to have a pleasant travel experience. You seem stuck in a 90s backpacker mindset frankly. Who cares if you stick out? Everyone Ubers or hires a car and yes even in developing countries.

[Anonymous]

My kids are pre-K and elementary school age. We only do safe places. If I want to do an adventurous trip, I go with DH or with my friends. I don’t think off the beaten path travel would be fun with them, at least not at this age. At a resort, we can all have fun and I can relax some too.

[Anonymous]

Those gorillas will kill you. Didn't you see congo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We go pretty much everywhere with our kids. Currently in Zimbabwe with them, we’ve been all over the world and while we don’t go to places that are actively dangerous beyond the usual common sense precautions we don’t let fear dictate our lives.

Yes, but OP is talking about hitch hiking with her kids. I'd think any parent was a lunatic who told me they were going to hitch hike across America with their kids. It's not more okay because she gets to pretend to be cool and traveled.

[Anonymous]

I’m trying to figure out how a person that leans towards hitchhiking around Latin America ended up married to someone that likes to vacation at AI resorts or similar. Like? Those just seem like very different profiles that would cause all sorts of issues when dating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family is from a 3rd world country. I am very careful when I take my children. Kids and adults in my country die every year from lack. Even my cousin’s husband died from a simple infection that became bigger. When I visit home, I know how to navigate. In foreign countries, I do not. So I am careful.

+1

Availability of medical care is key. OP, we get it, you’re so special because you love street food and hitch-hiking.

I’ve been everywhere but am careful with my kids. OP sounds like a wannabe influencer and kind of glib.

You have to have a respect for the danger too. That you don’t have that respect shows me you haven’t seen real risk; call me back when you know someone who died of a snake bite overseas or died literally of cholera. Two real stories of people my parents knew within the past few decades (not 1920 or something).