Reply to Traveling With Toddlers...How Much to Push Them?

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Reply to "Traveling With Toddlers...How Much to Push Them?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Ok, I'm very much one of those people who believes you can travel with little kids and do things like international trips and trips to cities and things that people often stay away from with kids. But here are some of my tips based specifically on what you say in your OP:

Give up on the idea of your "dream trip". Traveling with kids means allowing your kids to influence the course of the trip. Like we're not going to stay out at jazz clubs until 3am with a toddler, even though that's very much a thing I like doing when I travel. But I've also discovered some joyful things this way. I've sat on a beach at 6am, with no one around, and sung songs with my 1 year old while the waves roll in. I've walked through a light drizzle in the early morning hours in Seattle right as the coffee shops open, with a kid in a stroller. I have a fond memory of napping on our hotel room bed in Paris with my 3 yr old, with the windows open and a street performer playing a violin somewhere below. These things happened because a child's schedule sometimes dictates early morning entertainment, afternoon naps, and the like. Let it happen and embrace it.

More specifically: be prepared. I never go anywhere, ever, without at least 4-5 snacks in my bag. Ever. I never want to be in a situation where I'm hunting for an age-appropriate meal in a foreign city as a child melts down. Same with water. Same with a toy or two.

But also: look at the world through your child's eyes. Once you realize what appeals to them and excites them, you can often find something they'll like almost anywhere. All cities have parks and playgrounds. Animals are almost always a hit, even pigeons. On the other hand, kids hate: waiting, listening to the grown ups talk about grown up things for long periods of time. Arrange your day to avoid this stuff. Do not try to drag a toddler to a museum with a 30 minute wait at the entrance. Do not expect to spend leisurely afternoons at a coffee shop with a child who no longer reliably naps in a stroller.

And finally: if something goes wrong, it's okay. Meltdowns in the airport? It's okay. Have to scrap your dinner plans to do take out at home because your kid got carsick? It's okay. It's life. Make a memory of it, find a way to laugh at the mishaps, tell the story later with good humor. Travel isn't about things being perfect and everyone being happy all the time. It's about trying new things, seeing the world from a new perspective, stretching yourself a bit and seeing if you grow in the process. It's all good.[/quote]

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