So many of my friends can’t believe the amount of travel my family and I do, especially because two of our party of four are younger than seven years old. They are constantly saying how hard it is to travel with kids, what a hassle it can be and more times than not, it’s not that fun!
That got me wondering, why are there bad vibes when it comes to Family travel? Sure kids can be tough at times, but so can adults yet many adults do it all the time. One thing many people overlook are the true magical moments of traveling with your family!
5 Amazing Reasons to Travel with Your Family and Kids:
1. Quality time with the family
What is the number one thing missing from our daily lives? Spending time with your kids. Time to simply enjoy being with our kids and other half! When traveling you are together. Yes, at first it can be a bit tough since you’re not used all this time together. But the moments that you get are so magical, that it’s hard to ever want to return.
2. Educational
Watching TV, surfing the Web, reading books or looking at magazines is just not the same as BEING THERE and DOING IT! I can tell my kids all about the leatherback turtle making her way back to the ocean after laying her eggs. They’ll listen to me, nod, probably pretend to be interested. But if you ask them the next day anything about it, they’ll most likely say – “leatherback who?” But when we did this ourselves, saw the turtles, released the babies – my son still talks about that moment. And if we ever see it on TV, he says, “Mama, remember that time I held a baby turtle and sent it out to sea?”
3. Learning About People
Traveling is my kid’s playground! Not only do they learn about a new place, a new country, a new world, it’s also a lot of play time for them. And playtime for kids usually means meeting other kids, whom are usually from the place we are visiting. What do they learn? That they are just like us, no matter the color or the language they speak. When it comes down to it, they all love to play the same way and they all need to be hugged and kissed by their parents at one point or another during the day.
4. Bonding With Your Kids
This is sooooo big for us. So big, it’s hard to describe it. My kids are six years apart. My baby is almost two and my oldest is almost eight. So their daily routines rarely keep them in the same place for more than a couple of hours a day. So when we travel, my boys really hang out with each other. They play together. My oldest watches and protects the baby. They learn to respect each other. And during these moments is when their love for each other truly blossoms. It’s much more than me telling my oldest, “One day you and your baby brother are going to be best friends,” Which he blows off with a – sure-mom-whatever-you-say-hand, and actually becoming friends with your brother!
5. Love
I’m not getting all mushy and weird. But, come on, how many people in your life do you really and truly love? I can name a handful. And during normal, chaotic days of life, you have little chance to express it and show it to them. Travel is just that. You get to be with your loved ones, you get to sleep in the same room with them, see them do all the fun things you love to do, and most importantly, they are experiencing the same love as you are!
If these five points don’t sell you to get out and travel with your kids – then you are truly missing out on the best things in life!
For a successful family vacation cheap tickets are a must, saving in Airline tickets can save your vacation, so keep in mind to look for the cheapest flights as you do the planning.
You may also want to buy or rent a resale timeshare when traveling with family because most timeshares have private bedrooms and kitchens. Extra privacy is always nice and kitchens can come in handy if you’re trying to keep dining out costs down. If you already own timeshare and want to stop your maintenance fees, consider one of the many timeshare exit companies available.
Bonus Tip
Kids love zoos. It’s usually always a safe bet that your kids will have a blast. Check out some of the best zoos in the world when traveling with kids.
Well written Marina and I particularly like the ‘bonding’ part. My teen son and daughter enjoy each other. I think one of the reasons being the many experiences they have together outside of our home.
Well done! I think you hit on all the best reasons to travel with your family. Thanks for sharing. And on a completely different topic, your boys are so handsome!
Thanks Jessica!
Excellent reasons for families to travel! My daughters are 15 and 8 and traveling is truly the only time when we aren’t busy and can just be together as a family. That is reason enough alone for us to travel but I could go on an on about how much I think travel benefits kids – people should just do it and know that it gets easier every trip.
I soooo agree, the time together is the #1 reason and it does get easier.
Marina – Love your 5 reasons for traveling with your family and agree with all of them 100% I also love the picture of your whole family as I can now see what your family looks like; great looking family. I still remember our evening in Antigua with your friends with great fondness – it was a lovely time. Sending love to you, your family and your friends.
Hey Lisa!
It was such a great night:) How is getting home and practicing your Spanish? When are you guys off to Honduras?
You hit the nail on the head, Marina. Agree! Agree! Agree!
It’s true what you say about “kids can be tough at times, but so can adults yet many adults do it all the time.” None of us are a joy 100% of the time. I’d much rather struggle to get my child to a real-turtle experience, rather than struggle over teaching them from a textbook!
Like Claudia said, bonding is a great part of traveling together. Sometimes the kids need their “alone” time, but I’ve loved seeing their relationships deepen through travel.
Great post…and love the pics of your boys. 🙂
Hey Susan,
I think we all need our alone time at times:) It’s actualy really healthy for that. But it’s always around us which makes the alone time special.
It is so true – our boys are learning to get alone more than they used to! I like reading about your reasons on why you travel, and how your boys are learning from life! Sure is the reasons why we wanted to travel with our family – hope other families also get to see the benefits of travelling!
Cheers
Lisa
Hey Lisa,
I hope other families do get out and travel. I have friends that don’t even have passports and their yearly trips are to disney or universal studios or visiting family and they have money to really travel!
Love these! It’s so true isn’t it? We live our life traveling and it is just amazing, I know the interactions with each other could never be the same if we were living the standard 9-5 gig. I think the boys all spending so much time together is one of the greatest gifts!
Hey Mary, It is one of the greatest gifts and when I get sad, I think about the upcoming travels and our memories!
All great reasons, especially the family bonding. The time together without school, or work or playdates is priceless.
He Monique, see you soon!
Yes, family travel bonds love and togetherness which is very important for a better life.
Beautiful ! Love the photos and I am so happy for you and your family that you are able to spend this wonderful time together and have those experiences across the globe !
Susan