Why parents don’t travel with young kids… and why we do

To travel with young kids can be a daunting task and too many people let that get in their way. It is however one of the most powerful ways to meaningfully educate our children and have them become a citizen of the world.

We have had the opportunity to travel to more than 30 countries across 6 continents since we had our first child in February 2015 by making travel our priority.

Traveling as a family of 5 in Medellin, Colombia

Immersing yourself in an unfamiliar culture will not only offer your family a fresh experience and a sense of discovery, but also the opportunity to create unique and long-lasting memories.

Differences between traveling with and without kids

1- Going through jet lag with kids is harder

Two adults dealing with jet lag is much easier than two adults and 3 kids under 4 years old dealing with jet lag. It took us at least 3 days to finally wake up at a normal hour when we recently flew from Basel to Toronto.

In New Zealand, we planned a relaxing first 5 days in Paihia to slowly get over the 12 hour time difference (not to mention the 40 hours door to door journey). We then drove 700km down from Paihia to Wellington with 2 kids under 2 over 5 days.

We visited the Hobbiton Movie Set whilst in New Zealand

2- Sometimes traveling with kids means you do a little less

On our recent trip to Colombia, we did not climb the El Penol (700 steps!) nearby the town of Guatape as the kids weren’t cooperating. But we did manage to do a full day out in the beautiful city of Medellin, home of Pablo Escobar.

However traveling with kids does not always mean you will always have to see and do less.

Look at what we managed to see and do with the two little ones on our long weekend away in the French Riviera. Or how about the trip we did from Kyoto to Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kobe, Osaka and back to Kyoto all in a day?

3- Goodbye fine dining…

Admittedly it is a challenge or impossible to enjoy a gourmet meal in a fancy restaurant with young kids. Some even have a flat out minimum age requirement.

Having said that, we have taken them to one and two Michelin starred restaurants in London on several occasions. (For lunch of course, not dinner.)

Be ready to get take away or food delivered to your accommodation if the thought of going out for dinner with your little ones is too much for you.

4- Hello Playgrounds!

Parts of your travel itineraries might have to be simplified to allow down time and playground breaks for the kids.

After a first 3 days of non-stop traveling in Colombia, we slowed down the pace by staying put for 6 nights in Cartagena. We however did several day trips to nearby islands during our time there.

5- More luggage

Now that you have to carry diapers, wipes, toys and snacks, your luggage will certainly be bulkier than before.

I am however a big advocate for traveling light. We only had 3 pieces of hand luggage (our Cabin Zero bags) with us when we went away for 9 days on a Baltic cruise with the two kids.

We had clothes, diapers, books, toys, snacks, pillows – enough for 9 days all in those Cabin Zero bags! 

6- You need to take turns

A trip to the cenotes in Mexico and the beach with 3 kids meant one parent always had to stay with at least one of the kids while the other takes the rest for a swim.

Similarly, eating out with 3 kids is a challenge by itself.

7- Long haul flights can be a nightmare

Long haul flights with young kids can certainly be tricky. Trust me, I know. We flew from Zurich to Auckland (6 hours to Dubai and another 17 hours to Auckland) when both kids were below 2 years of age.

They are too young to be able to watch an entire movie to keep themselves entertained. But that is no reason to not make those trips of a lifetime!

8- No more queuing

Finally, on the plus side, there is no longer a need to queue to get on a plane again.

You’ll always board after first and business class thanks to the little ones. The same applies at some airports when going through security.

Unfounded Fears?

Many parents are hesitant to travel with young kids due to various fears: long flights, jet lag, food poisoning, safety/security, access to good healthcare and clean water, what their kids will eat, air quality, mosquitoes, altitude sickness, language barriers and more.

Some feel selfish dragging them on their trips while others are embarrassed and worry about what strangers think of them when their baby wails in public.

Whilst I would share others’ fears of some of the above, I am sure none of us are planning to take our kids to the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo just yet (although my husband and I are as we want to trek and see the gorillas!).

There are 195 countries for us to choose from to visit. Surely there is somewhere you can go without letting your fears stop you.

Should your fear of being unable to communicate in Japanese stop you from taking your kids to Japan to explore Kyoto’s many temples, walk between Tokyo’s skyscrapers and eat some of the best sushi? I hope not.

Ilyas loved the attention he got from many strangers  who commented on his big eyes during our trip to Japan

Yes it might take you an hour to get someone to understand that you are looking for an ATM and how to get to it. But with today’s technology, Google Translate or a simple “Basic Japanese” book, this shouldn’t be such a big problem that would deter you from traveling.

Should your fear of mosquitoes stop you from having the best swim in Mexico’s many refreshing cenotes or a trip to a beautiful tropical island? I pray not. Equip yourself with good insect repellant and you’re good to go.

The kids loved swimming in the freshwater cenotes in Mexico

We visited Colombia with our 3 kids in June 2018. Many have asked if we weren’t afraid of traveling to Pablo Escobar’s home with the kids. There is unfortunately  a perception that all of South America is dangerous. It is useful to find out what places are really like instead of making assumptions.

Like everywhere, there are parts of countries and cities that are less safe than others. However, much has changed in the last 20 years with countries pushing for tourism and increased police presence in touristy areas.

The best advice is to be aware of your surroundings and to be smart. Be sensible and trust your intuition. You’ll be alright.

Some places should only be visited in broad daylight like the Escalators of Comuna 13 in Medellin, Colombia

My Personal Experience

I was full of fear before our first flight to London with our first child.

Will there be easy access for strollers everywhere? Where would I stop to nurse the baby? What do we do when he needs to nap? How would we manage to go shopping and get things done with a baby in tow? How will we ever survive a road trip when he screams and cries as soon as we put him in his car seat?

Valid questions and concerns but not a reason to not travel.

I have learnt that the most important thing to do is to not overthink.

Take it slow and calm down.

Solve problems (if they really are problems) one by one as and when they occur.

In the end we were able to get everything we wanted done, from visiting Tate Modern and Camden Market, to shopping and eating out.

Reading up and doing your research about new places beforehand will make you more confident and prepared for your travels.

Kids are far more resilient than what we give them credit for.

Certainly the packing will be more complicated and you will be tired by the end of every day.

But the hassles are worth it. It is about spending quality time together.

I always ask myself if I would rather change diapers and deal with tantrums at home or in insert-name-of-any-other-city-or-country-here. I will always choose another city or country.

I will never forget how Ilyas would spot spiderwebs irrespective of which country he was in. And how excited the kids were as our car went onto the train that took us into a tunnel through the Swiss Alps to get to Leukerbad.

I will always remember how I heard people exclaiming how cute Ilyas was (he was the smallest baby for sure) when we went to see the tulips in Keukenhof.

I won’t forget how how Noah took his first steps in our little Airbnb apartment in Nice during our trip to the French Riviera.

Or the squeals of excitement when Ilyas went on the oldest steamship in the southern hemisphere and on his first helicopter ride in New Zealand.

Or how the boys would say Gracias every time we got out of a taxi in Cartagena, Colombia.

Or how much Noah loved eating durian and satay in Malaysia. And how both kids devoured the most delicious steamed fish in a garlic and lime sauce at 2 am in Bangkok (read: jet lag).

I assure you that five years from now, you won’t remember the pain having to carry the stroller up the stairs in the tube station in London. But you will remember how excited your kids were when they got onto the double-decker London bus or when they saw the dinosaur skeleton in the Natural History Museum.

You will forget the misery dealing with jet lag on that long haul flight. You will only talk about all the great things you did at that amazing faraway destination.

There are many other parents like us out there proving that traveling with small kids is possible.

Call to Action

So what are you waiting for? You can handle more than you think you can! If we can do it, so can you! 

Go start planning all those trips with your little ones right away. Make traveling your priority.

Start small. A weekend to a place an hour away from home. Take a short flight to another city. Dream bigger. Go further. Or not.

The point is to keep traveling to all the places you want to as a family.

Continue doing what you love (now as a family) as you know it will have a positive impact on your children.

If this has inspired you to travel with young kids, share this with your friends and family!