Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Love Travelling? Do It Forever...Even After You Have Kids




There are some pretty big misconceptions surrounding having children. All the time, you hear that they’re going to cost you all the money you have; that you’ll seldom have a free moment with your partner; and that you have to give up the things you love, and especially travelling. None of these, however, and fortunately, are true. There are no set rules when it comes to children, and if you want to travel then you can! Below, we take a look at the best ways for having memorable, frequent travelling experiences even after you’re a parent.


Have a “Can Do” Attitude


Everything begins with attitude. If you go into something thinking that you’re likely to fail, then guess what? You’ll probably fail! On the other hand, if you begin a journey knowing it’ll succeed, then the battle is already half won. This is especially relevant to frequently travelling with children, as there’ll be plenty of opposing voices telling you that it’s not possible. Ignore those voices, and find your way to make your dreams come true. Remember, there are no absolute rules in life other than the ones we make for ourselves.

Starting Small


When you first think about travelling with children, it’s important to start small. And by that, we mean really small, doing things like travelling to the zoo for a day out. Eventually, you can build your family up to overnight stays at nearby destinations and then think about going on longer trips. It’s all about getting into the routine of moving around together as a clan. Once your kids understand what is expected of them when it comes to travelling, then you’ll be able to think about returning to the type of adventures you used to take when it was just you and your partner.

Adjust Your Travelling Style


Have a recap of all the travel experiences you and your partner had before you decided to have children. Now be honest: how many of them were fully appropriate for children? If you’ve lived life to the full, then probably not all that many! As such, you’re going to need to adjust your travelling style if you want to continue seeing the world with your little ones in tow. You won’t be able to spend long nights wandering a foreign city in search of adventure; you’ll have to find new ways of travelling to ensure all of your family’s needs are met.

Mix up the Destinations


Everyone has their favorite types of travel adventures. It could be browsing the museums and galleries of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, trekking through the wild, or getting to know the locals at one of their watering holes. When you have a family, you won’t be able just to follow what you want to do. There might be an opportunity to do everything you like, but you’ll also need to think about the needs of others. Even if it’s not normally your thing, taking your family to the beach for a week of relaxation and good times might be just what your children would love. (and pssst, we’re sure you’ll love it too…!)

Setting up a Base


It’s not always easy to plan family vacations, especially when it comes to travelling further afield. Because of all the planning that’s involved, these types of journeys usually get delayed and delayed, until they eventually just don’t happen. A good way to combat this is to buy a property overseas, which can then be used as a base for your travelling. Keep an eye on HDB BTO launches in Singapore, for instance, and you can buy a property that’ll give you easy access to the rest of Asia. And as well as cheap flights to Bangkok and Bali, you’ll also have the ability to build a passive rental income (which can go straight into the travelling pot!).

Keeping the Costs Down


There’s no denying that travelling can be expensive, but it’s usually relatively straightforward to keep the costs down if it’s just a couple that’s travelling. When there are no children involved, it’s no problem to spend a night in a rundown hostel or to hitchhike from one destination to the next. But of course, you won’t want to be doing these things all the time when you have children! However, there are ways to keep the costs down when it comes to travelling. One, like mentioned above, is to have a vacation home, which will cut out most accommodation costs. You should also make the most of any free events and activities that take place at your destination.

Going it Alone


You’re a mother or a father, a husband or a wife, but you’re still an individual. Just because you’re part of a bigger clan, that doesn’t mean that you need to stop growing as a person. And of course, one of the best ways to grow is to travel alone. While you won’t be able to go away by yourself regularly, if there’s one travelling experience that you’ve always wanted to do, but which is either too expensive or unsuitable for the whole family, then you shouldn’t feel bad about pursuing it alone.

Outside the Comfort Zone


A big part of travelling is stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying new things. This shouldn’t change just because you have children, though how you’re pushing yourself might. Though you’ve got to make sure that everyone’s well looked after and so on, you should always find ways for your family to be challenged. Doing so will help bring you closer together as a family. Nothing unites people like being outside of their comfort zones!


New Experiences


In today’s digital world, there are more resources than ever before when it comes to travelling. If it’s a new experience that you’re looking for, take a look at volunteer systems like those offered on Workaway and HelpX. These sites connect people around the world who need labor (usually easy work), in return for accommodation and food. You could take your family on a wild adventure where you live with another family and learn new skills. And best of all, it’s wallet-friendly; indeed, you’ll likely spend no money whatsoever.
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Get the Right Equipment


There are many challenges to travelling with young children, but none more difficult - not to mention potentially dangerous - than not having the right equipment. Luckily, there are plenty of baby and small child travelling equipment that’ll make looking after your little ones all the more straightforward when you’re on the road.

Make it Easy on Yourself


And talking about straightforward travelling, remember that you’ll always have the ability to make it easier for yourself. Children, even the ones who are usually well-behaved, can become irritated when they’re travelling. As such, make sure you have plenty of games and snacks with you. If you’re taking the family on an epic road trip, then install a DVD player into the back of the headsets. When there’s no view to speak of, it’ll help keep your children quiet.

Remember the Bigger Picture


It’s understandable that parents think twice about travelling when they have children. After all, it’s not the thing that parents usually do, is it? But remember, there’s a bigger picture at play, one that says that travel is good for the soul, no matter where you’re going or who you’re with. While your travelling style will need to change, you’ll create a whole new - better - way of exploring the earth with your loved ones, if you get out there and try it!

34 Smart Readers SAID::

Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle said...

A can do attitude is key for doing all the traveling you dream of. It's so easy to put things off if you wait for the "perfect" time.

Bill Sweeney said...

Great post! I love to travel more now than I did than before we had kids. It's so much fun to watch them explore the world.

Unknown said...

My husband and I always loved to travel, even before meeting each other. Now that kids are in the picture, we still make it a possibility!

Melissa said...

Yes! I really just started traveling and only do it with the family. I moved so much as a kid that we never really wanted to leave home in those days but now my family and I like to explore!

Claudia Krusch said...

We love to travel with our Son. I always do my research before I choose a place to make sure it is family friendly. My favorite trip I ever had was a solo trip I made a few years ago. It is so different to travel alone. I am hoping to go again in the next few years.

Marysa said...

When my kids were little, travel was difficult. It was so frustrating - hours of crying kids in the car, teething disasters on vacations.. just not good.
Now that the kids are older, it is so much easier! We are going on our first big trip soon.

ricci said...

I love to travel, especially to places I have never been before! I think next up on my travel bucket list is either New Orleans or Chicago!!

Gingermommy said...

I love to travel to places I haven't been yet. Travel can be difficult when you have young ones, but really in all honesty, it's so worth it.

Everything Mom and Baby said...

Love the notion of starting small like going to the zoo and growing from there.

Ruth I said...

Traveling gives a lot of memories and new experiences. It is not easy when you have kids but always worth it.

Kathy said...

Traveling is the best. I just wish I could afford to travel a lot more than I do. We're planning a trip this coming February, so hopefully it works out so we can still go.

Christy G said...

I was never slowed down for travelling or doing things when my kids were little. I just had to make an adjustment on what I had planned even if it was a day trip.

Cyn said...

We did lots of traveling - mostly of the road trip sort - when my daughter was little. Now that she's an adult, we've traveled through 3 countries in Europe together. It was fun to start it years ago and continue it even to this day. Next up, trips with my grandson!

Angela Ricardo Bethea said...

Those are some great tips though they say that travelling with kids is quite hard. I hope I can travel with my family someday when my little one grows a little bit older.

Lynndee said...

When it comes to traveling, it's always more fun and exciting when I'm with my son and husband. Now if only we could travel more.

David Elliott said...

i try to go places with my daughter all the time. But I am always for varying the experiences. I want her to enjoy trying all different kinds of things in life.

Masshole Mommy said...

I've been traveling with my kids since they were babies. They are now very experienced travelers. Great tips you have here.

candy said...

Always fun to see families traveling with their children. Wonderful experience for the kids to learn and see new places.

AiringMyLaundry said...

Yes, we do still like to travel with kids. We can't do it often because of the costs, but we try to travel somewhere at least once a year. Otherwise we just explore in our area!

Glam Karen said...

This is very good advice for parents who would love to travel even when they have kids. It's possible if you make an effort! I love all the tips that you shared!

Jeanette said...

These are definitely really good tips. We love to travel so we will do whatever we can so that we can travel. I think the biggest thing we do is we vacation with another family and split the cost. I know that is not always ideal but in our case it works well.

joannabri said...

We only travel with our kids. Granted we don't go many places that are too far away, because the cost is too expensive.

valmg @ Mom Knows It All said...

I love to travel but now that I have a family it's just not usually financially possible. My Mom travels all of the time now that everyone's grown and she loves it.

Our Family World said...

My parents took us on lots of trips when we were kids. I tried to do the same for my own children. However, we have not had much traveling done in the past two years due to illnesses. My kids are grown now, so if Mom and Dad can't travel, we let them see places and allow them to spread their wings and explore new cities on one condition - they should take lots and lots of photos for us to enjoy.

SimplyTasheena said...

Great post! These are wonderful tips, I can't wait to use them. I've learned to love traveling with the kiddos.

Anonymous said...

We love traveling and sometimes it can feel difficult to travel with the kids. However, I love your tips to keep traveling even with kids!

Heather Jones said...

My kids travel well on road trips, but I just looked up the cost to visit family in CA and it will be over a grand to fly there. So road tripping will probably always be the way we roll unless I solo fly.

Mimicutelips said...

One of the things I was looking forward to doing was traveling with my children. Growing up we traveled all the time and made so many memories. I wanted to do the same with my own children.

Bethel said...

Travelling is something that I really wanna do even after having kids! So your post really inspired me :)

Sara Welch said...

It's all about having a plan and a vision. You get to work and make your way toward the goal and you can do what you want with kids or no kids!

Carol Cassara said...

Such a lovely thing to post. It's nice to show parents that they don't have to give up their passion for traveling even if they already have kids. It's possible, there are plenty of ways to do it!

Ali Rost said...

A lot of people think that life stops for you once you have starting kids, that's definitely not the case! You can do things that you love and share it with your children, that's for sure. Love these tips that you have for parents who would like to travel.

Kita Bryant said...

Travelling with kids is a real blessing to me. I love them more than the world.

Debra Hawkins said...

I take my kids with me on trips all the time! It can be a little extra work but I love them having new experiences too!

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