When we began spotlighting travel families one of the questions we asked everyone was “Why do you like to travel/explore with your kids?"
A lot of people don’t love to travel with their kids, so we wanted to revisit some of the things our travel families said about this topic in their interviews. In this post we share quotes from eight travel families. Maybe their thoughts will motivate you to want to travel more with your family!
1. @macs_explore (The McEvoy’s)
We love exposing our kids to different areas of the country and world, because we feel like that is truly how they gain an education about the world around them. Our kids know a lot about different plant and animal species since we spend so much time outdoors and they are are also quite savvy with many outdoor survival skills. We also want our kids to see that most of the world doesn't live like us in the States, so it's very important to us to travel to third world countries as their eyes and hearts are opened to different cultures and ways of life. We try to find small ways to serve in the countries we travel to, which make for the longest lasting impact on our kids. They still talk about the time we went to an orphanage in Costa Rica to play with the kids and give them clothes and toys!
2. @littlekidnyc (Little Kid Big City)
I’ve always been a city explorer – way before our son was born. I would tear open an issue of Time Out New York with as much enthusiasm as a present on Christmas morning. To my delight – our son is just as much of an explorer as me. He loves experiencing new things, seeing the city, and learning about our world (often asking me to take him to see things!). My utmost joy comes from watching his reactions, and discoveries. Experiencing the city again through a child’s eyes may be the best gift of all.
3. @capitol.momma (Alexis Aschenbach)
They love it and I love watching them experience new things. It's the best to see the world through their eyes with such wonder and excitement. Plus it's a great learning opportunity for them. Especially in the D.C. area, we have so many historical sites and museums to explore and I try not to take that for granted.
4. @flightsfromhome.slc (Emily Holt)
Traveling with Jade has definitely changed things. The pace of travel is much slower, and we overall have to be more flexible to account for things that might come up. But really, this has actually been a welcomed changed. It's nice to be forced to spend a little less time go-go-going on vacation. Plus, it's truly nice to just unwind as a family for a week or two and just enjoy each other's company.
5. @talkwordytome (Kim Christenson)
I love traveling with my kids because they love it. They get so excited about taking off and experiencing new things. Watching them do that is so satisfying. Adventuring together binds us as a family and adds a depth of joy and fulfillment to our relationships.
A lot of people have asked in wonder how and why we take our kids on bigger trips but I feel like it's often easier to take them than leave them! Leaving them means worrying and scheduling babysitters and rides and meals. And when we bring them, we don’t feel a rush to get back home and “save” them. When we leave them, we’re always saying things like, “Oh Ellie would love this!” or “I wish Camden could see that.”
With that said, I strongly believe in getting away without kids regularly. In my book, traveling together has marriage-saving power.
6. @smithsholidayroad (Bron Leeks)
I love the family connection time away from routine. I love that kids open our eyes to so much difference and can often be the icebreakers in meeting new people. I guess I like the escape it can create and the challenging situations you can discover.
7. @lizziehdavis (Lizzie Hinckley Davis)
Traveling with kids is often a lot of work. But I love to do it because they are only little once. I can travel the world my whole life but I only get to introduce it to their little personalities for a short time. On our recent trip to London, we decided to focus on only two things: Kid Friendly and Christmas activities. Our itinerary was very different than if just my husband and I had come alone, but doing these new activities showed me a whole different side of London that I would never have known about without kids. Having our kids with us changed the trip but it changed it for the better.
8. @3kidstravel (Elise Caffee)
We sometimes travel with our kids and sometimes without but, honestly, we prefer to take them with us. We love exploring new and familiar cities from a child’s perspective and we love that our children help us slow down our pace and truly experience where we are visiting. When we travel without our kids we go at an exhausting pace, but with them we are forced to slow down and take in everything around us. We also like helping our kids learn about new cultures, countries, food, etc. Lastly, we especially appreciate the family bonding that results from traveling together and getting put into new and sometimes uncomfortable situations. We grow as a family as we have these experiences together.
Do any of these comments resonate with you? We'd love to know why YOU travel with your family, or why you'd like to travel more with your family? Let us know in the comments.