Enjoying Travel with Your Little Ones

My family at the Grand Canyon - Taken by a kind stranger

Here is a dilemma I often see in young families as they are just starting to have children. A young couple starts a new life together. They love to travel and go on new adventures. They envision a lifetime full of visiting new places and experiencing the world. Soon they start to make their dreams come true. Then it happens. They have children and start a family. Now all their dreams of traveling will be on hold. They were filling up their lives with adventure. Now they are filling up the diaper genie.

Of course, having children is an adventure on its own. It is a to have a family. But it doesn't mean all other hopes and dreams need to be on hiatus. If your lifestyle involved traveling before you had children, then why change your lifestyle? As long as you can do so within your means, continue your lifestyle with your children. Your children will learn to adapt to your lifestyle. Here is the fun part. The earlier you start, the better. 

My wife and I adopted this policy early in our marriage. We were avid travelers. When we started our family, we had to learn how to become parents. We did some obvious adjusting to our lifestyle. But the desire my wife and I had for adventure was still there. We have three children. They began traveling with us on epic vacations and road trips as infants. Of course, traveling with infants and toddlers does have challenges. There is more planning involved. Little ones need more caring and attention. But my wife and I discovered that extra work and sacrifice was worth it. As our children grew into small children, they became very adept at traveling. By the time they were pre-adolescents and teenagers, they knew how to pack and prepare for an adventure. They also eagerly anticipated going on a new family adventure. We built some great memories on road trips and vacations we had. We have epic stories and unique experiences that we share as a family. 

Raising a family is difficult. Indeed parents can and should plan a vacation or an excursion without children for some alone time. Every couple should reinvest in themselves as well as invest in their children. Renewing your goals and dreams is vital. But your children can be an extension of the goals and dreams you share as a couple. Don't use having a family with little ones as an excuse to put your dreams on hold. Include your children in your dreams and plan your next adventure with them today.