Diane from Life Off Headset asked this question the other day that prompted this post. Thanks Diane! I will keep it brief.
I have always loved traveling. As a teacher I used my spring breaks and summers to take international trips to destinations that interested me. I love the feeling of going away, and I love the feeling of coming back home.
When I was pregnant with L, I lived and worked in Chile for 5 months on a Fulbright grant. L was born, and at 18 months, she went to Russia with me in April of 2018.
R was born in January of 2020. Then, as you know, the pandemic happened. So a bit of a pause in travel, or anything else, for that matter.
R’s first international trip was to Iceland in June of 2021. Since then, we visited Denmark, Portugal and Spain. We also went to Maine a few times, and I took a road trip with them to Virginia to see Shenandoah National Park last November.
Upcoming trips with the kids: Paris in April of 2024 for spring break and a two-week trip to… still undecided but leaning toward Calabria, Italy.
Timing and seasons:
- Spring break. Those trips are mainly to explore cities, and we do not move around since it is simply not enough time. We stay in one place. Example: last year Copenhagen trip.
- Summer. End of June till end of August. Dates are flexible and I like to take longer trips in the summer.
- Fall. A guaranteed long weekend in November. Virtually all NJ public schools are closed for the NJ Teacher Convention. A good way to do something local or explore neighboring states: NY, PA, DE, VA…
Compromise. T is not a traveler. He just doesn’t have that travel bug, plus he thinks travel with kids of this age is a total waste, and a major head ache. And he is *partially* right. It is hard to travel with small kids. BUT. It is also hard to be at the house with small kids! For me, the benefits outweigh the costs.
So, I usually come up with a destination, run it by him, book the trip, and he is welcome to come, or he can stay home. Do I want him to always come with us? Not particularly, no. I don’t force him to come, and, if he doesn’t want to come, then I’d rather he stay home. Last year, he did come to Portugal and Spain with us but left earlier, since he couldn’t get off work for the whole two weeks (he has limited vacation days). I stayed behind with the kids and explored more of Spain.
How do I plan? I don’t over think it and I ::try:: to not second-guess myself. I have a destination in mind, I let it percolate for a bit, I then just buy plane tickets. Usually 6 months before travel. After I have the tickets, I outline the trip itself and decide where we would stay. Look on Airbnb, of course. Decide about the car rental, if any. Some trips are easier than others. See city breaks above: all you need are tickets and your Airbnb. Everything else can be figured out as the date approaches.
And I always, always insure the trip – I use AIG travel insurance.
Do I feel bad about the money? Of course! Travel is expensive but it’s not like we are spending our retirement money. That’s what I love to do with or without my kids. But I still do justify the expenses to myself.
Do kids have hard moments when they travel? OMG, of course! They can cry, they can whine, they don’t want to walk, they beg for things. But really, they do all that at home, too. When we travel, we take frequent breaks, sit in parks and cafés a lot, go into a museums to rest, look for playgrounds.
Any particular bad moments?
~ L took her makeup kit, a glass of water, made a cocktail, and smeared it all over old furniture in el Parador de Zafra – an ancient castle that is now a hotel. We cleaned it.
~ L taking an actual poop under a bush in Acadia National Park.
~ R not wanting to go into a canyon in Iceland so I had to half-carry him.
~ Putting a scratch on my rental in tight streets of Granada.
~ R slipping in a tub in our Maine Airbnb and getting a bump on his forehead.
~ R seeing topless female bathers in Nerja, pointing, and saying “boobies!”
Little things like that. But nothing major.
Mom of Children 