There are all kinds of reasons to decide not to travel with children : it will be a hassle, we don't really have the money, it will interfere with their schedule, WE won't really have fun, and on and on.
I want to encourage you if you have not started to travel with your very small children every year to start NOW ! I can hear what you are thinking, some of you. We don't have the time, money, etc. Fill in the blank.
Contrary to popular belief, you do have the money. And you can make the time. You just have to make traveling a priority. Part of the things that you purpose to do every year without fail .
Starting to travel with your very small children is an adventure, it is scary at first if you have not started. I am of a certain age now where I can look back on it and remember with such joy the trips and the times that we have taken. The place that my youngest learned to walk- Aruba, They were not used to young couples bringing along their children then! Amazing to us, we wouldn't leave them home! They had no real activities at any hotel that we ever went to !
Today ALL of the hotels are family friendly and waiting for you to bring your children, most of them don't even charge an extra fee for food for them if they are under 12 years old! So between the airlines allowing you to travel with them on your lap and the hotels feeding them for free, Why are you not taking advantage of this opportunity?
Travel when they get a little bit older is also less costly, airlines charge less when you are traveling with children under 17, most of the time. Ok half of the time.
But besides all of that the memories that you will make are priceless, at the risk of sounding like a hallmark card. You cannot replace the things that you will gain from these times! The expensive clothes that you don't buy because you took a vacation or that extra toy you maybe didn't buy, you will not even remember in 5 years. But you will remember getting stuck inside the hotel in a rain storm and watching videos in the lobby with all the other families that were there at the same time! Or meeting new friends that you kept in touch with through writing a few lines now & again and checking in to see if they were going back to that awesome beach with their kids the same ages.
You will never be sorry you took those vacations instead of buying something else. It lets your children learn about the world around them , it opens up adventure and dreams .
If you can not travel by plane because it just is not in the budget this year , you can plan a camping trip. Ask around and see who has camping equipment that they are able to loan you. My children never slept as well as when they went camping and played outside all day. Sleeping on the ground in a tent might not be your big adventure but they will have the time of their lives. It will be great if they have not taken a vacation before!
I want to challenge you if you have not made vacation a part of your lives, make it a priority. We have always had a bank account for travel. We have put away money that was just for that. Before becoming a travel agent I would find creative ways to make travel possible. We found hotel points, air miles, and we also booked far in advance to take advantage of the deep discounts from booking early. When couponing I would save the money earned from couponing for travel.
My children have grown and have a sense of adventure, they have been fortunate to have traveled across the world and they still love to travel today. So don't be afraid that they won't want to travel when they grow up! My children learned how to navigate the airports, train stations and be away from home at early ages because of the travel that they grew up with. IT is a win win all the way around.
If you already travel with small children I would love to hear about your favorite trip. Are there things you do to make travel a priority?
If you don't vacation yet with your children and have not yet I would love to hear why not, and if you plan to in the near future.
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