When I tell the children stories of our travels together I always start with the trips they first took when they were “in my belly”. One of our most memorable trips was taking a photo assignment in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I was three months pregnant with Sofi and still working as a photographer along with teaching and natural healing work. However, I was towards the end of viewing photography as my career.
I remember trying to “get out of” the assignment by telling the magazine, “I can’t go unless you can pay for all my kids to come with me.” Well, they called my bluff on that one! We spent a wonderful week in Jeddah sampling the food of the region and visiting families so I could illustrate an article on traditional Saudi foods.
Since then we have taken so many trips together and I find it is one of my favorite ways to travel. I know many parents (or parent) who struggle with the idea of travelling with children so I thought I would make a list of some of the reasons I love travelling with kids. I am hoping this inspires some more timid travellers to venture out with their own “gaggle of gigglers”.
Top Ten Reasons I Love To Travel With My Kids
1. They think hotels and staying with friends are a tourist destination so I don’t have any tour guide pressure when we arrive.
2. I get to play Mad Libs with people who actually think they are as funny as I do 🙂
3. They don’t get tired of me saying, “Look – there are some more baby cows!”
4. When I say I want to add an hour on to our trip and detour over a mountain range to Roswell, NM to see the alien crash site their only response is, “OK” and “Do we get to see the aliens too?”
5. When I want to stop and take a picture of the sign that says “cow crossing” they don’t say, “Do you have to stop and take so many pictures?” They say instead, “Can I be in the picture too?”
6. When we stop in Texas to pick some fresh peaches and eat homemade peach ice-cream they say, “That was an awesome breakfast” just as I was getting ready to ask what they wanted for breakfast.
7. They think my jokes about Elephant Butte, New Mexico are funny.
8. They don’t care when I wear the same clothes twice because we have not found a washing machine in a few days.
9. They think a book store and an ice-cream shop are valid tourist destinations.
10. Their version of “back-seat driving” is to say, “Mom can you please go 100 mph?”
Enjoy your travels with kids. If it is a one-hour trip or a ten-hour trip…it can all be fun! Add some of your favorite reasons to travel with kids below…