1. Don’t expect to go everywhere and do everything!
When you’re planning a trip, don’t try and go everywhere and do everything – that’s a recipe for burnout and blowing your budget! Instead of racing from one end of a country to another, or tearing through 6 countries in 6 weeks, get to know a region well. Constantly having to pack and unpack, spend time searching for cheap flights, deal with different time zones, currency changes, and even visa issues can lead to burn out. And moving around to too many travel destinations can really eat into your finances. Slow down and take more in. This way, you’ll get a better feel for a place.
Traveling with kids?
Plan for a slower pace than you would if traveling solo or as a couple. Be realistic about what you accomplish, especially when traveling with toddlers. The less you feel you have to see and do, the more enjoyable and stress-free for everyone.
Understand that you will never have time to see and do EVERYTHING. And be okay with that.
2. Don’t expect things to be like home
If you want everything like it is at home, then what’s the point of going anywhere? Keep an open mind to learning and experiencing new things when you travel abroad, that includes trying new foods which can tell you a lot about a culture – and don’t be scared to eat the street food! We travel abroad to experience different cultures, environments, and ways of thinking. So don’t shut yourself off to experiencing all a country has to offer.
If you travel with an open mind you can have a much more enriching experience. There will be moments when other cultures will shock you. Don’t judge them. When this happens, sit back and say, “Isn’t that interesting, tell me more!
3. Travel does not have to stop once you have kids
We often get emails form clients who express concern that once they have kids their travel days are over! Take it from us, family travel is possible and need not be a hassle. In fact, it can be one of the best experiences you have as a family! Sure, we don’t travel around the world like we used to or party as much as we did pre-kids, be we obviously still travel and so do MANY other families – the family travel niche is alive and growing.
Over the past 20 years, our travel style has evolved from traveling solo, to traveling as a couple, to now traveling with our two daughters and many of our readers are inspired to follow in our footsteps. Yes, family travel has its challenges and there are pros and cons of traveling with kids, but creating priceless memories is something to cherish!
There are valuable benefits to traveling with kids. They force you to evolve your style of travel, and in my opinion, usually for the better.
Planning to travel soon?
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