NO KIDDING! THE BENEFITS OF TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN

Our son on one of his first flights

For months my husband, son, and I have been talking about our upcoming European holiday and all the things we're excited about getting to do. As it approaches, my son's exuberance for even staying at the airport hotel the night before our very early flight made me remember why I love traveling with him so much. I originally wrote this post back in 2011. My son is 11 now, so the packing is easier than when I wrote this (just one stuffed animal makes the trip now), but his delight at every aspect of travel still holds true.

     As our much anticipated vacation nears, the excitement of taking a family trip ebbs as the realities of getting there take its place: the shopping, the packing, the scheduling, and the dread of crowded airports.
     I laugh now when I think of our pre-child travel days when my hardest decision was how many kinds of shoes I should pack. At least having a kid in tow has made that decision easier. I know I won’t have room for more than the sneakers on my feet with all the just in case clothes I pack for him; I know pizza places and burger joints don’t require aren’t these cute? heels; and at a moment’s notice I’ll need to be able to transition from strolling through a museum to barreling through the dinosaur exhibit before he successfully scales T-Rex. One pair of sneakers should do it.

    Deciding what to pack for myself in my carry-on bag is no longer an issue. I’ve got a dozen matchbox cars, The Magic School Bus library, stuffed animals he’s certain can’t stay home alone, and virtually the entire cookie/cracker aisle of the grocery store. I just might be able to squeeze in my People magazine as long it’s not a double issue.

    But even with the additional packing challenges, traveling with my son has some considerable benefits. For him, the trip is an adventure from the get-go. It’s hard to stay crabby when he is bubbling over with enthusiasm. Have to get up at 5 AM? We get to watch the sunrise! Have to wait in an endless ticket line? There are always new friends to make! Nobody’s grumbling while they’re listening to a bunch of kids under the age of seven compare their vacation itineraries.

    While we’re plying ourselves with caffeine, my son is looking out at the runways giving a zealous play-by-play broadcast of the jets taking off. We notice several travel-weary businessmen close their laptops and gaze out the window, too. Maybe they can’t work with all the racket. But who knows, maybe they’re reminded of themselves at his age when they thought jets were that cool. 

     He enters the plane with anticipation as we schlep past the relaxed first class passengers already drinking champagne in their capacious seats, I tend to feel a little like cattle prodded past the prized stallions into our cramped stalls with hopes of eventually being fed some cud. Once we’re in the air, I impatiently count the hours and minutes until we land and we can begin our vacation. Taking advantage of his window seat, my son comments on the topography below and the texture of the clouds. When he wonders aloud what it would be like to fly through a rainbow, I can’t help but take a peek at the sky and for once appreciate the experience of being in an airplane. His enthusiasm for flying rubs off on the flight attendants and before long he’s helping to hand out peanuts and collect trash. They escort him to the cockpit after we land and he’s allowed to sit in the pilot’s seat and pretend he’s the captain. What an adventure he created for himself just by enjoying the present experience. It made me wonder what the rest of us could do with a change in perspective.

     For sure, traveling has its fair share of hassles. However, we can approach it as an irritating inconvenience or a surplus of uncharted experiences. We can grumble with the masses or lighten a few people’s outlooks. I’m choosing to share my son’s attitude. On our next trip, I may just bring a playlist of show tunes and hand out peanut butter cups to the passengers. First class can have their cushy seats, but coach class will have an adventure.