15 Powerful Reasons to Travel with Children Now

People ask me, “why travel with young children, they won’t remember a thing?” And my answer is always, “Why not?” But, here are 15 more compelling reasons to travel with children now.

Our children have been traveling since they were tiny.

First, visiting extended family in Puerto Rico and Florida, then progressing to some pretty epic holidays. They have flown countless times, visited 13 different islands (including The Galapagos Islands), multiple continents, and we have covered nearly twenty of the states here in the US.

They’ve spent weeks on boats out in the Caribbean and the Pacific, rubbed elbows with movie stars at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and my fourteen-year-old can make her way around London on The Tube like a local.

My children are well-traveled at a young age and they are always up for new experiences because we decided to make an effort early to show them the world and teach them to travel.

No, it won’t always easy, but starting children young will benefit all of you in the long run.

And it will be so worth it.

I was once given this grand advice before I had children, “You’d better travel now before you have kids. Once you have kids, you will be stuck…for years.”

Thankfully, I didn’t listen.

15 Reasons to travel with your children now; you won’t regret it.

1) Travel teaches children patience.

Waiting in TSA lines, waiting to board, waiting to deplane, waiting for luggage to arrive, and that is just the beginning of it all. Kids learn quickly what to expect on travel day and how to pass the time while waiting. A travel day is just that, travel day. And the quicker everyone accepts the waiting, the more relaxed your day will be.

Make sure they have a coloring book, a book to read, some music, or Netflix, and they’ll adjust. When they are young, you will have to teach them this and support them through it, so when they are older, they know what to do already.

2) And flexibility.

Think about it. How many times do you have to change or adjust your plans? Storms, pandemics, military unrest, flight delays, illness; so many things can result in a change of plans. And it’s all good; it teaches them to relax and go with the flow. Life isn’t always one routine after another.

Travel removes the patterns of our daily lives. I used to stress about naps and mealtimes, and especially bedtimes; travel throws this sacred routine into a tailspin. But we all adjust. They can go to bed late, get up late, and eat late. We are flexible.

3) Traveling with children creates a lifetime of shared family memories.

The first time we spent time on a boat in the Caribbean, my kids were four and six. They still talk about that boat and the memories of that vacation. As a family, we sit and reminisce about our first time on Dolphin Daze. How fun it has been to share precious memories with them.

4) If you teach them how to travel early, it will be easier for you in the long run.

Teach them to inquire about the weather; show them how to research a destination, and find activities that they are interested in doing. Teach them what to pack and how to pack. And let them pack for themselves. These exercises will require even less supervision each time.

Teaching my children what to pack in their carry on for long haul flights has been invaluable to my sanity. They ask how long the trip is going to be, pack what they need, settle in, and it is smooth sailing, well, smooth flying from here on out.

When they were young, I packed for all four of us. Now I only have to pack for two. After my husband forgot his swim trunks for a beach vacation and only brought the underwear he was wearing on the cruise, I just pack for him.

Teach them early, the long term benefits for the family as a whole outweigh the challenges and the work, I promise.

5) Family travel will strengthen your bond with your partner.

I know this statement isn’t about the kids, or is it? Strengthening the bond between you and your partner will make you better individuals and better parents. So maybe it is all about the kids.

6) We are traveling, and it is liberating.

Think of the daily grind. Rise early, wake up cranky kids, fix their lunch, wake them up again. Force them to eat breakfast. Then off to school, as they complain about the typical teenage issues. After school, take them to basketball or softball practice, listen to them complain about homework, feed them all dinner, and fight about bedtime.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Sound familiar?

On vacation, that all changes. Step away from the daily grind and explore together. For the next couple of weeks, we can now do whatever we want, because we are traveling, and it is liberating.

7) My favorite reason to travel with children: it brings families together.

Every day while traveling, we do something fun together; horseback riding, cave tubing, hiking through the rainforest, or kayaking. These are all adventures that we do without the distracting mundane everyday tasks of our life at home.

8) My kids can both navigate a city like a boss.

Teach them to read a map, navigate The Tube or The Subway, or use the Uber app, and they will be able to cover any city in the world efficiently.

9) And research their destination, so now they create their own itineraries.

OK, maybe I am too confident in this statement. But, my kids can now check out a destination and tell me what they want to see. AND, they even take turns choosing our next destination.

10) Another crucial reason to travel with children is that they learn about things they cannot learn in school or at home.

The educational value of traveling with kids is priceless. Seeing the world through travel allows children to experience different ways of life, cuisine, cultures, and history in action.

And, this teaches them that not everywhere is like their little bubble called “home.” It shows them that although we are all different in many ways, we are all the same.

11) And it’s a break from technology.

My kids have their tech while traveling, and so do I. However, we are out and about most days exploring; therefore, their screen time is minimal. Plus, WiFi is not always the best. Letting go of tech opens their minds and hearts to the world around them, and brings them closer to nature.

12) Travel teaches a different kind of responsibility.

Of course, they learn to take care of their packing and carrying their luggage. And, nowadays, the kids are part of the planning process. So, if things go wrong, they take responsibility for that, too. But, they also learn responsibility for the environment and people around them, especially when traveling.

13) Create everlasting memories and stories to tell.

We have some hilarious stories that we share between the four of us. And the stories grow funnier each time they are told. They can be an unusual or even a challenging situation that we made it through. Maybe it wasn’t humorous at the time, but now it is since we persevered.

Like the time Lucas and I were ready to swim out of a cave on Norman Island. We donned our goggles and dove in, only to come face to face with five enormous marlins. They probably weren’t giant, but they are now.

Or the time we were in the little dinghy rowing back to shore from a small volcanic island off of Puerto Rico. Suddenly, the winds and the waves kicked up (only a little, but we are telling a story). I had to dive off of the boat to help pull it to the shore.

Lucas was four years old. I will forever remember his age at that moment because he suddenly exclaims, “Whose idea was this anyway? I don’t want to die; I’m only four years old.”

14) Traveling encourages children to move out of their comfort zone.

And you know what they say, growth only occurs when you step out of your comfort zone. My kids have experienced many adventures. Sometimes, I have to coax them into it. But, they have grown through this, and so have I.

During our visit to Tanama River in Puerto Rico to go cave-tubing proved this point to me. My son, who is twelve, climbed up the cliff and hurled himself into the water with a giant splash. I climbed up the rock, all brave and stuff, and climbed right back down. But, he was the one who jumped.

15) Because YOU want to travel.

At the top of my list of reasons is to continue to see the world. And they are coming with me.

Has anyone ever said to you, “we are planning to go once the kids are old enough.” My advice to you is to pack them up and go. Don’t miss out on life’s lessons through travel because they are too young. And don’t stop fulfilling your travel wishes and dreams.

There is nothing more exciting and rewarding to me than when the seatbelts are on, and we are taking off to see the world together as a family.

The possibilities are endless.