Navigating the Ages of Family Travel: From Babies to Tweens
Traveling as a family is a wonderful adventure, but let's be honest: not all ages are created equal when it comes to the ease of travel. In our experience, there's a kind of timeline or rhythm to traveling with kids that can make all the difference. I hope this post will give some familes persmission to themselves to say "its ok if we don't travel with the family for a bit".
The Baby and Toddler Sweet Spot (and the "Dark Ages")
When your kids are really little, we're talking babies and very young toddlers travel can actually be surprisingly doable. You often don't have to pay for an extra seat on flights if they're under two, and they tend to sleep a lot. Sure, you're carrying a bit more gear, but they're not running around and they won't complain about long museum visits or missed nap times in quite the same way. This is a pretty nice window for travel. You might also be on a maternity leave or taking time off.
But then you hit what we jokingly call the "dark ages" of family travel. These are the years when your kids are still quite young, maybe in that toddler to preschool range, and suddenly travel is a lot more work. You're dealing with diapers, nap schedules, picky eating, and possibly some mid-air meltdowns. And on top of that, they may not even remember these trips down the line. So it's a bit of a grind, and you might find yourself wanting to travel a little less during these years. We show our kids photos of trips and adventures when they were 3 and 4 and they don't remember any of it even after the photos and videos.
And you know what? That’s okay.
This post is also here to give you permission to say, “Not right now.” Maybe you’re in a season where skipping the airport meltdowns, the extra bags, and the stress is the best decision for your family. You don’t have to keep up with Instagram. You don’t owe anyone a trip. There will be other seasons....but not an infiate amount but we'll talk about that later.
The Golden Age: When Kids Are Ready to Remember
Then, the magic happens again once your kids are a bit older let's say around eight to ten. At this age, they're more self-sufficient, they can carry their own backpacks, they can entertain themselves, and best of all, they'll actually remember these adventures. This is when traveling as a family becomes really rewarding again because you're making memories that will stick with them for life.
In short, every age has its travel ups and downs. Embrace those baby and toddler trips if you can, be gentle on yourself during the "dark ages," and get ready for the golden age of family travel once your kids are old enough to really enjoy it. Happy travels!
