02 Jan 2013 1 Comment
Why We Love to Travel With Our Kids
I know a lot of parents are holding back from traveling most specially overseas because of little kids but I say don’t hesitate and just book your trip today. Go travel with your children because the experience is well worth it.
I’m not saying that traveling with children isn’t hard because it is and it is exhausting BUT my husband and I honestly love to travel with our little ones because it gives us some good, old-fashioned quality time. It doesn’t matter if we’re going on a budget road trip, eating at a shrimp shack along the road, building sand castles in Hawaii, or getting pampered in an island in the Philippines… we’re together, we’re having fun as a family. No work, no housework, no errands – just focus on the family. We know that we’ve just got one chance and we’ve got to take it now or it’s going to slip away and it won’t come back.
We just returned from a trip overseas with our two boys (3-year old and 1-year old) and we’re here to tell the tales that aren’t even nearly as bad as they could have been or as I was told they might be.
We started out with almost 11 hours flight to Japan. No problem there. Everything was fine and dandy until we had to deplane, walked what seemed to be a mile long to go through security in Japan. It wasn’t pleasant when you had to carry a crying toddler (because they had just woken up in the middle of the night) and a 10+ pound bag on your back!
We had a two-hour layover which was great because it gave the boys a break. They were able to play and run around the airport. A lovely couple started talking to us. They were very friendly and they tried to play with the boys. Hooray for kind strangers!
We finally boarded the plane and continued on our 5-hour flight to Manila. For the most part, our boys were the perfect little travelers, never leaving their seats, just playing happily with their iPad and LeapPad. Then as we got closer to landing, Big J decided he had had it. He kept whining, telling me he was sleepy and that he wanted to sleep at home. He kept telling me that we wants to ride our silver van (yeah, he was that specific – haha!) and that he doesn’t love the plane anymore. With all honesty, I couldn’t blame the poor kid!
In the Philippines, they both took to the time change with no problem at all, sleeping at what would be their normal times back home. They loved taking the tricycle from place to place, the neighborhood, the people around them speaking to them in Tagalog.
Our flight back home was a bit shorter – a tad bit over 4 hours for the first leg of the trip, 9 hours for the last leg – and they were once again perfect little travelers for the entire first leg of the trip. But then in the beginning of our last flight home, Little J was too tired and started crying for about 15 minutes and then both boys slept the entire flight home! I am sure our fellow passengers only remember the first 15 minutes and not the last 8+ peaceful hours of the flight.
Two days after we got back, poor boys were still suffering from jet lag. They were both laying in bed, wide awake in the middle of the night. Big J crying and telling me he wasn’t sleepy & he even wanted me to give him time-out so he could sit on one corner of the couch in the living room. Last night was slightly better and hopefully, their internal clocks will be back to normal soon!
Some of our best and more cherished family memories come from trips together. Thus, we make sure our kids have those memories and learn about the world around them at the same time because it truly is worth it!
I have so much more to write about regarding this trip, the wedding, the island resort, and families & friends back home so stay tuned! :)
Jan 14, 2013 @ 06:15:56
I used to LOVE traveling with my parents. Our kids do really well on road trips, so I’m sure they would love the plane.
My sister is moving a few states away, so I’m sure some short trips are in our near future.