Will I Ever Tire of Traveling…
Thirty three years ago I boarded a flight to China, while fighting the flu, for what was a life-changing experience. I had traveled outside of the country before, but never this far and never so dynamically different from where I was from. Beijing was a sea of bicycles with little cars and Tiananmen Square was just a main square. It would be four years later that it became famous for student protests and well known around the world. Shanghai lacked the skyline of skyscrapers like today, some areas of Shanghai still had open sewers on the streets. The water we drank had to be boiled; there was no bottled water. Something in me awoke, and my insatiable need to learn about this new culture, food, country was incredible. I wanted to see more, travel more, learn more.
I was fortunate enough to travel to Europe, Asia, Mexico the Caribbean and throughout the United States all before college. In college, I spent a year abroad in Spain, and took any opportunity to travel to other countries in Europe. I even made my first trip to Israel during this time. After my higher education career, I landed a job that took me throughout Latin America and South America.
When I met my husband our very first conversation was about travel. It was interest at first sight and love at first sight. We soon began to travel together and found that we were great travel companions. We loved to explore, eat a lot, immerse ourselves in a countries culture the best we could and then plan for our next destination. Together, before kids, we travelled through Spain, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Israel, and three weeks on our honeymoon eating our way through Italy.
We promised each other we would keep travelling once our kids were born. Now with our three wonderful kids, we take them with us wherever we go. Since the time they were babies, they have gone to wonderful destinations and seen amazing sights and tried amazing foods and have been exposed to new cultures and lifestyles.
I was inspired to start this blog because travel is a gift you can give to your children at any age. It will open their minds and enrich their souls. By better understanding other cultures, they will develop compassion and sensitivity. I have heard too many parents say their kids are too young to travel, or they will not like the food, or their kids do not do well with time change or sleeping in a different bed. Kids adjust. It is time that doesn’t and we aren’t given enough of it. Travel together also brings a family closer, and memories of the family together that last your children’s lifetimes.
I hope our travels and tips inspire other families to take their children and go be adventurers. Life is short–fill it with family travel and adventures you will not regret it. It is wonderful time spent together.
