The Secret to Travel with Kids!
January 28, 2015
We've been traveling the world with Mozart for ages, so people always ask what is the secret to travel with kids. I've traveled the world as a single, a couple, in groups, but I think the best travel is family travel as seeing the world through your child's eyes is magical.
There are many secrets to traveling with kids that make it easier and more rewarding for all.The basic keys/tips are; slow travel so you don't succumb to travel burn out or come home more exhausted, mostly travel in great weather, pack light, and do educational travel before, during and after a trip.
"DOING ORDINARY THINGS IN EXTRAORDINARY PLACES" ~ JEANNE DEE
My best quote about traveling with kids is that "family travel is all about doing ordinary things in extraordinary places". I think that is the BEST secret for family travel with kids!
Eating breakfast of croissants and mango jam in Bora Bora while couchsurfing, shopping for souvenirs in Petra Jordan, eating Peking duck with chopsticks in Beijing, picking wild strawberries in Bhutan, buying ice cream from an ice cream truck in rural Sweden...these are the ordinary/extraordinary moments of family travel that make a global citizen who understands our world better based on first-hand experiences.
A perfect example is the idyllic August and September we spent in Sweden. Much of that time was spent in a lovely cottage on a family farm with a dear friend that I met on the internet long before our children were born.
We explored the local sights in nearby Linkoping and even miraculously stayed the night in a Safari tent at the zoo where my friend was working! Much of the fun was just sharing the ordinary life of the family, grandparents, cooking together, learning about mushroom foraging, reindeer meat, crayfish and so much more about Swedish culture and family life.
Besides fun things like feeding the chickens & playing with the boys, one happy memory for Mozart was waiting for the ice cream truck and buying one.
A very ordinary moment in many children's every day life, but when you add the fact that it was in a foreign country, in a foreign language and treats she had never seen before, suddenly it becomes magical.
Ordinary becomes extraordinary because of the location!
Remembering that truck and it's distinctive "calling" song will be in Mozart's memory banks forever, just like her friends there and the opportunity to hear the unique Swedish Happy Birthday song sung to her by famous characters at the Pippi Longstocking museum in Stockholm where she celebrated her 8th!
What ordinary but extraordinary moments do YOU have from travel?
TRAVEL WITH KIDS LINKS
TRAIN TRAVEL IN EUROPE WITH KIDS
PARIS TRAVEL WITH KIDS
ITALY WITH KIDS TRAVEL TIPS
IRELAND TRAVEL WITH KIDS
FRANCE TRAVEL WITH KIDS
TRAVEL TO SPAIN KIDS TIPS
TRAVEL WITH KIDS GERMANY
CROATIA TRAVEL WITH KIDS
WORLD TRAVEL WITH SCHOOL AGE KIDS
10 TIPS FOR MUSEUMS & TRAVEL TOURS WITH KIDS
HOW TO TRAVEL THE WORLD AS A FAMILY
We've been traveling the world with Mozart for ages, so people always ask what is the secret to travel with kids. I've traveled the world as a single, a couple, in groups, but I think the best travel is family travel as seeing the world through your child's eyes is magical.
There are many secrets to traveling with kids that make it easier and more rewarding for all.The basic keys/tips are; slow travel so you don't succumb to travel burn out or come home more exhausted, mostly travel in great weather, pack light, and do educational travel before, during and after a trip.
"DOING ORDINARY THINGS IN EXTRAORDINARY PLACES" ~ JEANNE DEE
My best quote about traveling with kids is that "family travel is all about doing ordinary things in extraordinary places". I think that is the BEST secret for family travel with kids!
Eating breakfast of croissants and mango jam in Bora Bora while couchsurfing, shopping for souvenirs in Petra Jordan, eating Peking duck with chopsticks in Beijing, picking wild strawberries in Bhutan, buying ice cream from an ice cream truck in rural Sweden...these are the ordinary/extraordinary moments of family travel that make a global citizen who understands our world better based on first-hand experiences.
A perfect example is the idyllic August and September we spent in Sweden. Much of that time was spent in a lovely cottage on a family farm with a dear friend that I met on the internet long before our children were born.
We explored the local sights in nearby Linkoping and even miraculously stayed the night in a Safari tent at the zoo where my friend was working! Much of the fun was just sharing the ordinary life of the family, grandparents, cooking together, learning about mushroom foraging, reindeer meat, crayfish and so much more about Swedish culture and family life.
Besides fun things like feeding the chickens & playing with the boys, one happy memory for Mozart was waiting for the ice cream truck and buying one.
A very ordinary moment in many children's every day life, but when you add the fact that it was in a foreign country, in a foreign language and treats she had never seen before, suddenly it becomes magical.
Ordinary becomes extraordinary because of the location!
Remembering that truck and it's distinctive "calling" song will be in Mozart's memory banks forever, just like her friends there and the opportunity to hear the unique Swedish Happy Birthday song sung to her by famous characters at the Pippi Longstocking museum in Stockholm where she celebrated her 8th!
What ordinary but extraordinary moments do YOU have from travel?
TRAVEL WITH KIDS LINKS
TRAIN TRAVEL IN EUROPE WITH KIDS
PARIS TRAVEL WITH KIDS
ITALY WITH KIDS TRAVEL TIPS
IRELAND TRAVEL WITH KIDS
FRANCE TRAVEL WITH KIDS
TRAVEL TO SPAIN KIDS TIPS
TRAVEL WITH KIDS GERMANY
CROATIA TRAVEL WITH KIDS
WORLD TRAVEL WITH SCHOOL AGE KIDS
10 TIPS FOR MUSEUMS & TRAVEL TOURS WITH KIDS
HOW TO TRAVEL THE WORLD AS A FAMILY
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Hello. We shipped a small camper to Europe in 09 and sold it there in 13. We have started looking for another in the States but would really rather buy in Europe. I have searched your site and can't find info on who you worked with and how you kept it registered and insured over so many years. Any help would be appreciated.
Posted by: Vicki Sherouse | January 28, 2015 at 05:39 PM
Hello Vicky! There are many different ways to do this as you have discovered. We went this route that we wrote about here that met our long term needs: http://www.soultravelers3.com/2006/08/our-new-camper.html
There are pros and cons to buying in US & shipping or buying in Europe or caravan or camper or RV, we looked at all the possibilities and felt this one was best for our family.
So far, it has been our best decision! Can't wait to go back to Europe & our little camper this summer! ;)
Happy planning!!
Posted by: Jeanne @soultravelers3 | January 28, 2015 at 06:59 PM
Love this: "My best quote about traveling with kids is that 'family travel is all about doing ordinary things in extraordinary places'"
So much of travel with kids is exactly that, isn't it! And it's wonderful - we love it too! :)
Posted by: Sheralyn | February 07, 2015 at 01:40 AM
Thanks for the sweet comment Sheralyn! ( Sorry it takes me a while to get to them sometimes as it's been so busy with Mozart's singing).
Takes one to know one, eh? Yes, that is family travel in a nutshell I think. ;) Keep enjoying!!
Posted by: Jeanne @soultravelers3 | February 11, 2015 at 08:32 AM