9 Persuasive Reasons to Travel when your Kids are Young

How important is it for your family to travel when your kids are young? If you have not really thought about this before, what I am about to say will get you started.

One of my very first travel memories was a 1982 visit to Disneyland in California, when I was only 4 years old. Sure, it was Disneyland. Yes, it was amazing to be there after travelling on my first big 747 Qantas Jet from my little corner of Australia. But do you know what I remember most about that trip? The It’s a Small World ride in Disneyland. I made my mum take me on that ride 6 times! Why? The different cultures and countries and clothes and languages. All so different yet all singing the same song. The little boat gently made its way on a tour of the world, and all of this helped me learn that there is so much out there. Yep, I am almost certain that this trip, at the age of 4 years old has been responsible for my lifelong addiction with travel.

Why Travel?

So what is it that makes a childhood travel experience so important? As a parent, you have such an opportunity to create the life you want for your family. I've compiled a list of nine persuasive reasons why you should travel when your kids are young. You will soon see that the benefits will be more far reaching and important than any of your reasons to stay home.

1. Break out of your bubble

Are you someone who enjoys change? Or do you prefer to keep comfortable in the familiar? Home is where the heart is, and its so great to come home after a trip. But think of everything you have learned and how your mind has grown on that trip. Wouldn't you love for your kids to know that feeling too?

"It's a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realise what's changed is you." - F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

Every single day trip, holiday, adventure we take our young son on, we can see his curiosity and knowledge expanding. He never complains when we are travelling. He just absorbs the sites, sounds and smells He notices the little differences about each place. I have noticed that every adventure improves his vocabulary, as we explain our new surroundings to him, or describe a bit of the history or geography about a place. There is nothing better than knowing he appreciates home, but also gets so much value out of the trips we take.

kids are young: London" width="1024" height="768" /> Travel when your kids are young: London

2. It's cheaper to travel when your kids are young

To travel when your kids are young means that you can save big on airfares and restaurants. If you start travelling while your children are under two years old, you don’t even have to pay for a seat on the plane! We took a 30 hour journey from Melbourne to London on our son’s 1st birthday. We booked the bassinet seat, but he was too large to sleep in it, so he snuggled into me like a koala for the whole journey. As it turned out, we only used the bassinet for play time and snacks. You’ll often find museums and zoos have free admission for children under 16, making exploring so much easier and cheaper for the family.

Related: Practical Travel Tips for Air Travel with a Toddler

Travel when your kids are young: British Museum

3. Become a role model

"Treat a child as though he is already the person he is capable of becoming." - HAIM GINOTT.

Do you consistently role model the behaviour you want your kids to learn? What kind of people do you want your kids to be when they grow up? Seeing different cultures, or even different cities or towns will only benefit your children’s understanding of the world. They will realise that where you live is only one tiny part of this big wide world, and other people and families live very differently. When your kids see you being open minded and interacting with different cultures, they will learn that this is what makes travelling and life more fun!

Related: Tips for Raising Kids who Love to Travel

Travel when your kids are young: Tasmania

4. Crush those cultural barriers

Kids have an enchanting way of attracting other children to them. They might notice another kids holding a toy they want to play with, or playing a game that looks fun. They might even see similarities in clothing that makes one kid start a conversation with another. With such simple similarities, language or cultural barriers evaporate. At age 3, I once connected with a vacationing Japanese family purely because I was holding a Mickey Mouse toy and there kids were wearing Mickey Mouse shirts too. We didn't understand each other, but that common ground was enough for us children to feel connected.

5. Do it before school schedules take over

When kids get a bit older, it can be easier to travel, yet at the same time it can be more challenging to know when to do it. The after school activities, weekend sporting commitments and school terms become an endless demand on your weekly schedule. We are trying to make the most of traveling while our son is still too young for school. The more we travel, the easier it becomes.

Travel when your kids are young: Champs Elysees in Paris

6. Develop your children as strong individuals

The more you travel with your kids and introduce them to new foods, people, ways of life - the more you will see their own personalities being shaped by what they have seen and done. They will become more adventurous with foods, they will be less shy in new situations with new people, they will grow a confidence to enjoy down time during travels, and make the most of new situations. These experiences will help help your kids start to learn which countries or destinations they like, and what travel style they enjoy.

Travel when your kids are young: New York City

7. Discover family resilience for yourself

As a new parent, I was desperate to figure out how to teach my son to sleep. The first 4 months of his life, he did not sleep for more than 90 minutes straight. So when I did eventually get him into a sleeping routine, I was so keen to hang on to this structure forever! I prioritised his nap time and sleep routine above everything, because it worked for us. As he got older, and we started travelling again, I started to realise that we could have special days where we stayed out, and this would not mean the end of the routine. There were exceptions to the routine. For example, if we were on a flight or driving back from a day trip, then the sleep might be short or non-existent, but that is OKAY. Our son is now 3.5 years old and still enjoys a 2-3 hour afternoon nap every day. But when we are out for the day, he has learned to keep going without complaining. I think he enjoys the flexibility and excitement of staying out when he would normally be having a snooze. I have learned how far we can change the routine before our son reaches his breaking point. The result is that we are helping him become flexible, in a world that does not revolve entirely around his needs. This kind of resilience and awareness will do him well in any occasion.

Related: How to Travel with a Baby

Travel when your kids are young: Paris

8. Strengthen your child's relationships

Does your child have grandparents that live far away? Would you travel to visit them with your kids so that they can experience a relationship with them? Sometimes this might even mean that you have to travel overseas, and it might give your child an opportunity to start learning a new language. My husband and I lived in the UK for a number of years and now have friends scattered all over the globe. We want to visit our international friends and allow our child to get to know the people who we love. Providing that opportunity to build these relationships will continue your child's awareness and understanding of place and time zones.

9. A learning experience like no other

When you start to prioritise travel as a learning experience like no other for your children, you will start to notice the changes in your kids. Travelling as a family may take some more planning than you previously used to do when you were a solo or couple traveller, but will it be worth it? Definitely! It is worth every dollar you invest when you start to see the positive impact that travel is having on your children’s knowledge and curiosity about life.

Travel when your kids are young: Scotland

Do you believe in family travel when your kids are young?

Since my very first travel memory at the It's a Small World ride at Disneyland, I feel like my own life has been shaped for the better through travelling. I am sure you have also developed skills in patience, resilience, interpreting, strength and compassion through your own travel experiences. Do you ever think about what kind of travel memories and experiences that your kids will be shaped by? Will you be a family who will make it a priority to travel when your kids are young?

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More posts on the art of family travel from What Ali Sees:

• Tips for Raising Kids who Love to Travel
• Family Travel Milestones: Child's First Passport - How to arrange one for your child
• What to Take on a Flight with a Toddler - for everyone to have a great trip!
• Travel Hacks that Make Sense for Families - check out this video before your next trip

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I've added this to my favourite travel blogging weekly link-up - FarawayFiles.

Ali May

Ali aims to inspire you to create more meaningful family travel experiences through slow travel and appreciating the little moments. She writes about nature travel, wildlife and cultural experiences that create the best family memories. Because isn't parenthood the perfect chance to (re)discover the world through fresh eyes? You can also find her practicing photography, hitting running tracks and drinking wine in her chosen home-town of Melbourne, Australia. Follow Ali on Instagram (@whatalisees)

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