Wild Adventures (also known as travelling with children) ~~

I was about to write a bland blog about How To Travel With Children.  About 420 words in, I thought ‘this is boring ~ anyone could write this’.  So I decided to share the “fun” of some of our family travel experiences.

My husband and I did not have many opportunities of travel when we were growing up.  We decided, when the kids were young, that we wanted to give them as many traveling adventures as we could. If you read my first blog, you know that I have 2 grown children.  We are blessed enough to be able to say that we have traveled in all of the “Lower 48” with them. (I admit that sometimes the visit to a state may have been just a few miles in, so that we could at least say we had been there.  Is that cheating?)

Travel by car hint:  On a road trip, DO NOT give your 18-month-old son SweeTarts after breakfast in an attempt to keep him happy & quiet.  You will find yourself – I happened to be pregnant at the time – on the side of the road, cleaning up a mess after he gets sick all over himself, car seat, blanket, and back seat.  Your son will be crying.  You might also have a grumpy husband if yours is like mine and feels the need to “Make Time” while on a road trip.

Travel by air hint:  DO NOT give your 3-year-old daughter gum right before takeoff in an attempt to keep her happy & quiet.  The theory is that it will help alleviate ear pain from change in air pressure.  You will find yourself cleaning up a crying, sticky child’s face, hair, clothes, hands and a sticky airplane seat.  You might also notice that your fellow travelers are grumpy.  Your flight attendant might be on the grumpy side, too.

Additional hint:  DO NOT forget to pack your health insurance card.  That way, when your 5-year-old son splits open his chin from jumping into the hotel pool while turning to catch himself, you will have it handy for your trip to the emergency room.  If I close my eyes, I can still see what the inside of his chin looks like.  Also, be prepared.  You will have a grumpy 5-year-old as he watches his 3-year-old sister swim and he is not allowed in the pool because he can’t get his stitches wet.

While I shared a few of the not-so-fun experiences of our family travel, there are many, many more happy times.  We will never regret any of our family vacations and, instead, we are thankful that we had the means and opportunity to take our kids on so many adventures.

Claudia Eggenberger

Co-owner/Agent

Adventure Is Out There Travel, LLC