Exploring with Kids: Is It Worth the Journey?

“Wanderlust: n. a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.”

Since my first trip overseas for my graduation to the Santa Cruz Islands in the Solomon Islands, I’ve had an enduring passion for travel. My childhood, however, was not filled with adventures; we could count our family holidays on one hand. But when I became an adult, I was determined to travel.

When our children were born, we didn’t want that to change. So, when our daughter was just ten days old, we packed the car and embarked on our first family holiday, driving from Melbourne to Batemans Bay. Even now with four children, we’ve continued to travel and strive to instill that same sense of wanderlust in them.

But something happens when you start traveling with children. People start questioning your choices.

Telling us to wait until they are older, to not waste the money.

They ask questions like will our children even remember these trips? Is it worth taking preschoolers to Disneyland, Athabasca Falls, across the Nullarbor, or Uluru and Cape York? They’ve advised us to wait until the kids are older when they can truly appreciate it. But we don’t wait. We travel.

Now traveling with children is not for the faint hearted, I still remember our trip home from the states with our four children in tow, only moments into the flight, my then three year old was sick all over me. I had a change of clothes for her, however did not think that I would need a change, so spent the next 13 hours in only a jumper and jeans, and smelling delightful.

Then with only half an hour to go from our quick stopover in Auckland, nursing our one year old in my lap, when the unthinkable happened, he wet through his nappy, all over my pants, so I know looked like I had wet my own pants, and smelled terrible.

Walking through security, with a one year old held down real low, so people didn’t stare, I rushed straight into the first shop I could and bought an overpriced, I love Auckland shirt, and the most expensive, most itchy pair of pure merino trackies, the only pants we could find.

We have many stories like that, burst air drums and emergency visits, children being sick in the middle of customs line. Moments when you begin to question your decisions.

But still we travel!

Top 5 reasons to travel with children?

The number one reason is the amount of fun and joy it brings to you.

There is nothing like watching the look of joy and excitement on your children’s face when you walk through the gates of Disneyland, or as they go snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef for the first time.

The sense of achievement they felt when they climbed that mountain, finished a hike in the National Park, or rode on their first rollercoaster. Tried that food for the first time.

Making Memories

We want our children to cherish their childhood memories, looking back on those years with love and joy. We believe travel helps create those treasured moments.

When you travel with your children, you escape the daily hustle and bustle—no rushing to after-school activities, no work, no school, and limited housework (A favorite of mine).

Instead, you have the time to create memories as a family.

While daily routines are important, holidays allow you to set aside the usual busyness of life and focus on quality time together. Whether it’s a quick day trip to Lorne or a month-long adventure in the States, the duration isn’t what matters most.

It’s the quality of the time spent together and the memories you make that truly count.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

One of my favorite quotes is “Not all classrooms have four walls”.

Our children have traveled extensively around Australia and the world, and we have watched them grow and learn so much along the way.

As we have traveled they have learned about different cultures, absorbed history, and developed patience, without even realizing it.

They’ve learned about peace, learned about war.

They have learned how to adapt when things don’t go as planned. From delayed flights and incorrect hotel rooms to missed transfers that led to missed activities, they’ve come to understand that life doesn’t always follow the script, and that’s perfectly okay.

On long road trips, they’ve rediscovered the power of imagination, with no electronics to distract them. They’ve learned to stay alert and aware of their surroundings, turning it into fun games along the way.

Through travel, we’re showing our children that the journey itself is often part of the fun. We’re teaching them that life isn’t just about where you end up, but about how you got there.

Strengthening Family Bonds

Shared adventures bring us closer together. The shared stories and shared adventures help create a closer relationship.

But it is not just the trip, it’s in the planning, the hours watching YouTube videos together, and making plans.

It’s in the meals that we eat on our trips, that we then try to recreate at home.

Our Children add to our lives.

When we were pregnant with our first Child, a very wise mum said to us. “When you have children they should fit into your life. They add to it. Make sure that they fit in with your routine, not the other way around.

We love to travel, we love to take holidays, and we love to go out for a meal. We love to go for walks, we love to go to the beach, we love listening to music. So we have always made sure our children are a part of our lives, part of the things we love.

Even now as they are getting older, they still enjoy living life with us.

People always mention how well-behaved our children are out at restaurants, and how well-behaved they are when traveling. That is because it is second nature to them.

In saying that, we adapt for our children too, there are some trips they were not ready for, we wouldn’t expect them to hike the overland track, however, an 8km walk through the Noosa National Park is ok.

We bring coloring in out with us when we go to brunch, and choose restaurants that serve food they like. Our playlists on Spotify are eclectic so all 6 of us can listen to music we like.

Traveling with kids is not without its challenges, it’s different, but as we know in life, different does not mean bad.

It’s worth every moment, the travel itself is an experience you won’t get if you stick to the safety of home. As you watch your children experience life with wonder and naivety that gets lost as we grow up, you will realize that yes, Travelling with Children is worth the journey.