Top Reasons Why You Should Travel with Your Kids

A lot of people say not to travel with kids when they’re too young…because they won’t remember any of it anyway.

We beg to differ.

Granted, our daughter couldn’t really remember much of what happened the first two years of her life, if at all, but she does remember snippets of our travels – the one where we went backpacking in Mindanao for nearly a month. She was three then.

So, why would you even want to travel with children?

Why would parents go through all that hassle? (It’s difficult enough to handle them at home, how much more on the road.)

Well, here are some reasons that have compelled us to try out life on the road with our little kiddo.

1. To show them the beauty of the world

Well, we haven’t quite reached that stage in our family life but we are hoping we will soon be…once my business takes off (but that’s for another website haha).

Sure they can just find them on books or the Internet but you know what is so much better? Seeing the beauty of the world right in front of you, with your naked eyes.

2. To teach them kindness and compassion

The media has so much negativity in them that I try to stay away from hearing the news, as much as I can. (For political news, I usually turn to Buzzfeed haha.)

However, when you’re on the road, you will soon realize how amazing people can be.

They help you and offer a place to stay – all without expecting for anything in return. You’d be surprised how generous and compassionate and kind people actually are in real life. Yes, even when they’re strangers.

3. To make them flexible and adaptable

Being on the road, with kids or without, is challenging. It teaches you to stay out of your comfort zone and do the things that scares you – like be on the road for 30 days, unsure about where your next funds will come from (not for the faint-hearted).

It teaches them to leave their toys and make do with whatever they can find to entertain themselves.

4. To teach them to be mindful about money

Okay, so this isn’t really something that you can teach infants or toddlers.

If you have kids that have a little bit of understanding about money, or are starting to ask for money, travel is the best way to teach them about being mindful about it and to learn about budgeting.

You can maybe give them an allowance of some sort and tell them to make it last until a certain period.

Parents also learn a lot about budgeting from travel – we know from experience.

5. To teach them to entertain themselves

How do you entertain yourself throughout a 16-hour-long bus ride?

We’re the kind of parents who do not have additional gadgets to lend to our kiddos, both by choice and by circumstance.

It’s not to say we don’t let our daughter watch videos or play some games (we’ve since had a hand-me-down tablet from my mom) but when you’re on the road, there’s no room for that because your gadgets tend to lose battery or it just gets boring later on.

Going on long rides teaches kids to find ways to entertain themselves. Perhaps play a game of I Spy? Read letters and words from signboards? Count cars of a certain color?

The possibility is endless.

6. To teach them to mingle with others

We’re leaning towards homeschooling and, hopefully, we pair it with A LOT of time on the road.

People think that you lack the socialization when you study from home…but you actually don’t.

Instead of being trapped inside the four walls of a classroom, you get the chance to strike a conversation with other people. Although many of those we meet don’t really know how to talk to our daughter – she talks very maturely that I tend to forget she’s still turning five as of writing.

Travel has helped her become exposed to different types of people, of all ages and backgrounds.

Are you ready to travel?

There are still many different ways why you’d want to travel with kids – and these reasons are just the cream of the crop.

I hope it has inspired you in some way to bring your kids outside and take them on your adventures.

Just because you have a kiddo doesn’t mean life’s adventures stop.

It doesn’t. It continues. It becomes more epic than ever.