I often talk about all the benefits of travelling with kids – but what are the negatives? Are there any reasons you shouldn’t travel with kids?
It was hard but I came up with some reasons why you should NEVER travel with kids!
Contents
1. Don’t travel if you hate quality family time!
If there is one thing in common with all our travel is that it has been full of quality family time – from eating together every meal to exploring cities to playing on the beach or splashing in the pool, we generally do everything together. There is no rushing to work, school, child care, appointments. We have time to just be together.
If this sounds like your worst nightmare, then definitely don’t travel with kids.
2. Don’t travel if you don’t want locals to talk to you!
Me talking to some local students at Taman Fatahillah, Jakarta while some buskers entertain the kids
I have found kids the best way to break cultural barriers and interact with local populations. It’s very easy to warm up to people and places when everyone is smiling at your kids, telling you how beautiful they are and going out of their way to help you.
If you hate strangers talking to you, then definitely don’t travel with kids.
3. Don’t travel if you don’t want your kids to learn!
The world is the best classroom there is and kids are like sponges – so expect them to learn a lot. Also expect lots of difficult questions. Some of my favourites from the last year was how my 5 year old could become a Muslim, why days are so long in some parts of the world and why do people speak different languages.
If you don’t want your kids to learn, then definitely don’t travel with kids.
4. Don’t travel if you don’t want your kids to try new things!
The kids are dentists at KidZania Jakarta
From the food to the local language to the different activities on offer, there are likely to be lots of new experiences when you travel. Our kids have had so many experiences they wouldn’t have had at home – like eating roti canai for breakfast, being careful monkeys don’t steal their snacks, climbing over ancient ruins and visiting Disneyland.
If you don’t want your kids to be exposed to different cultures and experiences, then definitely don’t travel with kids.
5. Don’t travel if you don’t want to create amazing memories!
If there is one thing you are guaranteed when you are travel, it’s that you will create amazing memories. So many of my most vivid memories are from when I was in far off places and it is the same for the kids. The best thing about kids is that they tend to forget the bad straight away and just remember how awesome everything was.
If you hate creating lasting memories with your children, then definitely don’t travel with kids.
You will notice this article is short – perhaps the shortest I have ever written. This is because, honestly, I have no real reasons why you should never travel with kids. We love it and there is no reason you can’t too!
You can read some reasons here about why you should travel with kids.
Why do you travel with kids?
