Traveling With Kids: The Good, the Bad, and the Really Ugly
Charlie and Doug had a blast climbing the "look-out towers" of the Alhambra Palace when we were in Granada, Spain, three months ago.
by Wendy Perrin
Several moms I know (including my own) have insisted I link to today's recording of The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC Radio (New York's flagship public radio station). I'm on the show every Thursday morning in May as part of its month-long travel series, and this morning our topic was how to survive vacations with the kids (and are they truly vacations or just changes of venue?). It was quite an entertaining half-hour, I have to admit, partly because Brian (who also has two sons) is such a great interviewer, and partly because the other guest on the show was one Hollis Gillespie, a former flight attendant (with an amazingly well-traveled daughter) who shared some pretty horrifying stories about what she saw parents doing with their tots on planes--everything from overmedicating them so much that the plane had to make an emergency landing to tucking them away in the overhead bins!
You can listen to the segment by clicking here (just scroll down past the pic of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid--that was the interview before me--until you get to the segment called "Unraveling Traveling: Are We There Yet?").
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Excellent job on the radio show!
I think anyone who has traveled extensively with young children knows how rewarding and enriching it can be for the whole family, so of course I have to agree with your point of view!! ;)
This is our second winter in a small village in Southern Spain near the Ocean and Granada, so I could not agree with you more about the rewards.
We have been traveling the world as a family since 2006 on an open ended world tour. We started when my child was 5 and it has been the greatest decision of our lives.
Slow travel is another way to keep costs down and adding to the immersion and richness for a family. More and more families can do that today with telecommuting, homeschooling and distance learning.
Beautiful, ocean view monthly rentals are abundant and ridiculously cheap. The history, beauty, culture, food, people of Andalusia is a delight too many miss.
http://www.soultravelers3.com
Posted by: Soultravelers3 | May 09, 2008 at 01:09 PM
I think traveling with my children is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life!! I traveled extensively before our twins were born and enjoyed it - but not nearly as much as I've enjoyed traveling with them.
The four of spent a year bicycling 9300 miles around the USA and Mexico in 2006-07 and it was a fabulous experience - seeing the world through our kids' eyes while on bikes was THE way to do it!
Now we are taking off again - this tiem to pedal from Alaska to Argentina. I am THRILLED to have the time with my kids!!
You can read about our journey at www.familyonbikes.org
Posted by: familyonbikes | May 25, 2008 at 10:45 PM
Traveling with kids is never easy, but Rand McNally and Prestone is making it that much easier with tips and free downloadable games. Check it all out at http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZdjH-hdfES8 or www.GetRoadReady.com.
Posted by: GetRoadReady | May 28, 2008 at 01:07 PM