Travel with Kids? Wha?

I read an article the other day online... I think it was Huffington.  Some British lady used her maternity leave to travel.  What? That is news? Shock and awe!  Travel with a baby?  Travel the world with kids?  You can't do that.  I also giggle at all these bloggers who go on about traveling with kids and blah blah blah.

Why does everyone think you have to give up traveling when you have kids?

I will admit that we didn't do any MAJOR traveling once we had kids.  But we didn't really do it before we had kids.  A trip to Mardi Gras here, a trip to the Dominican Republic there.  A honeymoon to Fiji and lots of trips between the ville and the Big D.  We actually "travelled" quite a bit.  No it wasn't to Europe or Asia every year.  Once we had kids, travel for us was seeing the Grandparents.  One set in NY and one set in KY, while we lived in Kansas City.  Plus, I have this small problem of a workaholic husband.  So there were many years he didn't use half of his vacation.  And it was use it or lose it.

I had always wanted to go to England.  But that just got pushed back by restoring a house, having babies, launching new vehicles.  That one was Joel.  I retired from that LONG ago.  Joel really wanted to live overseas.  I was game.  He tried for years, but nothing came thru.  Until that fateful Feb. morning that Joel had a message from his old boss.   That first look and see trip to Istanbul and I had full on caught the travel bug.  At the time we had three kids.  They were 7, 4, and 2.  When we left for our move, that was the first time Elly and Nate had been on a plane.  All three were rockstars.  So freaking easy!

Once we add #4, heck... she was traveling the second she got her passport.  Within her first year, she had made trips to Spain, the US, and Portugal.  Not even counting the in utero travel.  Even hit Greece right after her first bday.   She was an amazing traveller.  When she was nursing, it was a dream.  She would nurse and pass out.  Sleeping most of the flights.  Really, the ONLY hard time traveling with young kids is once they become mobile.  That rough time lasts until they can communicate what they want.  Thankfully, Milly could right away.  She is just very demanding.  The last few flights we took.... she fought sleep.  She wanted to watch a movie.  Then would fall asleep during descent.  Which made it hard to get off the plane.  And Chinese are PUSHY when it comes to travel!  The last flight back from our Japan holiday, she fell asleep AFTER we landed.  That was a fun one!!

But here we are 4 1/2 years into world travel with 4 kids.  It is not hard folks.  If you want to travel,  DO IT!  It will make your kids better people.  Yeah, mine get tired and cranky.  But we push thru and after it's all over with, they will tell you it was the best time of their life.   If I can handle traveling with 4 kids, a hubby, the inlaws and Fibromyalgia ..... anyone can hand a kid or two!!  Because there are many times during our trips, I feel like I have 7 kids.  Thank God my sister in law is awesome.

I'm not a super mom, amazing or anything other word like that.  I just love to travel.  I am totally taking the opportunity to see this side of the world while in China.  Because once we get back to the US.... we get to pay for fun things like mortgages and college tuition so our World Travel days will be on pause.  But we still have the whole United States of America to show the kids!  I am just as excited for those days than I am for our up coming trips.  So far we have Sanya, China, Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand, Moscow and St. Pete's Russia via the Trans Siberian Express, Australia and New Zealand, and India on the books.  Along with seeing China.

Kids are NOT an excuse!!  See the World!