Dear Diary: Traveling With Children

Dear Diary,

Traveling with children is both everything I dreamed it would be and not at all what I expected.

Before kids, travel felt effortless. I packed light, (okay that's a lie, I've never been able to pack light), wandered with intention and a fairly tight itinerary (thanks to the husband), and stayed out late just because I could. My biggest concern was choosing between two hiking trails or deciding whether to splurge on dessert or order another drink.

Now, it’s a different kind of adventure. Our luggage is stuffed with 5 extra outfits.... per day...favorite pajamas, snacks, blankets and stuffed friends. Every stop requires a bathroom break (mostly because of me; birthing two kids does a number on your bladder even with pelvic floor therapy...), having a full itinerary is next to impossible and as much as I'd like an extra drink I usually end up with dessert because it's more fun to share with the kids.

Traveling with the kids, besides the sibling squabbles (are they worse in new places or is it just me?), and the constant snack negotiations, contains so much joy!

There’s the way their faces light up when they spot something new: a deer crossing sign, spooky Halloween skeletons smashing into a fence, a giant cricket jumping across a sunny sidewalk. Their excitement at playing at "Texas's best playground", choosing their own food adventure at the hotel's continental breakfast, and then there's the proud independence of pulling their own suitcase through the airport, or the endless questions that tumble out on long drives; some funny, some thoughtful, all reminding me just how curious they are about the world.

Traveling with kids this age slows you down in a way that feels grounding at times. You start to notice things you might otherwise rush past: the mural on the side of a building, the thousands of acorns and rocks on the ground, the feel of the algae under your feet in the natural spring.  You skip the fancy dinners and stay up late watching cartoons in bed instead. You trade “seeing everything” for actually being where you are. For instance, yesterday we spent an hour outside an ice cream shop while they built "homes" for the grubs they found while smashing acorns. The hubby and I did absolutely nothing but watch and marvel at their creativity. That has been one of my favorite moments of this entire getaway.

Of course, it’s not without its challenges. There are moments when nothing goes smoothly,  someone’s too tired, too hungry, or too overstimulated. Everything starts to unravel, and you wonder why you ever thought a family trip would feel like a vacation. But then, there’s a moment that makes it all worth it.

Maybe it’s the kids giggling together in the hotel bed, or their wide eyed excitement at seeing something for the very first time. Maybe it’s the way they remember the smallest details; the smell of the rental car, the color of the dirt, the thrill of spinning our amusement park ride together.

Those are the moments that stick. The ones that show me that travel isn’t always about crossing destinations off a list. Traveling with my kids feels like it’s about creating family memories. Memories I hope we will all carry with us long after the suitcases are unpacked.

So yes, traveling with children can be exhausting, unpredictable, and rarely goes as planned. But it’s also one of the sweetest ways to see the world: through their joyful, precious eyes.

I'm learning that the best adventures are definitely not the ones that go "as planned". It's the ones that the kids help create, when the adults get to step back, take a breathe, and live in the moment...their moment.

Love,

Della