The Joys (and Lessons) of Traveling with a Toddler
My husband and I have been in talks about what our summer vacation plans will be looking like. After a few years of short-distance trips and staycations, I am especially feeling the itch to travel to a new and maybe even faraway place. I have always identified myself as a traveler, but admittedly I am rusty. Long gone are the days of hopping on a plane to Europe like I did for summers on end in 2011 and 2013. Since then, I’ve become a pet mom, lived through a travel lockdown, and have stepped into * actual * motherhood. All of which are things that have undoubtedly made travel more complicated. Not impossible, but complicated.
I am so grateful to be a mom during this era of modern motherhood, where traveling with baby is not only doable but encouraged. I know that I personally feel apprehension traveling with a toddler, but I have never once felt hindered or discouraged to travel because of my daughter. It’s simply a matter of being overly prepared in every aspect, from mental expectations to having enough diapers. It’s going from spontaneous globetrotter to calculated and sensible mom-traveler.
Last year we took a 9 hour road trip to North Carolina for a family vacation with our golden retriever Rosie and our baby who was 8 months old at the time. It was our first major long-distance trip with both dog and baby in tow. For us, it was a big deal. I realize other people travel way further in less comfortable accommodations. Leading up to the trip, I lost sleep over how stressful I thought the trek might be. I would tell myself, “this is going to be the car ride from hell.” But in reality, the car ride went unexpectedly smooth. We just went with it. Having a chill mindset is hard for me sometimes, but “letting go” of the full control I had been used to made the trip a lot easier. Perhaps it was a case of low expectations and hoping for the best, or maybe we got lucky.
The major lesson we learned was that the trip itself was exactly that: a trip. It was not a vacation and it wasn’t as relaxing as past vacations. It’s not a negative, or a downside, but it’s just a matter of fact that I feel a lot of parents would agree with. Looking back, there were definitely stressful moments during the trip and I mourned what travel used to look like. I expressed everything from frustration, lament, self-pity, to boredom. I missed leisurely beach days without lugging a tent and nap time gear. I missed late-night ice cream stops that no longer worked due to early bedtimes. I missed impromptu exploring, which felt difficult to do without the worry of inevitably cutting into nap time.
We figured out and articulated our realization early on in the trip, which I thank God for! Because it allowed us to really lean into it. We leaned into setting up the beach tent and slathering on the baby SPF. We leaned into 6pm bedtime (and my husband would bring me store-bought ice cream into the bedroom. It wasn’t soft serve but it was so sweet). We leaned into exploring. It wasn’t as much as I would have liked, but now we know that we have to get creative and figure out ways to adventure flexibly.
Bottom line: we enjoyed the trip, carved out time intentional moments (like a dinner night out) and created memories by booking an amazing beach photographer. The entire trip was a teachable moment - travel is possible, and it isn’t the same as it used to be. And now we know! As we consider taking longer, extended family trips with a future 18 or 19 month old, we are prepared mentally and know what to expect. Babyhood and toddlerhood is finite. It’s fleeting. I will someday be complaining that I am too old, or I’m too lonely. These are good problems to have right now. And the very same baby I had to, well, parent, will be the very same child, teenager and adult that will hopefully share my love for travel and create many travel memories with me.
We aren’t planning to get out our passports and book global travel anytime soon, but we are really looking forward to this summer and entering a new phase of travel centered around family fun. In this season of life, I am looking forward to more beach trips, exploring the USA, and booking trips and excursions that are more appropriate for a young family.
Tell me about your travel wishes, joys, and woes in a comment below! I would love to hear from you. 🤍🗺️✈️