Is it really worth travelling with babies?

We always hear comments how travelling with a baby doesn’t really make any sense (I’m talking about longer trips that include either long road travel or plane travel and when you spend at least a few nights away from home). Mostly people say babies get nothing out of travelling and that they are too little to appreciate it. Usually we hear that children need to be at least as old so they can remember where they’ve been and what they’ve seen. So why would we travel with babies or little kids at all? There are so many good reasons and we totally believe it’s so much worth it.

When to start travelling with babies?

I would say, when you feel like it. There is no rule to follow. Usually it’s good that you have some kind of daily schedule figured out which makes planning easier. And of course you must feel comfortable enough to just go and do it. For us it was when our son was 4 ½ months old. Of course I was eager to find out how it is to travel with a baby. And also as I’ve been travelling some 10 months per year before baby, I was missing it for some 8 months at the time we decided we want to take our baby boy for a trip. At the time he still didn’t start eating solid foods which made things even easier. He had his food just beside him all the time – my milk. There were all kinds of reactions regarding our decision to travel at the time, but we were happy and excited about it. So there is no rule and the decision is completely yours.

How is it?

We’ll get into many details in separate articles. But simply told, it’s of course so very much different to travel with a baby than by yourself or as a couple. There’s so much more to be careful about and more than 100 new things to consider. You have to follow the baby’s schedule and adjust almost everything to it. But the reward is also there. It just feels great to do something you loved so much before baby now with your baby. The baby you love so much and you want to show them the world. Having a baby with you when you travel makes travel more dynamic and you see and realize things you never did before. Like searching for a good place to change a nappy or nurse the baby and you come out with the most unusual solutions.

What does baby get out of a trip?

That is so common to hear people say. Ok travelling is good, but such a small baby won’t remember anything. Well it’s not all about remembering. It’s about moments together. Baby just wants to be with his or her parents all the time during first year of life so it doesn’t really matter where. Home or elsewhere. True, when they’ll be older they probably won’t remember where they’ve been when they were little. But they enjoy the moments. Our baby loved to see new people and new places. He was so curious. He was happy to stretch on hotel beds and loved the attention he received from some foreigners. And after all, it’s not all about the baby. If the parents love to travel, they will miss travelling when they start a family. So travelling together as a family will make parents happier. Happy parents, happy baby. And vice versa. So my opinion is that travelling with a small baby is so very rewarding for all family members.

Until next time,

Ajda