Travel with your baby
Yes, I know I know…traveling with little ones can be a nightmare. Yes we get it, but it is only a nightmare if you think it is a nightmare…..hear me out and keep reading because I am going to give you our top 5 reasons why you need to travel with your baby. Let’s go!
As passionate travel junkies, our first concern when starting our little family was the ability to travel with a baby. Friends and family kept telling us that once we had our baby we were going to stop traveling. We were afraid they were going to be right so we waited a couple of years before having our first baby. We talked about it and one day we came to the conclusion that everyone is wrong. Traveling with a baby can’t be bad specially if you team up and expose them to the traveling world at an early age.
The Plan
Our plan was set, we were going to have a baby and travel as soon as our doctor gave us the green light to travel. Our plan was to take him to Europe. We were expecting him to be around 4 months old for that first trip but then covid happened. Because of covid, we did not start traveling with him until now…as a 1 year old. However, even though it took an entire year for him to do his first international trip, we learned a lot from that one trip that made us realize if it wasn’t for covid, we would have done plenty of trips with him by now. We realized it was actually not a nightmare and more of a joy to travel with a baby. So here we go, these are our top 5 reasons why you need to travel with your baby ASAP.
1. FREE TRAVEL
Did you know your baby can fly for free up until he/she is 2 years old (sometimes 3)? Yes, including international flights, your baby can travel for free up until he/she is 2 years old. Some airlines will charge you a small percentage of the regular price, but it is still worth it. We went to Dominican Republic and his ticket was free. Soon we will go to Mexico and again his ticket will be free. Back when we were doing our research for our trip to Europe when he was 4 months old, the ticket for him was going to cost like 10% the actual price. So take advantage of that and travel with your babies before they turn 2.
2. FAST PASS
You have no idea how amazing it felt when we were at the airport and got to cut in front of an hour long line because we were with our baby. At first, we were unsure of what was going on and lined up behind the rest of the people in line. Then TSA opened up our own lane and told us to go through. We both looked at each other in confusion but then realized what was going on and proceeded to walked right through our own special lane. I felt like I had Presidential status because that other line was easily an hour long. We skipped all the way to the front and got through within a minute. The same thing happened in the Dominican Republic and on the way back to the states. So apparently if you are flying with a baby you get to skip the line and go straight to the front. That to me is a huge perk of flying with a baby.
3. HEAD START
You ever heard of this expression in sports “you gotta start them early”? Well, you can apply this theory with traveling too. The earlier you expose your kids and teach them about travel, the better travelers they become. Initially that was our plan, train our baby early so that we could continue traveling with him. We have stuck to this plan and will probably be doing 3 to 4 international flights with him in 2022. Yes we understand it might be a struggle to travel with him and there might be occasions where he will cry, but it is ok because it is part of life. Eventually he will understand travel etiquette and will be a joy to travel with. So yes, start them early and you will have another travel companion joining you in your adventures.
4. BRAIN EMPOWERMENT
At this age, babies absorb everything they see and their little brains try to process all the new information that is in front of them. Traveling definitely exposes babies to a plethora of new experiences. This has the potential to help their brains develop faster and become geniuses. Now is there evidence to back up my theory, maybe or maybe not, but it’s a pretty good & convincing theory huh? Ok but in all seriousness, the face our baby made every time he experienced something or saw something made us realize he was excited. He saw the sea, the beach and palm trees for the first time. He was riding on a boat and interacting with people from other cultures. His little smile made it all worth it. I don’t know what was going through his little brain but I am convinced that all these new experiences were positive for him and his brain development. I am pretty sure there are articles backing up my theory too.
5. MEMORIES
How many times have you told someone you want to take your child to Disneyland and your negative party pooping friend tells you “why are you taking her to Disneyland, she’s not even going to remember it…” We have all been there, but you know what, that trip is not for her it’s for ME! That’s right, these trips and these memories are for me! How many times do we hear people complain about how fast time goes by especially when you have kids. My theory is, time goes by fast because you don’t create new memories with your kids. Your brain does not have new memories of you and your children so 10 years seem to pass by in a flash. However, if you make memories with your children even if they are babies, then time will slow down. You will be enjoying your kids, creating memories for you and slowing down time. That to me is worth every penny spent on traveling.
Conclusion
Do not wait until your baby is 6 to start traveling. Travel with your baby as soon as possible. Get out of your comfort zone, start them early, create memories and help them experience new things that will benefit their development. Remember, the earlier you start the easier it is for your pockets too.
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