The Benefits of Traveling With Your Kids

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Traveling can be one of the most rewarding - and most trying- experiences when you are toting your kids along with you. Between flight delays, cancellations, stomach viruses, and plain old crankiness, you may feel ready to head back home on day one of your traveling endeavors.

But getting past the horrific travel experience and arriving at the place you've been dreaming of (and planning for) the past several months - is completely worth it.

Kids learn so much when you pull them from their usual routine of day to day life. As for you - you learn so much about your children and yourself as a parent when traveling.

Here are the benefits of traveling with your kids.

It Opens Their Minds To Other Cultures

Showing your kids how other people live in this world is a wonderful thing. It shows them that there is not "one way" to live. They see how other children their age live and go to school. They experience how other people eat and try new foods. It is such a humbling experience as a parent to hear your kids appreciate not only their lives but how others live too. Which brings me to my next benefit of travel with kids...

It Teaches Them To Appreciate What They Have

No matter where you go, if you and your children are taking in their surroundings of where they are, it puts things into perspective.

It Teaches You To Relax As A Parent

While traveling with the kids, even I learned to be more relaxed as a mom. I don't consider myself to be a strict parent. But I do like to keep some order in my day and follow some sort of routine. On my last vacation with the kids, I found myself continually telling me to "calm down". I started to just enjoy the day and enjoy my kids as they were in the moment. I stopped planning every moment of the day and realized that just letting things "happen" is the best thing.

I decided to take this frame of thought home with me. While I can't completely be this way in real life, I have definitely started taking steps towards being more relaxed as a mom.

Time seems to slip right through my fingers and I think it is so important to hold on to the moments I have with my kids now and live in the present moment.

It's Educational

No matter where you happen to go on vacation, you and your kids are bound to learn something new. Learning comes from experiencing things, situations and places. They will come back to their regular lives with these new experiences and use it in their daily life. On our recent family vacation, my kids got to walk the courtyard of an ancient Mayan Ruin. They climbed the temple of Altun-Ha (located in Belize). They got to learn first hand where part of their culture came from (my husbands family is from Belize and are of Mayan decent). I felt so overwhelmed with joy that they had the opportunity to experience that.

It Makes Them A Well-Rounded Person

One of my goals is to make sure I travel with my kids as much as I can. I want them to see that this world is bigger than just them. I want them to understand that there are more choices in life if they keep an open mind. Most importantly, I want them to understand that not everyone is the same. People are all unique and that's what makes this world beautiful. Traveling shows your kids first hand that there are all types of people in this world and that the world is a vast place that should be cared for.

It Creates Memories That Last A Lifetime

While all of the above reasons for traveling with kids are important, this is the most important to me. Memories stay with a person for a lifetime. Precious memories are one of life's most beautiful gifts. I know that every trip that I take with my kids, no matter how big or small, we are creating memories together. Memories that they will eventually share with their kids. I look forward to creating as many travel memories with my family as I can.

What are your thoughts on traveling with kids? Comment below.