Where are Mike, Keryn and Dek going next?
The short and sweet: Traveling with a child is impossible. At least that’s what everyone told me – a travel junkie – two years ago when I was pregnant with my son Dek. As a full-time mother and full-time production manager, I would never have the time or energy, they said, to keep up with these trips.
I tried day and night to make it work. But in a way, those nay-sayers were right. Not that traveling with my son was too complicated to attempt, but it was time for a change. It was my full-time job that had to go. It interfered with my travel time, and more importantly, the way I wanted to raise my son. I had to move on.
Try something new. In a frightening move for someone who has worked since the age of 16, I decided to forgo my corporate career to focus on my family and my passion, travel.
Welcome to Walkingon Travels, the blog about traveling with little ones, and why, although challenging and sometimes hair-pulling, exploring with your children is always worth it.
A little more about me: I have heard every excuse and every warning about how difficult it would be to travel with a baby. It’s too expensive, too exhausting or not worth the effort. But the minute that pee stick revealed its pink plus-sign, I vowed to continue my husband’s and my routine of international wandering. We like to leave the country at least once a year or more when we are lucky.
So far I’ve held true to my promise. Since our son was born in 2009, we’ve taken 5 trips, visited 4 countries (Hong Kong and Macau count, right?). My son has 5+ stamps in his passport, and we have a year of domestic and international travel lined up for next year.
A lot of that travel has been thanks to my job. Though my background is in photography and journalism, those careers have been somewhat dormant over the years. Instead I followed an unexpected, but rewarding, path as a production manager with a book publishing company. It allowed me to use all the organizational and analytical skills my brain yearns for. But it sometimes left the creative side of me a little dead.
The job kept me hopping, working more than 40-hour a week, taking calls at all times of the day and night with clients and printers across the globe. After having my son, my days became even more hectic. But I still yearned for a creative outlet. So I reached back to my journalism training and began writing. More accurately, I launched this blog. It has evolved from a quick place to jot down travel memories to an outlet for tips and tricks I have picked up as I travel with my son, a boy who started flying at 3 months.
Pushing past perfection. I am in no way a perfect mother (far from it), and I certainly don’t have all of the answers. I am honest with my struggles and triumphs. It’s good for others to know that life isn’t perfect and you’ll see my foibles throughout this blog. We are all just trying to figure out how to be the best parents as we go along. It’s good for parents traveling with little people to see that we all have ups and downs: good flights, bad flights, good hotels, bad hotels, happy babies, screaming babies. The list goes on and on as do the number of tips out there.
Traveling with babies is like raising babies. There are a million people who will tell you what to do, what not to do. You’ll try things. Some will work. Some will hilariously (after time and shock has settled) blow up in your face. You will, like me, question your sanity.
This blog isn’t about giving parents fool-proof ways to pack up their pint-sized travelers. My goal for Walkingon Travels is to provide one more resource for parents who hope to continue their dream of traveling post baby, to encourage them to look past the fears and the negative input and book those tickets. It can be done and it will create life-long memories you will cherish.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to Contact Me.
Thank you to my friend Tara M. for her assistance writing this page. She helped me put into words all of the things I have been thinking about the past few months, but was unable to sum up on my own. She is an incredible friend, traveler and editor.
July 14, 2011 at 8:12 am
I love your attitude. My son is older but I wish I would have done this. Life doesn’t have to end just because people have children. Good for you. What a wonderful & enriching experience for all of you!
October 14, 2011 at 2:50 pm
It’s never too late to start traveling, even if it just ends up being you
July 15, 2011 at 3:00 am
Very nice blog, and I think you’re right. your baby is lucky!
July 15, 2011 at 4:12 am
I love how you’re determined to keep traveling with your toddler. My parents took me traveling too when I was very young and those are memories are priceless. I’m now a traveler too and enjoying the wonder and learning that comes from opening your eyes and heart to the world. Best wishes in your blog!
August 10, 2011 at 12:48 pm
I absolutely love your blog! You’re quite the inspiration, having a child and still doing what you love. Please keep continuing to share your travels!
October 14, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Thank you everyone for your kind words of encouragement. This blog has certainly been a labor of love, but one I don’t mind working hard at in the least.
October 28, 2011 at 9:53 pm
We are also a traveling family, but have thus far kept to North America. It is nice to see how other people experience the world. Look forward to following your travels and would be flattered if you checked out our blog. We are new to blogging but not to traveling.
October 28, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Welcome to the world of blogging. It’s a really interesting ride as you relive your travels with the whole world. I love it though.
October 31, 2011 at 3:54 pm
I like your blog and your attitude. I have young children myself and though we don’t travel far, we get out there often. We moved to the island of Oahu 11mos ago and I’m outdoors every day that time allows exploring and keeping in shape. My kids are in school some of that time but if they aren’t they are right beside me. Make the most of every day! Love it!
January 3, 2012 at 1:56 am
You have my vote for the Versatile Blogger award
January 4, 2012 at 8:58 am
Thanks!
January 4, 2012 at 8:56 am
Thanks for the inspirational tribute to all parents with wanderlust.
February 11, 2012 at 11:05 pm
I’m so excited to have stumbled upon your blog! We just realized we have 4 trips (via plane) planned between now and November. Our son is now almost 6 months old so we know we are in store for lots of changes as he grows. It looks like your blog will be an excellent resource for us. Thank you!
February 12, 2012 at 8:21 am
I am so glad you found me! It’s so exciting that you have 4 plane trips already planned. You sound like me. I’m already planning the next 3 trips after our baby boy #2 arrives at the end of April. I need to know I am going somewhere so my sanity stays somewhat intact. You are starting him on his travel adventures at a young age so he will be even more moldable then if you started older. He’ll learn plane etiquette and the drill when going through security. It gets easier each trip as you learn your own tricks. Have a great time. I can’t wait to hear about your adventures!