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Friday, October 26, 2012

Traveling With Kids – How to Enjoy the Journey

How to Enjoy Traveling With Kids © Katrena
Some people dread traveling with kids. Driving down winding mountain roads with a kid who gets carsick easily? I feel your pain. Have the whiners, grumblers, fighters, front seat kickers, and multiple bathroom breakers? Hang in there. Can't afford a GPS and realize the MapQuest directions aren't exactly what you expected after driving for miles into what seems like nowhere? I can relate.

Enjoy Nature While Traveling © Katrena
Despite the many challenges of traveling with children, I still love to hop in the car and explore with the kids. It can be so tempting to focus only on the destination, but if we never look out the side windows, we might miss the spectacular, yet fleeting, array of colors painted on the edge of the sky. Perhaps that unexpected stop might offer an unusual adventure or ensure that an accident waiting to happen doesn't.

Going Unplugged on a Car Ride - Photo by eleliam at Wikimedia Commons
Although modern technology has many advantages, sometimes the devices tend to divide people into individual worlds. If everyone is wearing earbuds or watching a screen, conversation may evaporate. Going "unplugged" for at least part of the journey may feel risky, but we might grow to have a deeper relationship with the family.

Enjoy Unexpected Detours When Traveling with Children - Photo by Richard David Ramsey at Wikimedia Commons
Traveling with children can be a humbling experience, but those little people in the back seat may all too soon be behind the wheel themselves. Allow extra time for breaks. Be open to the unexpected. Who knows? Maybe the journey will be one of those quirky parts of a trip that everyone fondly remembers years down the road.

Read more of Katrena's articles at Love 2 Travel With Kids and Travel NC With Kids.

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