For Parents, Is Travel Harder Than I Think?

Photo by Corissa Rogers on Flickr

I got someinteresting feedback on Twitter the other day regarding my post about creating time for travel. A friend of mine pointed out that I am not (yet) a parent, and that in a few years I’d get the idea that travel will be a lot harder when I have a child soaking up a good portion of my time and money.

 

He’s right in one sense: I don’t have a kid, and I can’t speak to how my life will be different at that point. I don’t know how much money it takes to raise a child, I don’t know how much time and effort will be spent raising the child.

But I don’t believe my friend. 

I maintain that—while an enormously beneficial, but time- and money-consuming venture—travel is attainable for anyone who really wants it. I’ve talked before about the benefits of seeing the world around you, whether it’s jumping on a train to Chicago or jetting off to Chiang Mai. The cultural, educational, and even economic benefits far outweigh any temporary financial or temporal sacrifices you may have to make. It’s all about where you place your priorities and how well you plan ahead.

I know there are parents out there who take their children with them when they can to places unknown. Mine were parents who loved to travel and took us wherever we could go, whenever we could go. We weren’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, yet my brothers and I spent much of our childhoods exploring the world. Sometimes it was to the local flea market. Sometimes it was a road trip to Disney World.

Maybe it’s the various definitions of travel that’s tripping us up. I see travel as not solely a weeklong vacation or a lifetime hopping around the world. I see travel and outdoor adventures as going somewhere you’ve never been, in order to experience something new, whether for a few hours or for several months. It’s up to you what travel is.

Maybe I’m way off, but I don’t think I am. So I ask you this, Parents: Do you find time and money to travel, even with young children?  If not, what’s holding you back?

Chris Cavallari

About Chris Cavallari

Chris is a longtime digital content producer based in Maine. Since 1999, he has been an early adopter and active participant in blogging, podcasting, and social media, and has been guiding small and mid-sized businesses in leveraging video, social media, and digital publishing to the fullest. With an avid love of travel and the outdoors, Chris started PartTimeVagabond.com in 2009 to give him a platform to showcase his outdoors and travel adventures, and to help educate others in doing the same.