When our eldest daughter was young she often used to ask us to go abroad. She wanted a family trip to a new country, an adventure. She was persistent. We were young parents, struggling to get by month to month with tight budgets and not enough sleep due to her younger siblings. We used to splash water on this dream of hers, trying to put out this specific fire, yet gently.

We used to say that she had plenty of time in her near future. We used to say that when she reached the ripe age of 18, she could save up and travel the world. Thank god we didn’t listen to our own advice from that time.

A few years later, it became our family plan. We saved up for her Bat-Mitzvah and it became a real possibility. Our first trip was better than perfect. It was her first dream of travel, but so much more. It became something that brought us together as a family even more. We are already pretty close and tight-knit as a family unit, yet this was an even more powerful experience.

It opened up our children’s minds, truly. I could see the wonder in their little eyes. They had so many questions and were eager to learn and hear our answers, even if it took a few more minutes to explain a complex idea. It opened up discussions that often amazed us about different cultures, religions and customs. It gave them a fresh and new perspective on people, on life, on the world. It opened up an array of possibilities but also, at the end of the day, they were grateful for their place in the world, for what they have and were eventually happy to come home.

So with this new understanding, from our side also, collecting these unique experiences as a family, it became a priority for us. One usually has to choose; for us it was pretty easy. No garden for the moment, only the bare minimum on the house, making do with what we had with no new purchases of furniture, etc., limited shopping of any kind, but making a clear family goal of creating these experiences and memories of family travel.

London was the first for us as a family, and it has become our treasured place. We have already returned several times…On our first trip we were lucky to be able to coordinate our trip with our beloved Aunt and Uncle who came from the U.S and we spent such a special time together. It made the experience even more magical. Having family who is so close to our heart, yet living far away from us, is always a challenge, and travelling also provided us opportunities to meet more often.

We used to be worried that travelling with children can be more of a worry and hard work, instead of a vacation, but we found the way to build our days in ways that might work for all of us. Always remembering to have some kind of food handy and taking breaks, which turned out to be something we needed as well (and not only the kids). There’s no doubt that travelling without children is also an excellent experience, and has its own unique advantages, but we hope that we will have time for that too, in the future. If you’re thinking of travelling with your children, but are somewhat concerned, I would recommend to start slow and small: somewhere relatively close (reduce those actual travel hours) and for a short period of time. Another recommendation is to plan the days in a slow pace with a short “to-see” list. Sometimes lowering expectations is a good thing. Remember that our children grow up so fast (too fast!) and that we have only a short opportunity to see other places of the world through their special young eyes…

Safe Travels!!!

(Written in our rented apartment in London, our “home away from home”, during our 4^th visit to London as a family).