Would you travel with your kids even if they won’t remember them? Is traveling with younger children worthwhile?
On my guest post, “Wow! A 2-yr old Fil-Am boy has traveled to 10 countries worldwide” on another blog site, one person left a comment that says, “He will not remember it.. hehe..” (original post in Tagalog: ‘Di nmn nya mttandaan yn..hehe..’). I was actually shocked that somebody will make that kind of comment. I didn’t bother to reply.
Read more: Best & Fun Vacation Ideas for Families
People will never question you when you read stories to your children or when you take them to the playground.
They will even encourage you to bring your kids to their grandparents or to the supermarket.
And yet, somebody will actually make a comment on traveling with young kids just because they won’t remember any of it.
Why do we do anything with our kids? Why do we change their diapers and put on new clothes? Why do we prepare nice meals for them, puree their foods and cut the fruits in different shapes? Why do we even read books, play blocks, or sing nursery rhymes with them?
We do all these because we want them to know that we love them and we care for them. They will not remember them, and yet we still do them because we know they are important.
See our Tips for Traveling with an Infant Alone.
If you have young children and you’re wondering if it is at all worth it to bring your kids on trips either throughout the rest of America or even abroad, here is why you should absolutely make that effort.
1. They are more willing to try new things (experience)
Young children that are exposed to new sights and foods at an early age become more adventurous adults. They don’t balk at a plate of food they’ve never seen. They are eager to try it. They don’t look at a new landscape and feel fear but rather, they feel comfortable exploring it. They become independent, confident, and adaptable.
“You can buy children anything in the world, but nothing will compare to the memories you make with them.”
Our first family cruise: 7-Day Western Caribbean Cruise
2. They get to see new things (exposure)
Even as babies, our children take in everything they see. They might not be able to recall this later on, but the more things they see and experience, the broader their horizons will be.
“Through unstructured exploration, we foster the development of imagination and creativity.” – Beth Rosenthal Davis
3. Other cultures don’t seem so foreign (way of life)
When you travel outside your own country to a new land, they get to see another culture. Small children don’t see things the way adults do. Instead of seeing different facial features or skin colors, they see the other beautiful things that make us all unique and special. As a result, they become more accepting of people, of food and places’ differences, and cultural diversity. The world became their classroom.
“When you travel with your children, you are giving them something that can never be taken away… experience, exposure, and a way of life.” – Pamela T. Chandler
On a final note…
Take your small children with you and you’ll have family memories that will last a lifetime. Maybe they will forget or never realize they were even there, that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. With today’s technology, photos and videos are beautiful and very vivid reminders that they were there. Those will be the things they treasure long after they’ve grown up and long after you are gone.
What do you think? Would you travel with young children even if they won’t remember it? Leave us a message in the comments below!
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Great post, travelling is a great learning experience for children. I think it is worth it and yes I’m sure they take in so much.
Maybe but memories linger, who knows? Because my son did remember 😀 especially when the teacher asked her class who has traveled by plane? He raised his hand. He was proud of it. We brought him to the province to see his grandparents and relatives on father’s side for the first time.
My fondest childhood memories are of family road trips around our country and the earliest was when I was around 4 yrs old. Even if they don’t keep the memories into old age they will have happy memories of adventure and fun with family.
Exactly. They may not remember the exact remember, but the kids will remember that they had fun with their parents.
Love this post and totally agree with everything in it. My son is well travelled and his adventures started at 5 months old. Now at 6 I can see how travel is contributing to shaping him as a person and its lovely! I feel very proud to have given him the opportunities he’s had and he often refers back to experiences we’ve had when we’ve been away. Sometimes it’s amazing what he remembers considering how young he is!
Thank you. I am also not regretting taking my kids on my travels even if they were too young. I love spending time with them. And travel really does help shape them as a person. It’s good to know that there are still parents like us out there ☺️.
I whole heartedly agree with this post. We first took our daughter abroad when she was 1 year old and have done several times since (she is now almost 8). And no she won’t remember a lot of those trips, but a) she got so much out of them at the time b) as a child now she loves travelling and is very adventurous. I am sure this is because she’s been exposed to different cultures and different scenery from a young age c) it provided us with very special & lovely memories. Who would be so mean (and possibly bitter) to make such a comment about your lucky son & his travels. Boo to them ??
Thanks, Hayley. Your words mean a lot to me. I will always take my kids with me no matter how young they are.
I agree with you Maria. Only experience and love matters. You’re gifting your kid the best gift in the world by taking him everywhere you travel. It’s always nice to see when one family enjoy traveling even with their children. It shows bonding, love and care. This is what important always 🙂
It’s a challenge but it’s an experience I will never forget. Thank you and appreciate your kind words.
I think children should be inrtoduced to travelas early as possible it teaches them so much..kids learn by doing and seeing and no they won’t remember everything ..Who does??? Lovely post and adorable litle one 🙂
Thank you! Appreciate your kind words. ?
Also? What sad childhood did this person have who commented that a 2-year-old won’t remember any of their travels? I absolutely remember things from that age and even younger! Not every minute of every day (heck, even now I don’t exactly remember what we did for my birthday last year, so…) but I know about special places we went, people we visited, and things that made an impression. I promise, you’re forming far better memories for your little ones than I have of my childhood; better than most people have!
Exactly! I Felt the same way! Can’t believe some people don’t have better things to say! lol. Thank you so much for your kind words. Appreciate it.
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Thank you for stopping by. The badge was on the sidebar. Anyway, I added it also in the post.
The idea itself of traveling with a child excites me, what more when I do it? Ah, I love that you travel with your son. He’s so adorable and he got used to riding planes! That’s so cute! Indeed, nothing is better in this world we can give to our children than traveling with them. Happy travels! You’re a gorgeous family! And oh, that ” Pajak” tribike transportation in the Philippines is truly awesome! Xx
Thank you very much. It’s a bit challenging but we wouldn’t want it otherwise.
What a beautiful post and it actually makes so much sense to take them along on the trips when they are young.I believe what they learn in young age, they can never learn as grown ups. They can be annoying and show tantrums at times, but still that is quite less than the beautiful memories.
We totally agree!
Traveling with young kids is definitely an experience in itself. Of course it has its challenges, but then that is true of everything in life. The kids will grow up with well rounded personalities and will understand and tolerate the different cultures of the world and be truly global citizens.
Very true. We totally agree.
I accidentally found you from Tiffany’s blog 🙂 and here I am. I like your post and I do understand as I do the same.
My son started to travel at a young age of 2 months! He travelled far and wide from New Zealand where we lived to the other side of the World which is Switzerland and yes in between which is in Asia and now being an expats in the land of the desert. They gained a broader view of the World compared to other children who stays in one place. They mature early than some other children and teach themselves to be independent and understanding lots of things that other children might be ignorant about. Just do it and yes enjoy it with your child don’t mind the others. Each situation is different just think he is lucky to travel. I told my son the same.
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I completely agree with you. I really hope my son will also realize how lucky he is 🙂
I truly agree to your post. We are in the same views about traveling with children. Even though they will noy remember anything at 2, i am pretty sure that every experience they will have is part of their growth and will play a role in their learning process
Indeed. He will not remember going to those places but it played a vital role in his learning and development.
We don’t have kids yet but we will absolutely bring them on our travels in the future. We are both addicted and we would want to share these experiences with our loved ones.
Absolutely. Once you travel with kids, you will see the world differently and have a different perspective on traveling.
Traveling with infants is a different experience altogether and I agree that it teaches many things, although they might not completely understand them. Traveling is a great teacher for all!
I totally agree. Thanks for stopping by.
THESE are great reasons and one so I fully believe in! Look forward to reading more!
Thank you. Appreciate the kind words.
True,inspiring
Thank you.
I think its a wonderful idea to expose young children to our beautiful world. Young children have wild imaginations and maybe, it might give them incredible ideas to help the world be a better place.
Kids definitely see the word differently than we do. And it’s also fun traveling with them.
The comment though lol. I partially agree that kids won’t remember the trip exactly but I agree that having them on a trip is important because it is part of their growth and experience as a child. It is more like adaptability because kids don’t get enclosed in the same room in your house everyday. They see different places that are not familiar. Good thing you do this with your child. I am sure your kid will grow with a broad experience in life.
Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it.
What a great reminder. We traveled with our son as soon as we could. It’s so worthwhile for the experiences they gain
I agree! Enjoy every minute of it! Safe travels!
Oh my goodness your son is just the cutest thing!! I love a good family vacay!
Thank you, Samantha!
I absolutely agree! You’re doing great bringing your child with you on your trips. And take lots of pictures to show him one day… I’m sure he’ll be pleased. 🙂
Thank you, Icy. Appreciate the kind words.
What a thing of beauty!
Thank you!
Loved the post and your adorable family!
Thank you, Trudy!