Does the thought of getting on a 9-hour flight with a 5-month old baby fill you with fear?
Many of you would answer with a resounding YES! Would you believe that it's actually one of the best times to go on an extended trip with your child and family?
It's true.
Welcome to thetravellingmom.ca. The modern mom's guide to travel sanity with your family. My name is Claudia and I'm the travelling mom. My passion is to share the wisdom of my experience to help moms and families undertake the planning of fun, sane and educational Great Family Adventures.
I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with my husband and two young boys who are 9 and 11 years old. I took my first plane ride when I was one year old. We didn't have a summer cottage, nor did we get shipped off to camp or have a nanny so our parents could have their own holiday. We spent every summer visiting relatives overseas. At the time I didn't appreciate how special that was - travelling as a family was normal for me. I was bitten by the travel bug at an early age and luckily met and married a man who shares that passion. I've had the fortune of visiting more than 15 countries on 4 continents, and have also lived abroad.
When I became a mother, I knew that we'd continue to be travelling enthusiasts. We took our first child overseas to Europe when he was 5 months old. The visit lasted five weeks and we drove through three countries; Belgium, France and Switzerland. It was a wonderful experience (but not without a few bumps along the way, like an airline strike!), and it marked the beginning of our many family adventures.
I started this blog as a way of sharing my experiences of travelling with my family. As a passionate travelling mom, I've found that there is a lot of information out there about travelling, but it isn't usually written from a mom's or family's perspective. For example, what is it actually like to travel with a 5 month old on a 10-hour flight? (Answer: It's not as bad as you think. But when it is bad, it can be really bad.) How - and what - do I pack? (Answer: Less than you think you need!)
I wish this forum to be a place of information, education, and shared experiences for moms and families who are already travelling; for those who are interested in travelling as a family, but aren't really sure how best to plan their adventure; and for those who travel with families and children, like grand-parents, aunts, uncles, relatives or friends.
I invite other travelling moms (and dads!) to send in your travel stories and adventures and share the wisdom of your travelling experiences.
Whether it's Drumheller, Alberta, by car, or Rome, Italy, by plane, you owe it to yourself and your family to get out and discover the world and the wonders within it.
Claudia, the travelling mom