Wonderful Travel Experiences with Your Child/ren

[winemama]

2 years ago we took our grandson 9 on his first cruise..he has grown up in Amish country so this was his first ride on an air plane (he told the stewed and they took him up to the cockpit to meet the captain) we bought him a tux and dress cloths and every night he dressed up and was so proud...he loved every port and we saw such a different child..one who can carry on a conversation at dinner, it is great seeing a cruise through a child's eyes..it was such a trip of firsts for him..first cruise, first trip to New Orleans, first trolley ride..you name it....next year it is the granddaughters turn.....

[Onessa]

Or worse than growing up they will become teenagers, which can mean unpleasant travel. . . .

 

It seems like at every age my DD has ever been at, if I make a comment about how much I enjoy her company and how fun this particular age is -- someone always says "just wait until she's . . . ." and then talk about how horrible their children were at that age.

 

I have found joy spending time with my DD at each age she has been. And while as the parent of a teen, I have to be careful not to wait too close to the bus stop when I pick her up, and have needed to adjust a few more things in my life -- we still enjoy each other's company.

 

She's always travelled with us. She's been in 35 states and eight countries. As she has gotten older, she has really grown to appreciate the opportunities it has provided her. I love it when she discovers something "new" -- like on our last cruise when she really joined into the conversations at our otherwise all adult dining table. She was tickled to discover that the British couple at our table really did use words like "cheerio". And it was so much fun to listen to her tell our tablemates (British, Guatamalean, Phillipino, and South African) and our wait staff (Hungarian, Estonian and Indian) about American Thanksgiving traditions while everyone enjoyed the "Thanksgiving" dinner. -- why we eat turkey, how they harvest crandberries, how badly her first try at baking a pumpkin pie had gone.

[theAdmiral]

It isn´t boring , it is lovely! I love your China Sea story.

 

My middle son is a very quiet , studious boy. He loves history and geography. He has always been very interested in Ancient Greece and Rome.

 

Last year , while climbing the steps of the Acropolis (lots of steps!) , he stopped and said , "Mom , this is the best day of my life."

 

What more can you ask for?

 

Traveling with our children has been the most rewarding , wonderful experience in our lives. I know we will continue to have these great moments.

 

Kik

 

I just wanted to let you know that your story gave me chills. I hope one day my son (he's 5 mo. old) will be as appreciative of our travels. What a wonderful experience.

[Julienatul]

We've had some great traveling experiences with my DD who's only 3. She has been on 6 cruises and to Hawaii and Orlando in her short life already. I remember her first cruise when she touched sand on the beach in Cozumel for the first time and on her second when she experienced ice cream for the first time. Her third when she was amazed just watching the showgirls singing and dancing. The expressions on her face and experiencing the joy through her eyes made each of those cruises very memorable. She loves to "cwooze" and we love vacationing as a family. Sure its tougher when they are little but they grow up way too fast and those memories and photos from each of our trips are priceless.

[brazilgirl]

Thanks the Admiral- it really was a beautiful moment.

I put a lot of time into preparing the kids before our trips , talking about what we are going to see and do. I think this preparation really adds to the overall experience for all of us , making it more rewarding and meaningful.

 

In the case of Greece , Felipe (my son) , did it all himself , reading tons about Ancient Greece. He even read a book about how the Parthenon was built . He ended up teaching us. It was a priceless trip.

 

Kim

[5waldos]

Maybe if you "lighten up" you will learn to deal with "the rest of the time". It is unfortunate that people feel the need to make sweeping generalizations about teens. Enough teen bashing goes on in the other forums, it would be nice to keep it out of the family forum.

 

Until you have walked in my shoes........

[5waldos]

I have a DS(14) and DD(12). We have taken them on 5 cruises, Disneyland and Disney World, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Las Vegas, San Diego, Niagra Falls, Mackinaw Island, Louisville, Chicago, Wisconsin Dells, etc. They have both had there first airplane experience at 6 months old and have done 24 hour road trips to Florida. They are the best travelers and I love seeing the world through their eyes. DS(14) just came back from spring break with the high school band after marching in Disney World. His first big trip without us. I asked him if he would do it again if he had the chance. His response was "No - I'd rather go there with just my family." You gotta love em.

 

My son was a bit older when he had the chance to go to Spain with his 8th grade class. "I think it is time that I took a trip alone" he announced. And had a wonderful time, although mom was just a wee bit jealous!

[5waldos]

A trip that none of our family will ever forget is when we took our 2 1/2 year old daughter in 2006 on a trip to Vietnam to meet her elderly great grandma. We used frequent flier miles for the trip, so we didn't get the most direct routing. We ended up with about 36 hours on planes each way (including layovers) and had to make 5 connections both ways. DD was good on the flights, but it was extremely exhausting for me trying to entertain a toddler for that period of time. But after all was said and done, I wouldn't have traded that trip, and her experience on that trip, for anything. The effort was most certainly worth it and she loved, loved, loved the country. The importance of that trip has been on my mind again recently as Great Grandma passed away last month.

 

 

How wonderful! Long difficult trip but how worth every long hour on the plane.

[cruisinfreedom09]

On our first cruise we sailed on the Disney Wonder. We had a wonderful excursion in Nassau where we fed the stringrays and then enjoyed a fabulous beach day. During the day in the middle of playing on the beach, my 8 year old son ran up to me, hugged me, and said , "Thanks for planning all of this for us, Mom!" :D

 

I also have a teen who was 12 on our last cruise that still talks about all the fun we had!

 

My kids enjoy traveling as a family. We also spend time doing things together as a family when not travleing.

 

I have many, many happy memories of traveling with my kids!:)

[SelectSys]

... A few days later when we were in Taormina, ... Never stop travelling and do it as often as you can...take the kids...but truthfully it only gets better with them as they get older!!!

 

While we don't have the same connection that you do, a visit to Taormina as a family is also a fond memory for me. I could really see a summer holiday on Sicily with the kids.

 

Another great memory from that trip was watching my kids just "chill out" on the Miracle Square in Pisa. Both kids were just leaning up against the wall of the baptistry just looking very relaxed and happy in the shade. The picture I took is still a favorite of mine.

[aflynn3]

I love reading from this thread and wanted to bring it back to the top of the list...

 

On a trip to Nassau my husband and I took our then 5 year old on a snorkeling trip that let you swim with sharks at the last stop. By the last stop most of the younger kids would not go in, but not our son, he was swimming in the water with the sharks. My husband and son had the time of their lives and my son still talks about it 2 years later. He still reminds me that I was chicken and got out of the water before him!

 

One of the many many great memories of traveling with kids!

[ellie_p74]

We have traveled with our three children, now 4, 6 and 13. The first cruise they took the littlest was two. We just went with the flow and had to be flexible when she was having her moment. Our last cruise this past Feb, the kids were great. The oldest, teen boy was not always trilled about teen stuff that was offered. But he loved to be on vacation and occasionally offered a smile with pictures. But it's definately an experience of a lifetime for kids to visit and see some of the islands we have been too. We love taking our kids and they are growing so fast so we are trying to enjoy!

[Onessa]

. . . He still reminds me that I was chicken and got out of the water before him!

 

Don't feel badly -- we still tease my DH about being too chicken to snorkle with the sea turtles in HI! Who'd guess ANYONE would be afraid of sea turtles?!

[janabm81]

Gosh I just realized that all 3 of our boys will be teens next year. Oh Dear! Anyways, I've got a nice story that I just thought of.

On our first cruise as a family our oldest had just turned 13 and he was at that stage of being "too cool" to hang out and do stuff with his family. I was so afraid that the whole cruise was going to end up a disaster with him and his "moods" Most of the time we just let him do what he wanted and then the day came for our Nassau excursion. His dad had laid down the rule that we would do all excursions as a family no matter what and boy did that irritate DS to no end. What made it worse was that the tour was an hour late picking us up but that's also what made it the best trip yet. As we were waiting I was sitting next to DS and we actually had a great heart to heart talk. It was the best conversation I'd had with him in a long time and it amazed me that he was so grown up. All of a sudden when I looked at my little boy I no longer saw a little boy but a well brought up young man.

Unknown to me my Hubby took a picture of the two of us in this intense conversation and it has now become my favorite picture in the house.

After that cruise we have continued to have at least one family vacation a year. We have realized that our children are growing up way too fast and this has become our way of holding on to them just a little while longer. I know that they will always remember these times we've had as a family and cherish them dearly.:)

[5waldos]

Gosh I just realized that all 3 of our boys will be teens next year. Oh Dear! Anyways, I've got a nice story that I just thought of.

On our first cruise as a family our oldest had just turned 13 and he was at that stage of being "too cool" to hang out and do stuff with his family. I was so afraid that the whole cruise was going to end up a disaster with him and his "moods" Most of the time we just let him do what he wanted and then the day came for our Nassau excursion. His dad had laid down the rule that we would do all excursions as a family no matter what and boy did that irritate DS to no end. What made it worse was that the tour was an hour late picking us up but that's also what made it the best trip yet. As we were waiting I was sitting next to DS and we actually had a great heart to heart talk. It was the best conversation I'd had with him in a long time and it amazed me that he was so grown up. All of a sudden when I looked at my little boy I no longer saw a little boy but a well brought up young man.

Unknown to me my Hubby took a picture of the two of us in this intense conversation and it has now become my favorite picture in the house.

After that cruise we have continued to have at least one family vacation a year. We have realized that our children are growing up way too fast and this has become our way of holding on to them just a little while longer. I know that they will always remember these times we've had as a family and cherish them dearly.:)

 

That is a great story. I remember reading somewhere that the things we do today are in part to provide us with great memories in the future. Yours will be a nice one.

[cruisinfreedom09]

Oh no!! :eek: This thread has made it's way to the end and I don't want it to get lost!

 

 

I love reading all of the stories!!! They make me :D!

[Warmer Climes]

Oh no!! :eek: This thread has made it's way to the end and I don't want it to get lost!

 

 

I love reading all of the stories!!! They make me :D!

 

I will add one: we have four kids- 23, 21, 19 and...10! When our #3 was 16 we took him and his cousin (also 16) on a Western Caribbean cruise, as well as our youngest. So many people told me I would regret taking my nephew and how difficult it would be to manage two teenaged boys on a cruise. We went to Cozumel and snorkelled, and my nephew swam over to me and said, "Barb, this is the most fun thing I have ever done in my life. I will never forget it." He and my son had the best time and made everyone else's vacation more fun, too. The next year, when they were high school seniors, we took them both again and we did ziplines, rode horses on the beach, cave tubed and snorkelled. Here is a picture:

[nybumpkin]

I feel so fortunate that we've been able to give our kids the travel opportunities they've had. They've had lunch with a Mayan family in Mexico - gone cave tubing in Belize - visited the rain forest and a banana plantation in Costa Rica - watched a ship go through the Gatun Locks in Panama - boated on a river with crocodiles in Jamaica - and overall had an opportunity to see how people live and work in other countries. (After visiting the banana plantation, they had a good appreciation for what goes into bringing that bunch of bananas with a "4011" sticker into our home!) As for our oldest son, who turns 18 next month, we've watched him turn into a confident traveller with an endless sense of wanderlust. His cruising days with us are probably now over; in two months he reports to the US Merchant Marine Academy and learns how to operate ships for a living.

[5waldos]

I feel so fortunate that we've been able to give our kids the travel opportunities they've had. They've had lunch with a Mayan family in Mexico - gone cave tubing in Belize - visited the rain forest and a banana plantation in Costa Rica - watched a ship go through the Gatun Locks in Panama - boated on a river with crocodiles in Jamaica - and overall had an opportunity to see how people live and work in other countries. (After visiting the banana plantation, they had a good appreciation for what goes into bringing that bunch of bananas with a "4011" sticker into our home!) As for our oldest son, who turns 18 next month, we've watched him turn into a confident traveller with an endless sense of wanderlust. His cruising days with us are probably now over; in two months he reports to the US Merchant Marine Academy and learns how to operate ships for a living.

 

Wonderful experiences! And I suspect he may be ready for a cushy cruise on one of his vacation times- I think DoD's on Merchant Marine ships come without the fruit! And I doubt that the room stewarts are very good:) Wish him well!

[mamajules]

My son was 7 on our first cruise, he will be 16 on our next one. Each one offered wonderful experiences. Two years ago when we were in Roatan on a stop, it was raining, one of those all day, summer soaking rains. Well, instead of saying to just stay on the ship, he asked if we were still getting off. We did, taking towels in our bags. We did an island tour, and he ziplined the rain forest in the rain - he came off soaked to the bone, and thanking me for letting him do it, said it was one of the best things ever! On that same cruise, we visited Mayan ruins, with an incredible, informative guide. My son took it all in, and when he was back in school, wrote up a report for his history teacher about the Mayan culture - very much impressed his teacher, earning him extra credit. Nothing like seeing history up close and personal. Here's a couple pictures, one of him on the zipline, and one of us at the ruins.

[AddictedtoFL]

While walking back to our ship in Nassau, there was a Disney ship docking next to us so asked my 5 years old son that if he wants to do the Disney cruise next and he quickly reply NO, I asked him why and he said, cause the ship has an butt :D

[JLK22]

Just got back from my first cruise with my 9 yo son. It was the best vacation I have ever had. We had the best time and are still giggling about some of the things that happened, or that we saw. When we were walking up to get on the ship, my son was staring at hte ship, looking it over and asks, very seriously "how do they get that thing to float?" Right then I thought this is going to be fun with all the firsts he would get to experience. We went to Jamaica and did Dunns river falls and Mystic mountain. I was riding the chairlift back down Mystic Mountain and I had the biggest smile on my face thinking of all the fun we had. Watching my son play in the falls, seeing the huge smile on his face as he rode in the bob sled or watching his excitement as he ran up the stairs to the waterslide about a million times! Then we went to Grand Cayman where we did the stingray city, although my son was affraid to go in with the sting rays I finally convinced him to get in the water riding piggy back. As soon as he got in the water the stingrays began rubbing all over us, including my sons legs. Although he was a little freaked out and got back on the boat pretty quick he still smiles talking about it and insists one of the stingrays "wings" went down his pants :) Then we went to Belize...it was awesome to see him watch out the window and listen to the tour guise as we rode the bus through Belize. (He isn't one for sitting quietly usually) It was amazing just to see him take in another country and realize how different it is. Then we zip lined. It was awesome to see him fearlessly jump off the platform and sail along the line and then see the gigantic smile on his face when I caught up to him on the other side!

 

Yesterday as we were walking through the airport on our way home, he says "that was a once in a life time opportunity to get to go to other countries and see different things!"

 

As I hope it really wasnt a once in a lifetime thing for him, but rather the start of many trips to come ...I am glad we hadd the opportunity to take a trip like that together!

[Kim4]

My 6 month old slept through the night for the first time in an interior cabin on our first cruise. She's hasn't woken up in the middle of the night since!!

[calikak]

We took our son on NCL Sun last fall when he was about 17 months old, and the crew were SO nice to him. One assistant Maitre'D in particular he really got attached to--he let her hold him, and rested his head on her shoulder, it was so sweet! It was like something you see in a commercial designed to make families feel like a cruise is a welcoming experience, and honestly, it really WAS for us. My son still talks about the "Boat! Boat!" and I am sure he'll have a great time on the cruise we're taking next month!

[timmy1958]

We've had some great traveling experiences with my DD who's only 3. She has been on 6 cruises and to Hawaii and Orlando in her short life already. I remember her first cruise when she touched sand on the beach in Cozumel for the first time and on her second when she experienced ice cream for the first time. Her third when she was amazed just watching the showgirls singing and dancing. The expressions on her face and experiencing the joy through her eyes made each of those cruises very memorable. She loves to "cwooze" and we love vacationing as a family. Sure its tougher when they are little but they grow up way too fast and those memories and photos from each of our trips are priceless.

 

Stories like this are what makes me more determined than ever to take our daughter to as many different places in the world as possible. One question for you: How old was your daughter when you went to Hawaii and how did she handle the flights? Those flights usually knock me flat, so just curious how your little one handled it.