Jet With Kids

Travel Guru, Rick Steves, is a favorite of mine - I have watched many of his tv shows, listened to his radio shows,
and read anything that he has written about destinations I travel to in Europe. Rick Steves is the travel guru for European travelers. He has written over 30 European travel guidebooks, hosts public television travel shows and a public radio show. He also writes a weekly syndicated travel column. I was honored when his radio producer contacted me to be in studio with Rick and discuss “Traveling with Kids” for his weekly Radio Show Travel With Rick Steves.

Rick and I, along with callers into the show, discussed what parents need to know before flying with their kids, how parents can best prepare for the flight, what to do with a jet-lagged child, and many more topics concerning the traveling family and international travel with children of all ages.

The radio show aired on public radio on June 7, 2008. Listen to the podcast of the show here.

If you ever get a chance to visit the Rick Steves European Travel Center in Edmonds, WA (near Seattle)- I encourage you to do so! The center is filled with any resource you need for European travel and travel products, guides, travel consultants, and videos galore. Can’t make it to Edmonds? Check out Rick Steves site at http://www.ricksteves.com/ for planning your European travel.

This past weekend I was once again in beautiful Edmonds, WA - home of Rick Steves and his European Travel Center. My “Jet with Kids” travel class was taught to Rick Steves’ loyal fans -parents and grandparents heading to Europe with children of all ages. And you know which part I loved the most? When one pregnant mother raised her hand and told me she and her husband were planning a trip to Spain with the baby when he/she turned 6 months old. She asked, “Do you think I am crazy to do this? All my coworkers tell me that I am crazy to travel with a baby or child internationally - but I just love to travel and don’t want to give it up!”

And you don’t have to give it up!! I too was often told that I wouldn’t be able to or want to travel with kids, but so much of the joy of traveling now is directly related to the fact that we can share our many unique travel experiences with our child. When you travel with children, you experience cultures in a new way; you become a part of everyday life in a new location (after all - a toddler needs a snack, nap, and diaper change whether in Rome, Malta or San Diego!)

I had the pleasure of meeting and being interviewed by Rick Steves recently in his town of Edmonds, WA.  Visiting his European Travel Center, I was impressed by his very friendly and enthusiastic staff, the many resources available to travelers, and by Rick Steves - a travel guru worthy of respect.

 More about our interview later, I wanted to write about an interesting conversation - thoughts and plans that he had for his next venture.

He was working with the higher ups to visit and focus on the toursim and people of IRAN.

And what made this all the more fascinating - was his reasoning behind the trip.

He said his goal was to show the people of the country, stating that it was harder to bomb a country if you understood the people at a local level. Not feeling comfortable with our only view of Iran being a country that is a nuclear threat to us… he wanted to film the tourist/local aspect of Iran. Rick is very open about his political views, and encourages people to have intelligent conversation about the world around them - not just agreeing with him, but coming to the table with different viewpoints yet an open mind. 

What an interesting and very true concept to view Iran in this way.  I imagine myself in Iran sharing dinner with a local family, Tehran no longer would be just a city in some far away land, but instead a city where people live and work and laugh and have family. Babies are born there, toddlers and preschoolers play and discover how to share with siblings, and  mothers deal with sleepless nights with newborns or teething babies.

 Without getting into politics, I would just like to point out that his blog entries are very interesting and eye opening.  His initial blog entry on this explains his mission http://www.ricksteves.com/blog/index.cfm?fuseaction=entry&entryID=238

 I invite you to join Rick on his journey at http://www.ricksteves.com/blog/

I smile when I think of all the mothers across the world awake at all hours of the night- taking full advantage of the quiet, uninterrupted time when the rest of the family sleeps.  This time is filled with a variety of tasks and maybe even a bit of relaxing (well - not usually).  Motherhood demands sacrifice.  Sure it is filled with rewarding moments- but let’s be honest about the other part of it.  I notice that the word mother includes the word “other” instead of “me”.  And that is true of so many aspects of parenting.

 I look at how this has applied to my passion in life - travel. My husband and I were world travelers before we met.  Then we joined our “itineraries in life” and decided we better make a “list” of places we wanted to visit before we had kids, since so many people told us we wouldn’t travel once we became parents. So we made the list.  Fun, exotic and adventurous - the list was my security blanket ensuring that life was still about “me” or now “us”.

Thailand, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Australia - we lived for our next trip.  And that trip meant freedom to me.

As I was preparing for a trip to Japan and Singapore- the unthinkable happened.  A positive pregnancy test.  For most people married 7 years, this would have been a natural progression.  But I hadn’t finished my list! With an international trip in my near future, I realized something.  I already was a parent! As a pregnant woman - this baby would be accompanying me to Japan, stopping in China, and going on to Singapore.

Then it hit me.

I was soon going to be the passenger that nobody wanted on the plane. 

And I didn’t want to be that passenger - the one with the screaming baby or tantrum throwing toddler!

Yet, I was not going to give up travel for children. And I was committed to this baby from the moment I discovered I was pregnant.

So the long nights of research began. Could I travel when I was pregnant? Was it safe? What could I eat? Were there any precautions I should take while flying? What if I needed medical attention while overseas?  Was sushi off limits?!?

And then for the future trips -

Should I buy a seat for my infant? What stroller was the best to travel with? Could I breastfeed on the plane? Does my baby need a passport? How do you get a baby to sit for a passport photo? What should I bring in the carry on? Oh my - how do you get through security with all the “stuff” and a baby?

I began to look up my old contacts at the airlines (I used to fly multiple times per month commuting to Mayo Clinic in MN as  a CA nurse). I called Vicki, the airline gate agent here in Sacramento.  I asked her for any little tip to make it easier to fly with a baby or toddler.  I asked her what parents did that drove her and the other gate agents crazy?  I then asked her for her contacts who were flight attendants  - and asked similar questions.  What did parents bring on flights that seemed to work well to keep kids happy?  What advice did they have for new parents?  This led me to pediatricians - asking what I needed to know about taking a child on an airplane. I wanted to know the reason for ear pain and what I could do to help a screaming baby? I then asked parents who traveled with kids what their best tips were - what the best products were and if they enjoyed traveling with their kids?

One piece of advice cemented my future.

One couple said, “Don’t listen to those who tell you that you can’t/won’t travel with kids.  You CAN travel with kids - AND enjoy it.  However, it is a different kind of trip and this is what you will have to prepare for.  As for those who are negative about traveling with kids- you will find that those same people do not travel themselves!”

And that is exactly how my life as a traveling parent began.  With these tips, experience, and preparation - I can tell you that my husband and I have enjoyed every single trip that we have taken with our son who was born almost 4 years ago.  In fact, we enjoy it so much that I have chosen to make it my career!

With all my research and experience, I discovered so many little details and products that make it easier, more convenient and safer to travel with children.  I decided long ago to make a difference for other parents who also were unwilling to give up their “list” but were overwhelmed by the many changes the addition of kids added to travel.

With this information- I began parenthood.

As a mother, I was not willing to give up my passion for travel. Instead I learned to mold it to fit my role as a mother.  What is amazing about this “adventure” is how it led me to what I believe is my calling in life. Combining my roles of a mother, nurse, and traveler- I now meet with travel experts, inventors of travel products and services, medical organizations, media, and attend travel shows as well as teach travel classes to help parents and grandparents to prepare for successful travel with young children.

The best realization came when I realized that traveling with a child does not limit us - it instead has made our travel more meaningful as we meet more local people. 

The Italian gelato workers who called my son by name and the waiter who blew bubbles in the pizzeria to the delight of my 2 year old son- these people are one step past exploring the museums and tourists sights of a foreign country. 

Becoming familiar with Italian baby food or German diaper cream has led to some great finds! I also never realized what great parks there are in Heidelberg, Germany or Vienna, Austria or how much fun it can be to explore Hyde Park in London with a toddler. 

Traveling with children forced us to slow down and really immerse ourselves in the culture- we lived daily life there and had access to the culture on a personal, family level. 

On this Mother’s Day - I am thankful for the opportunity to explore the world with this new, unique perspective.  Yes, there is sacrifice to motherhood.  However, through this sacrifice I was blessed with the keys to a richer, more fascinating level of travel  I had been unaware of prior to parenthood.

Happy Mother’s Day -

May your parenting journey be blessed with enriching experiences and a unique outlook on the opportunities motherhood is presenting you!

When I packed (wearing shorts in Sacramento) for this trip to Minnesota last week it was SNOWING and 27 degrees at our Midwest destination.

We arrived - it was cold and windy.  Then we had a huge wonderful thunderstorm.  Today it is 80 degrees and sunny. Thank goodness for layers.

My 3 year old is having the time of his life getting dirty on my parent’s farm and in my mom’s  garden. 

He is learning more than a book could ever teach him as he sees the night sky light up with lightning and hears the cracks of thunder (and asks if that is “rocks” making that noise).  It was better than a story book, when he watched the electric company workers fix the transformer that was actually hit by that lightning and knocked our electricity out (and half of the county!).

Today the sky is so clear and the birds are singing like they cannot believe it may finally be spring!

My son has sat in every farm tractor and truck three times and pretended to be a “worker” as his eyes lit up with imagination.

Our trips to Minnesota are always sentimental for me. Great memories of my childhood - and now observing my “city kid” son as he learns volumes of information about farm life and growing up in the country and becomes acquainted with his 6 cousins who live in the area.

Giving a child the gift of travel means opening their eyes to other aspects of life and then helping them adapt to it as another acceptable way of life. 

It also means spending more quality time with my child as I realize that the dial up connection at the farm is not worth the agony it will cause me as I compare it to DSL.  This translates into less time at the computer and more bonding time with my son!

These trips are memorable in many ways for me. From snow to humidity to thunder and lightning, this “education” is more than I could ever provide for my child in a classroom.

You may not hear from me for a few days again - heading back to the farm (had to work a few hours “in town”  at the University with DSL access). I am anxious to see what stories my son has to tell me today as he is spending the day with “Oma” (grandma in German) and “Gramps” as a “worker”.  His smile was huge as I drove out of the yard waving goodbye. And I am sure he will sleep good tonight after all that fresh air, physical work, and hearty meals.

This is why I love travel. And why my career is to help make travel a reality for parents with small children.  The trip doesn’t need to be extravagant to be fantastic and memorable. And putting off travel until the kids are older means missing out on these incredible moments.

Yes, the economy is on people’s minds.  So maybe that big trip is going to be postponed. How about enjoying some simple family time in a unique environment? Get away from life as you know it and you may be surprised at how rewarding vacation really can be!

Today is Take Our Daughter and Sons to Work Day.

As you may know, my son is at my side when I am working at 37,000 feet.  We fly multiple flights per month to review products, services, and tips, to meet with travel gurus and writers, doing media stuff, attending travel shows, and meeting with vendors and touring manufacturing facilities - researching all that has to do with traveling with kids!

As you can see in this photo, he is “serious” about our work - and studies the safety cards intently!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24243774/

Here are 6 tips from Jet With Kids when combining business and family: