Perhaps you have had a major life change and people are telling you to put off any travels “until things are more settled.”
Perhaps you’ve been in a foul mood for months, and so are postponing upcoming voyages because you “want to be in the right mindset to enjoy everything.”
Or maybe you don’t want to take a desired trip yet because you “just don’t have time to go for long enough.”
Well, from my experience this week in Florida after months of staying put in New England due to fear of the unknown (traveling with a new baby), NOW is the time to travel. Don’t wait!
Confession: In the months before this trip, I had been growing increasingly evil. In the icy clutches of Boston’s endless winter, I’d been picking fights, snapping at good people, complaining, and generally being a grump. It is only now, as my soul thaws out in the warm sun of southern Florida beaches, that I see my glaring error: Until this trip right now, I hadn’t traveled for vacation in seven months!
Scarily, I almost didn’t go on this trip because people told me travel with a four-month-old baby would be dangerous and difficult. But now I realize: NOT traveling is dangerous and difficult! Thank heaven for my cousin Eric who had the idea for this whirlwind Florida exploit, because it has given me the perspective on everything that I so sorely needed.
Sure, packing for this trip was different now that I have a baby in tow (I had to check bags for the first time… yipes!), but it was fine. Devi fussed a bit at the flight’s takeoff and descent, but I just fed him and he slept peacefully for three hours with the calming whirr of the plane.
As we bop around Florida now, we just pack a light diaper bag, backpack carrier, and nursing cover, and we are on the move! It’s all so much more possible and worth it than I imagined.
So now I know it: We are mobile and not confined anymore. Being a mother doesn’t mean giving up all your passions and adventures. This travel blog shall live on as a travel blog, and we will get to see more and more of the world!
So what about you? Is there a trip you took that helped YOU regain sanity from a life change or funk? Is there a trip YOU are putting off that might do a world of good? Do share!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Elaine
Sunday 30th of March 2014
So glad your cousin pushed you out the door! When my son was an infant we traveled as much as possible (even with 2+ jobs between us) because he could be held on our laps and fly for free = cheap family travel until he was two. Now he's 18 and has a passport full of stamps with no intention of slowing down, which I think is one of the greatest lessons we could've imparted.
Traveling with an adorable baby opens doors as well. You may be a stranger but not many can resist cooing at a cutie then conversations follow. In Japan last year with friends and two infants, time and again stoic, polite facades melted and we were able to connect with wonderful people who would've just passed through our field of vision otherwise.
Just thrilled for you and your family!
Mary @Green Global Travel
Tuesday 25th of March 2014
Congratulations on getting back into the traveling mindset. I would have been nervous traveling with a 4 month old as well. I'm glad the Florida trip was just what you needed.
Shannon
Sunday 23rd of March 2014
Love this! Honestly, one of the biggest things that keeps me from having kids is feeling like I'll have to kiss traveling goodbye. Glad to see that's not the case. I would be a huge grump if I couldn't travel!
Jill Colorfulheart
Monday 24th of March 2014
NEVER! (unless your idea of travel is imbibing and hooking up with strangers--THAT would be impossible with kids in tow) Travel is not much more difficult with kids than without them. Kids open doors for meeting locals in ways you can never experience without kids in tow. You will notice new and different things from a kid's point of view and interests--things you never noticed when you visited the same location without kids. And the younger your kids when you start to travel them, the more flexible they will be with travel as they get older.
Dave
Saturday 22nd of March 2014
Love the photos – such big smiles! And was this really your first time ever checking a bag? Impressive!
Shan Shan
Thursday 20th of March 2014
You and Devi look so full of life! I took a week long ski trip to Killington in Vermont with my sweetie and it was so good for us both. Even up until the morning before we left, we were crazy nut bags. When we were there, it was all about enjoying the moment and enjoying each other. We even made s'mores in the fire place!
Lillie
Thursday 20th of March 2014
Heavenly!