You don’t have to wait for the “right age” to travel with kids

One of the most common pieces of travel advice I see is that you should wait to visit certain places until your kids are older.

“Europe is better with teenagers.”

“Camping isn’t fun with babies.”

“Don’t take little kids on long flights.”

“Save big trips until they’ll remember them.”

My husband and I have basically ignored all of that.

Our kids have traveled with us at every stage. Spain at 18 months. France at 4. Egypt at 5. We camp once a month, and have since my daughter was 2. My son’s first camping trip was when he was 2 weeks old. We’ve done road trips, 8-mile hikes in Yosemite and Banff that our kids tackled like experts, big cities, long flights, road trips. All the things.

And honestly, every age has been great in a different way.

Toddlers travel slowly, but they’re happy with simple things. A plaza with pigeons in Spain was basically the highlight of the day. Long lunches work because they’ll sit with snacks and people-watch. And they nap! Perfect for an afternoon glass of wine.

Four-year-olds are curious about everything. In France our kid was fascinated by bakeries, markets, and trains. All forms of transportation were interesting so we made it our goal to take as many as possible.

We’re just about to leave for 2 weeks in Egypt where we sleep on a felucca and go to the Black/White Deserts, Valley of the Whales, and Siwa Oasis.

Do they remember everything? Probably not. But the trip still becomes part of the family story. And the truth is, travel isn’t just about the kids remembering; it’s me too! And it’s about doing life together.

Waiting for the “perfect age” can mean waiting forever.

Instead, we’ve found that the real trick isn’t choosing the right age. It’s planning the trip to work for the age your kids are right now. Fewer hotel changes, one main activity per day, lots of snacks, and time to run around.

Kids are incredibly adaptable travelers if you build the trip around them.

So I’m curious:

Where have you taken your kids that people told you was “not the right time”?