Anyone who says, 'Don't travel with kids. They won't remember,' must not have traveled as kids themselves

I am a big fan of traveling with kids early and often. We traveled the world quite extensively before we had kids, so why wouldn't we want our daughter to have the same experiences? I've often heard people say that there's no reason to travel with small children because "they won't remember." I would beg to differ. My theory is that those who say that, never travelled as children themselves or they would realize this is NOT true.

I personally have very good memories of traveling to Australia and New Zealand when I was 4 years old. While I'm sure I don't have the same detailed memories that my parents might have, I have several memorable things that still stay with me in my adult life.

I remember the anticipation and excitement in preparation of the trip. I still remember sitting in my preschool class, soooo… excited that I would be missing school for this new adventure, hardly able to wait to be picked up to leave on our trip. I also remember the special books and activities that my mom brought for me to do on the plane.

As we were preparing to land on the plane, I remember looking out the window and wondering how we could possibly fit in the cars and buildings that were so small. I thought we were flying into a miniature version of our world!

I remember each morning waking up to a carafe of cold milk waiting at our hotel room door. And then my dad and I sneaking and taking the unclaimed milk from one of the other nearby rooms, then drinking so milk much I felt sick.

I remember flying on a small plane and landing on a glacier in New Zealand. Then, the thrill of walking around in solitude of this beautiful glacier.

I remember seeing the cast of the Love Boat (which was very popular at the time!) at our hotel. I remember captivating a group of nuns with my pole climbing abilities, while on a sailing cruise in NZ. And watching sheep shearing…and on and on.

While I will agree that infants probably won’t remember their travels, once kids are old enough to really EXPERIENCE their surroundings, they will remember their favorite aspects. My 2 year old still remembers the name of the first pony she rode while on vacation in Lake Tahoe months ago. Gizmo. Will she still remember this as an adult? Maybe not, but she still remembers it now so it was worth it.

Even if the skeptics are right and kids don’t remember the experience, I still think it’s worth it! Travel creates a spirit of adventure and curiosity in kids. It makes them more adaptable to change, as they are exposed to different environments and people. It is also a real life history or geography or biology lesson and they don’t even know they are “learning.”

Whether it’s a weekend camping trip, a week long road trip or a trip around the world, get out there with your kids! And thirty years from now, I’ll bet they still have great memories from those experiences!!

Ever seen a 40-story Glacier calving before your eyes?

If not, add this to your bucket list! It's an unbelievable sight to see the beautiful, blue glacier ice crack and plummet into the water below with a thunderous roar! The aftermath: huge waves and floating ice bergs as a reminder of the vast size and power of the ice.

Alaska Cruise - Carnival Spirit

Well, I guess I have to admit that we are now Cruisers. Despite our long avoidance of cruising for so many years, we have finally broke down and the cruising has begun...Our Alaska cruise marks the 2nd cruise in less than 1 year for us. Our first was a Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Victory.

So why the change of heart? 1 word: Sydney. (For those that don't know, that's our daughter). As all parents know, kids have a way of changing every aspect of your life FOREVER! Travel planning is no exception. We've moved to cruising as an ideal form of transporation to enjoy far off places, without the "far from home" feeling.

This cruise proved another validation that our change in travel plans was a smart one! We had a fantastic time on the cruise and loved our shore excursions. For anyone that has a 2 year old child, Carnival is the way to go. Carnival is the only cruise line that offers child programs for kids as young as 2 (most start at 3 years old).

The 3 big reasons we decided on Carnival: 1) they have a kid's wading pool (kid's in diapers are not supposed to swim in the regular pools), 2) they allow kids 2+ in the kid's program and 3) they have many excursions that are free for kids 3 and under.

Sydney had a great time in the kid's center, coloring a souvenir backback, making sand art and getting face painting and tattoos. The last day she didn't want to leave!

She was also able to participate in some cool shore excursions like dog sledding, with real Iditarod sled dogs. What more could a 2 year old ask for on a vacation than getting to play and pet puppies? Pure heaven for her! And the amazing scenery, glaciers and wildlife viewing wasn't so bad for her parent's either!

Traveling Vancouver with Kids

Well, we've been home for a couple weeks after our 2 week trip to Vancouver and Alaska. We spent 5 days/nights in Vancouver and enjoyed a 7 day cruise on Carnival's Spirit to Alaska.
Now that we are no longer DINK's (a dual income, no kids household), we have had to change our travel habits from the exotic international destinations to the easier, kid friendly trips. This trip proved to be a great trip Toddler-friendly vacation!

Vancouver has a lot to offer families with small children. We spent an entire day at Stanley Park, enjoying the Aquarium, Barnyard Petting zoo, and Miniature train. Sydney napped in the stroller in the middle of Stanley park. It was relaxing for all of us.

We also checked out the PNE (Pacific Northwest Exibition) - like a big county fair. Sydney had an unlimited rides ticket, so she did all the kiddie rides. The highlight though was the Bungee Trampoline! Watching our 2-year old, getting 12 feet of air and loving it was pretty cool. I also highly recommend the Kid's Market at Granville island. The Adventure zone play area is well worth the $6 admission. Probably the best deal in all of Vancouver, maybe even Canada. Keeping your kids entertained for hours while you sit back and relax, PRICELESS!

Beware that the US Dollar and Canadian Dollar are nearly equivalent in value, making Canada no longer the "steal" that it once was. We found the prices to be either equivalent of LA or San Francisco, if not higher.

The only disappointment from our Vancouver visit was on our final day there, after our cruise. It was raining and our hotel room was not ready for check-in, so we decided to head over to ScienceWorld to kill a couple hours and let Sydney run out some energy. We arrived to find it was CLOSED for "team development." We felt like the Griswalds arriving at Wallyworld, to discover it closed. However, instead of breaking in like the Griswalds, we ended up across the street at the McDonalds PlayPlace.