Spring break will be here before you know it, and millions of families will be braving the high-peak travel season, hoping to create core memories and bond with their kids. The idea of a trip with kids can feel daunting, especially for default parents who tend to carry more of the mental load (packing, itinerary plans, etc.)
And sure, there will be some bumps along the way (e.g. “If you kids don’t behave, I’ll turn this damn car around!), but one travel expert swears that those trips (even with the occasional threat) are well worth it.
Travel expert Samantha Brown guest appeared on a recent episode of the Apple podcast, Tennis Anyone With Michael Kosta. Brown, former host of several Travel Channel shows including Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Vacation Homes, and Great Hotels, got to talking with Kosta about the importance of traveling with kids.
The mom of 11-year-old twins explained that there is something extra special about vacations and trips with kids that they will remember over even more typical milestones in their life like graduation — and it all has to do with dear old mom and dad.
“I think travel is still really important for young kids,” she said during the interview. “Memories of travel for children are actually stronger than any other of their more important dates in their lives. Say like, their own graduations or their own birthdays. “
“And one of the reasons why this is so is that when you travel with your kids, it allows your kid to see you be a kid.”
Brown goes on to explain that when kids can see their parents be something different than, well, a parent, trust and security build.
“It’s literally the building blocks of a family, and so travel allows you to be a kid.”
There’s a relatability that kids can see when they witness a parent relaxed, goofing off, and not attached to a screen. When kids feel like they are like their mom and dad, more love, trust, and admiration is built. It is those moments that kids will remember forever.”
Brown continued: “It’s so important that our kids not always see us in parent mode, and when they begin to love and trust us is when they see, ‘Oh, we’re just like them.’”
After Brown’s take began to circulate on TikTok, several users weighed in with their own thoughts on core memories for kids.
One user agreed and said, “This is so true. My kids remember details from a trip to Costa Rica when they were 3&4 years old. Those are their earliest memories I think.”
Another echoed, “Why I love Disney so much Some of my fav. memories as a kid w/my family are Disney memories+now the same is true w/the family I’ve created”
“My youngest still remembers the road trip to Disney World we took when he was 3!” another wrote.
There’s that viral saying that goes something like, “Sure, my kid won’t remember this vacation, but I will.”
What this means is that basically, traveling with young kids and shelling out the cash for a week-long trip to Disney World is actually worth it because we, as parents, will have the sweet memories of what a great time the kids had even if the kids do not.
However, if you believe what Brown said, the memory of a child should not be underestimated!