“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
—Unknown

 

I love traveling. I always have. I think I got the bug my junior year in college when I studied abroad in Nice, France. The following year I backpacked Europe for a month visiting 8 different countries. I have travelled the world with my mom, my sisters, my best friend, and even did a couple solo trips (highly recommend it).   I love the adventure, the experience of seeing new cultures, and being out of your normal routine. However, when you add  small children into the equation, traveling changes! (Just like everything else)

 

 

Despite the extra work it involves, I want my son to see the world. Sure, he just turned two but no better time than to start now. Right? So, before we become a family of 4 we wanted to take a trip.  Heck let’s be honest, I needed and wanted the sun and the ocean. Unfortunately, 7 months pregnant limited our options (damn Zika).  So we decided on West Palm beach, which is a quick 2 hour flight and we found a resort that was kid friendly. 

 

We went for 5 days and 4 nights and we had an amazing time BUT traveling with a toddler is hard, well anything with a toddler is hard. Pre child, when I went on vacation, it was simple. I only worried about myself.  I didn’t check a bag and went with the flow. I could spend hours on the beach, swimming, or laying out, or catching up on a good book or wander aimlessly exploring my new environment. Yeah, that’s not happening with a 2 year old. Granted, Coakley LOVES the beach but there is no relaxing. You are chasing, running,  fighting with him to wear his hat, diligently applying sunscreen, forcing him to drink water, and planning your days around his schedule.  

 

 

I’d be lying if there was a part of me that wished we left our wild boy at home and trust me there will be times where it will be adult only trips. But to see the joy and pure excitement in Coakley’s eyes was priceless. I wish I could see the world that he sees.  I want him to grow up knowing there is so much to explore – not be afraid to leave his “bubble”. 

We spent hours on the beach, the pool (going down the slide 1000x), we went on a safari (thanks Aunt JoJo), and just watched Coakley laugh, smile, and make memories. He will never remember this trip BUT we have to the pictures and the videos to show him.  I’m so excited for our next family trip plus one 🙂 (Thank Stephanie Smith for capturing these memories)