There are some parents who do not believe in traveling with small children because they think that they won’t remember the trip, or maybe there’s too much to pack, or sleeping with a baby in tow might be difficult — or maybe they’re worried it’s too expensive. But then there are the other parents, like me, who love to travel with their children.

I think that these trips we take together help to build life long foundations with deep emotional roots and memories. My wife and I have traveled often with our kids, from inexpensive road trips, driving up the coast and staying in small motels or camping, to flying across the ocean to Hawaii, and we’re happy to say that every trip has been wonderful – in one way or another.  We’re raising our three-year-old, two-year-old, and 4-month -old to be great travelers.

Treat your trips as though the journey together is more important than the final destination. Teach them that the experience of going somewhere together matters just as much as the actual destination or vacation. Riding on a shuttle bus, an airport transport train, an airplane, a boat, or even just walking through large crowds and experiencing all the different sights, sounds, and types of people in the world matter so much to a child. Being there to experience with them? It’s priceless.

When we travel with our kids, we start talking about it and planning for it weeks in advance. We collect special books and toys and we discuss the things we’ll do. I think it is important to help set expectations and then review them once they actually happen. So we talk about going to the beach and the pool and about how we are going to fly there in an airplane; we discuss what things we need to pack and what items are important to bring with us. If we are flying and we pass a pilot walking through the airport we point him or her out and talk about their job and duties with our children; we do the same with TSA officers, airplane workers, and others.

Traveling with young children can definitely be hard at times — but you have to remember that you’re not going on an adult trip or vacation; there may not be any cocktails by the pool, but it’s going to be great nonetheless. It is a time to truly help grow and build your family bonds and in the end create a lifetime of travel and memories.

How do you prep for your family vacations?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Tips for Traveling With Baby

Baby Travel Checklist: What to Pack

Baby’s First Trip!

In the months leading up to our first flight with the babe, my husband let all sorts of awful scenarios fill his head: Evie screaming her head off the entire way from Chicago to Mexico; us making our way through security while drawing death-ray stares from the child-free fliers behind us.

“Mostly,” he says, “my fears revolved around us being ‘that couple.’ I mean, we had a two-week discussion about whether to drive to the airport or strap our daughter’s car seat into a cab.” Breaking character, I remained relatively unworried: I just thought, “We’ll do what we need to do to get through the flight: We can always strap a bag of puffs to her mouth and let her watch an in-flight The Office if she gets fussy.”

As it turns out, Evie, at the time 10.5 months old, was a dream passenger, and is now on her way to become a miniature frequent flier. We planned our flight to correspond with her morning nap, I nursed her while taking off to keep her ears pressurized and she fell asleep just as The Odd Life of Timothy Green started playing. A notoriously light nap sleeper, she even made it through the pilot’s extremely loud and incredibly close greeting, which bordered on filibuster in its length. Dan and I were oh-so-pleased with ourselves as we settled in for the movie… until I made the embarrassingly rookie mistake of cracking open my ice-cold Diet Sierra Mist and woke Evie up 45 minutes into the flight. We hadn’t even passed over Kentucky and I was already in the dog house with my husband.

Luckily, our baby rallied and was an utter delight, babbling and playing Peekaboo with fellow passengers as we paraded her up and down the aisle. (Her request for a Bloody Mary was denied; I gave her a Booby instead.)

I’d think most parents are freaked out about flying with their little ones, but the truth is, the entire process went incredibly smoothly. True, we had more baggage than the Kardashians, what with the Pack N Play, breast pump, Baby Bjorn, car seat, stroller, our clothes and toiletries, Eve’s outfits, 40 diapers, toys, blankets, pouches of food… you get the point. But we were also afforded plenty of perks, just by virtue of our pitiful appearances. To wit:

We got to slip the crazy 200-person line snaking its way towards security. An agent spotted our caravan of crap and waved us through some special bedraggled parent corridor and BOOM! we were unloading our stuff onto the conveyer belt.

I was allowed to bring my bottle of water through security under the guise of “food” for the bambino.

At the gate, I asked the ticket agent if there were any rows with three seats. There was, and just like that, Evie had her own $900 seat for free (we strapped the Chicco in).

We steered our Uppa Baby through the airport and checked it at the gate, which means it essentially functioned like a free luggage cart, carrying my purse, laptop, diaper bag, latte and more.

Once in Cancun, our skin was spared seven days of premature wrinkling because we stayed under giant umbrellas to protect Eve’s vulnerable baby skin.

When ordering food, you can ask the waiter to “bring some sliced avocado for the baby as soon as possible,” et voila: Instant appetizer to accompany your mojito.

You get to sleep in every day and read books while lounging by the pool. OK, actually, it’s the exact opposite. #newreality

How do you plan for travel with your little one?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Baby’s First Trip

Is It Safe for Baby to Be in High-Altitude Areas

New Mom Tips for Flying With Baby

The Queen B is back, y’all!

While the Northeast braced for snow, wind and bitterly cold temperatures, Beyonce, Jay Z and adorable baby Blue kept it real cool, setting sail aboard some beautiful boat to a getaway on some beautiful island. We’re over here like Hey! Can we get an invite!? (But seriously — can we?)

All jealousy aside, there’s a whole lot of loving going on in this photo. Looks like mama’s little girl has already learned to pucker up for the cameras. Even though B is always one to share candid, personal photos documenting her life, music and (more recently!) her growing girl, we just can’t seem to get enough. Blue Ivy Carter celebrated her first Christmas this year and soon enough we’ll all be saying ‘Bottoms Up!’ to celebrate Blue’s first birthday, on January 7.

This year has definitely been a year of firsts for Bey and her leading man, who dubbed their daughter’s birth the “best experience of our lives”. Since welcoming their little bundle in style, B has been committed to spending time with Blue and Jay even penned a song about his girl. The cuteness! Gah!

Don’t you love this photo of Beyonce and Blue?

Every time the subject of children on airplanes comes up — which is a lot – people get very touchy. Even I went on a bit of a rant when Tuesdays with Morrie author Mitch Albom complained about being annoyed by kids on flights a while back. But guess what? I’m all in favor of kid-free zones on airplanes or even flights on which babies are banned, like a couple of airlines in Asia are implementing.

Not because I wish to accommodate those people who prefer traveling sans kids; because of us moms who have no choice but to travel with our kids. It’s hard enough flying with babies or small children without the added stress of being seated near someone who clearly wishes he were anywhere else.

Look, most parents of screaming babies hate being on that plane as much as the rest of the passengers. It’s awful being in that situation and unable to do a thing about it. What are you going to do: Lock yourself and the baby in the restroom until the “fasten seatbelt” light comes back on? Buy all the passengers a stiff drink as an apology? (I’ve heard of parents doing that, BTW.)

I’ve flown with my kids a lot, often by myself. I know it sucks to have the kid behind you crying or kicking your seat. I know it’s annoying to be showered with pretzel crumbs when the toddler next to you insists on opening his snack by himself. Let’s not even talk about diaper blowouts or spit up. But know this: that poor mom is probably doing the best she can.

But here’s something people should know, too: not everyone hates kids on planes. I have had the incredible good fortune to sit next to all sorts of kind strangers when traveling with my children. The off-duty pilot, who was extremely helpful and gracious about me nursing my baby inches away from him. The grandma happy to play peek-a-boo with a cranky infant. The purple-manicured teenager who held my son while — horror of horrors — I got airsick on an especially turbulent flight. Even the business travelers who helped me fold up my stroller so I could get through security without losing a child.

Thanks to these child-free strangers, the skies were a little bit friendlier for this frazzled, frequent-flier mom.

What experiences have you had traveling with your kids? What do you think about kid-free flights?

Last week my kids (9 and 6) had the opportunity to join me on a work trip and experience Manhattan for the first time. Needless to say, they were blown away. Seeing this city through their eyes, I was blown away too – and more than of just the sights, but of the rich lessons that I saw my kids absorbing without even realizing it.

1) Help a stranger in need. We had a metro card malfunction at a subway station one evening, and my husband and I were stuck on one side of the gate while the kids’ tickets went through and they were on other side. Parenting Panic! A man noticed us and used his card to get us through without even pausing to get a thank you.

2) It’s always a good time (and age) to dance or sing. While walking through the park, on a circular medallion etched into the concrete, it became immediately clear we had to make up a song and twirl around. It was the first time ever my daughter was so spontaneous and didn’t care who was watching. Later that night while watching the Philharmonic on the lawn, a group of about 100 concert goers began leaping and spinning like ballerinas to the music, led by one elderly gentleman. Everywhere we went from subway stations to underneath bridges, there were expressive musicians giving us a soundtrack to our lives.

3) Care about what you build. In a time where we are just trying to get things done as quickly as possible, it was so inspiring for the kids to see, everywhere they looked, how much love and purposeful artistic effort was put into so many things around them.

4) Embrace romance. This was an epiphany for my 9 year old son, who was so inspired by rowing a boat on Central Park lake that he declared he would one day bring a girlfriend to this lake and propose to her. This is a kid who barely hugs, people!

5) Be spiritual, no matter what your religion is. This lesson came inside the exquisite St. Patrick’s Cathedral, as they took in the flickering prayer candles, people with their heads bent deep in prayer, and their mom silently weeping over the beauty of it all. I got to explain, that no matter what their religion is, to find a place like that, that offers such deep spiritual feeling and connection — that’s what it’s all about.

What to pack:

“Bring the obvious stuff: Diapers, wipes, butt cream, clothes.  Take anything you currently use for the bedtime routine (white noise machine, swaddler, blankets).  If you’re driving, you could also fit a stroller, boppy or bouncy chair.  If you bring a Pack ‘n Play, bring sheets for the mattress.” -Jenny952

“Not all rest stops have a diaper changing station, so make sure you have a mat or something to use as backup.” -thebretanfam

“Bring a thermometer, pediatricians’ number (if not already programmed in your cell), and Tylenol. You never know…” -jb2rn

“When packing, invest in a box of gallon-sized Ziploc baggies.  Put each day’s full outfit (onesies, pants, socks, hat, etc.) into a bag, and label it if you desire. This is a huge time saver!” -CurlingRocks

“Pack a few extra blankets–things get gross and dirty.” -efsNYC13

“Bring large Ziploc bags. If you don’t, I promise you’ll have at least two blow-out diapers and have no place to put the clothing.” -hocus

If you’re driving…

“Make sure baby has a clean diaper and is fed within 20 minutes of leaving. If I wait any longer than that, she will get fussy and not fall asleep once we get on the road.” -thebretanafam

“I’m sure alot depends on your baby, but expect it to take longer than usual. We just went to my mom’s house, which is usually a 5 1/2 hour trip, and it took us 7 hours. Our son eats every 2 hours, so we had to stop alot more than usual.” -hway24

“Sit in the back with baby, that way you can soothe her and give her pacifier or whatever is needed.” -manchipollard

If you’re flying…

“We fed baby when the plane was taking off and landing (the sucking helps with their ears). I kept my son up all morning so he was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as he was done eating and didn’t wake up until the plane landed. Also, check with your airline–all of our baby stuff (stroller, car seat, pack and play) flew for free!” -zina0323

“For the flight, I breastfed her but also brought along a couple of pre-sterilized bottles and cartons of ready-to-use formula. Pacifiers were a godsend.” -gatsbygirl

“I recommend a variety of little toys (make sure you bring the non-noise making toys), so you can switch toys throughout the plane ride if the baby is bored. A small blanket is key because it gets cold on the plane.” -TriciaandSean

Still have questions about traveling with baby? Ask the moms on our Babies 9-12 Months message board.

Plus, more from The Bump:

Tool: Baby Travel Checklist

Summertime Fun With Baby In Tow

How Soon Can I Travel After Birth?

Traveling is already stressful, but add at least one baby and it can get pretty darn tough. For a long time, airlines have offered pre-boarding for families with small children, so they could get on the plane and settled before the rest of the passengers crowd the aisles. But now, according to USA Today, United airlines has decided to stop letting families pre-board, “to simplify the boarding process and to reduce the overall number of boarding groups.”

United isn’t the first airline to limit pre-boarding. USA Today reports that US Airways stopped offering traditional pre-boarding for families with children, but will let families board before general boarding (but and after first-class and business passengers get on). American Airlines has made families who aren’t in premium boarding groups go with everyone else, but its agents at the gate do look for families who might need more assistance.

There are pros and cons to boarding with the general public. Your baby might get fussy if you’re on the plane early and sitting there for a while, especially if the plane has to wait a long time for takeoff (ugh). But pre-boarding gives families more time (and elbow room!) to get situated and not have to wait in a long line trying to get to their seats.

Do you take advantage of pre-boarding when you travel? Do you think it makes things easier for you?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Baby Travel Checklist

Tips for Traveling with Baby

Baby’s First Trip