I remember when I had my daughter, everyone told me that vacations and traveling would never happen for me. Being a young mother, I was told a lot of things would never come to fruition, that so much of my life was now going to be put on hold and change course. One of those things was traveling.

“It’s not easy traveling with a child.” 

While I knew it would require a bit more planning, packing diapers and toys, something in me pushed against the advice and talk that traveling would be nearly impossible. I recall, when she was just four months old, packing up my infant and heading to Nantucket Island to visit family. Now at almost 16, she has more stamps on her passport than most adults.

My two-year-old son has been on many trips already, visiting family and other family vacations for fun. The look in my children’s eyes experiencing the beach, the water park, mountains, and new scenery for the first time is worth all the extra packing, planning, and sometimes having to forego all plans for the day because #momlife.

Your life doesn’t end when you have a child. If anything, it just begins. All the things you planned for yourself, you now get to experience with a little person by your side, smiling, jumping, running, and seeing things for the first time. 

So, while there is truth in it not being easy to travel with a child, anything worth doing isn’t going to be easy. Next time you struggle with whether the vacation is worth it, take it. Pull out the suitcases and sunscreen, grab the passports, or pack up the car. Whatever it is, the memories, photos, and experiences will be with you forever. 

And your children? They’ll remember. Far more than you think. My daughter to this day may not remember specifics, but she continually mentions that we were always going somewhere new and that she looked forward to it so much. She remembers that the family countdowns to our next adventure hanging on the refrigerator were the highlight of her day, when she got to remove a number.

And she remembers that I was rested and less stressed for just a few days. 

Kids remember.

So, when in doubt—take the vacation!