"Are we there?... And now?"
The classic (and don't be afraid to say it, devilish) phrases that resonate every few minutes inside a car, plane or train when traveling with family They are capable of dislodging anyone. Being a father is not easy and it is even less so when we intend to make crossings accompanied by our children. Still, why do we insist on making things even harder for ourselves with unreachable goals , strict itineraries or absurd schedules?
There are no perfect holiday and when you travel as a family , that is something that is expected (and in the end, one even learns to enjoy it), being the sporadic, spontaneous and fleeting moments that make up the authentic happiness in our destiny when we have some suckers at our expense . And, if Instagram tells you otherwise, ignore it, because behind the scenes nothing is what it seems.
"Our son – who was 3 years old at the time – had biggest tantrum in history while boarding a flight to Nice”, recalls Austin Sailsbury, author of the book Family Adventures, Exploring the World with Children , when we ask him what has been his worst family trip . He “he started crying and screaming and even tried to run out of the plane. He kept complaining until he fell asleep… right when we landed,” he continues.
Nobody is born knowing and the parents, even less. That's why, traveling with children or teenagers should not follow that protocol that we usually impose on ourselves in other circumstances. At least not if you want to enjoy the experience. better leave gap to improvisation and why not, to disaster . The moments of magic will be punctual and, of course, never constant, but capable of being recorded in the memory.
"On the contrary, when Owen was still a baby, we toured the USA for a year and we stayed in an old "mansion", with a lot of history, in Charleston . We spend all our time exploring the nearby neighborhoods, going to great restaurants and enjoying the most charming city in the south of the country. It was one of the most special weeks we've been through together," says Sailsbury, who was one of his better trips –with baby on board– till the date.
Each of these family odysseys led the writer to devise the book that he now publishes together with the Gestalten publishing house, Family Adventures. Exploring the World with Children . To his experiences are added those of other thirty families capable of launching themselves without fear (and with more than one child in her arms) to explore destinations such as the Silk Road, take a gap year to live life on the road or teach a new generation what it means to enjoy la dolce vita. All these stories (with their respective advice to imitate them) put the long teeth to those parents who have not yet dared to cross borders with their children... but who know that the next getaway is upon us.
"At the beginning of the year the Gestalten team and me We met to create the dream list of families that we wanted to be part of the project. We had about a hundred but, in the end, we closed our circle with thirty who had wonderful stories to tell. I already had several personal connections with the families but I got to know most of them through interviews I did with them," explains Salisbury.
before having children Sailsbury didn't know what he was getting at. "Traveling with them is never easy and it's not even close to traveling as a couple. But my wife and I have learned to be realistic with our expectations ", he explains about what it feels like to travel "accompanied" to places like Italy, Greece, Nice or the United States.
"In fact, the year my first son was born – who is now four years old – we spent traveling through 25 of the US states. and driving a total of 40,000 kilometers to explore our country (currently living in Copenhagen, where he enjoys riding bike around the city, walks in the gardens of Kongens Have , meals in Gas Grill , visits to Glyptotek museum or coffees in Juno The Bakery ). After all these years we have realized that what traveling brings us is create memories together . We love how a trip or an adventure turns into something we can talk about , reminisce together and enjoy even after it's over," she tells us.
In the book, not only the great family stories (and enviable) who share their stories around the world, such as Sailsbury's, if not also including practical and detailed advice in each chapter –focused on different age ranges– to pack or organize schedules . All to remind us that introducing our children to new cultures , languages and people will lay the foundations so that they do not lose the desire to explore, accept and admire the wonderful world in which they live.
