You've Got This, New Parents! Don't Stop Traveling.
- Trevor Lawrence
- Jan 16
- 7 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Say it Loud: Keep the Adventure Alive After the Kids Arrive!
At WS&T, we’ve set out to prove – to ourselves and to fellow travel enthusiasts – that it’s absolutely possible to keep the adventure alive after the kids arrive.
In this joint article, Eve and Trev share their (I mean, our) thoughts on traveling with little ones, practical tips for making it easier, and a dose of inspiration for new parents who still yearn to explore the world.
You’re here, which means your sense of adventure can’t be quenched.
If you’re like us, travel is more than a relaxing getaway; it’s a way to connect with the world. We can’t get enough of unique foods, interesting people, and awe-inspiring natural splendor – and we don’t believe becoming parents means putting a stop to that.
Your Protective Instincts Are Screaming...
T: When we decided to start a family, E worried that our cherished travel life might die – or worse, that we’d be tormented by wanderlust but never able to act on it. She made me promise we’d do everything in our power to keep the dream alive. Fast-forward to AJ’s arrival, and suddenly we were sleep-deprived zombies, hyper-aware of every potential danger, and obsessed with nothing but keeping our tiny human alive.
For a while, caring for a newborn is all-consuming. But then that irresistible travel bug bit again. We regularly visit family on the opposite coast, so we got a fair amount of practice traveling with a baby domestically. Still, that first international trip felt daunting. Your protective instincts (especially Eve's) start screaming, so every plan seems to require a full security detail and an armored car!
E: Before AJ’s arrival, I decided to put a (very ambitious!) international trip on the books for when she was about 5 months old. I figured we could totally do it, we just needed to change up our more spontaneous traveling style to make it baby-proof.
We usually have a rough itinerary but allow for last-minute changes based on how we like each place and what we feel like doing (shout out to refundable hotels!).
Instead, I planned every detail of this baby trip, practically noting the step count between hotels and train stations at each destination. But as the trip approached, I started to freak out about the really, really long flight ahead and the potential language barrier. When we found out that the destination was going to have a serious cold snap during our visit – turning our pleasant vacay into a wintry trial – Trev and I agreed that we should listen to the signs.
We cancelled the whole thing (everything was refundable, thank goodness) and booked our Colombia trip instead. We felt comfortable with the language, the time difference was only two hours, and the plane trip was closer to what AJ was already used to.
And, the itinerary was very adventurous and exciting for us too. We returned to our usual travel style; while we planned and researched in-depth, we allowed for places to inspire us to stay – or to move on more quickly if the mood struck.
The moral of my story? Listen to your mom-instincts! You don’t want to dread your trip, and you want to stick to the kind of travel you already like.
At the same time, stepping outside your comfort zone is good for you, your relationship, and your child who gets to experience the world, meet new people, gain flexibility, and try to put everything in his/her mouth in a whole new country.
Children Live There, Too!
T: I grew up in a town of fewer than 5,000 people. At 15, I traveled to Scotland to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
I was terrified, so I came up with the world’s silliest mantra: “People live there, too. People live there, too.” And the absurdity actually helped.
It’s the same mantra I used when, in my early 20s, I drove from Arizona to New York City in a used minivan full of my worldly possessions: “Other people have moved here, too. Other people have moved here, too.”
The takeaway is that we’re not huddled in a covered wagon headed into the absolute unknown – it’s just unknown to us. My personal revision for traveling with a baby is: “Children live there, too!” Kids are raised in different cultures and environments all over the world. Duh. But the mantra reminds me that if other families thrive there, we've just got to get ourselves there and we'll be fine.
Some might ask, “What’s the point of traveling with a baby if they won’t remember it?” Our favorite response is, “We can always go back!” Visiting a place only once is rarely enough anyway.
E: No notes! People everywhere have kids who eat food, wear diapers, and make a lot of noise in exactly the wrong situation. I find repeating Trev’s mantra especially helpful whenever AJ starts crying in public. She’s just a baby! People get it. Well, except that one grumpy guy watching Fast & Furious 7 on the plane… but just ignore him.
You know what every destination also has? Moms who’ve been there, done that. Colombia was filled with moms both young and old who were thrilled to meet AJ and help her get to know the country.
Is AJ saving these memories on her permanent hard drive? Not yet. But we’re confident that they’re contributing to her having a rich and full life - and very happy parents.
Plans, Plans & Logistics...
T: You know the old adage: “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." There’s a parallel in travel: “It takes a lot of planning to be this spontaneous.” We’ve always been travelers who enjoy improvisation and unplanned detours. Those days aren’t gone – but now, if we want the freedom to be spontaneous, we need logistics systems that allow us to pivot without chaos, all while keeping AJ content and safe.
The good news? After a few test runs, traveling with our newest teammate is getting easier and easier – not breezy exactly, but it’s definitely feeling more manageable.
Let's be clear. We plan like crazy SO we can feel more comfortable improvising. It's nice to have options A thru M, so we can pivot if necessary. Whether it’s a coup or a weather snafu, we're famous for turning our travel plans on a dime, but we generally do so with a good idea of what's next.
E: I always travel armed with a few key resources: a good base of research about the country I’m visiting, itinerary options for several different scenarios, and a wild plan Z if everything goes sideways (or it’s really, really hot and I get really, really cranky).
With AJ in the mix, we have added a few preparations to our list:
Bookmark hospitals in each of our destinations
Note the country’s emergency number
Carry a small first aid kit, a simple supply of baby medicine and a thermometer
Make sure you know how to ask for help in the local language.
Do what you need to do to feel peace-of-mind before and during your trip, and like I said before - always listen to your instincts. Extra prep doesn’t mean spontaneity is gone, it just means you’ll be able to approach each schedule change and pivot armed with plenty of good information.
Why Must We Go? New Parents, Don't Stop Traveling!
T: Most travelers agree that visiting unfamiliar places and engaging with new cultures is one of life's greatest gifts and among its greatest teachers. We have to put ourselves out there to see firsthand how vast and varied the world is – how ideas, tastes, beliefs, and traditions can be simultaneously exotic, yet oddly similar to, our own.
Travel doesn’t just open new roads to explore; it opens new neural pathways in our minds. It endows wisdom and humility, it makes us better critical thinkers, more empathetic and adventurous. It makes us better decision-makers and representatives of our own culture. It's food for the brain and soul.
E: What he said. My answer to “why do you travel?” is more prosaic: I travel because I have to. To me, exploring new places, eating new things, encountering new cultures, and getting a little lost is what makes life worth living. It’s what gets me through the work grind year after year: that magical light at the end of the tunnel when you’re feeling so burned out. While our trips aren’t exactly “vacations” - sometimes I feel like I need a vacation afterward - they refresh and renew my soul. I hope AJ feels the same way!
Anwho...
Becoming a parent can consume every ounce of energy, risk tolerance, and spirit for adventure. That’s okay. But if you still ache for travel, WS&T is here to help you face the fear of getting back on the proverbial horse – this time, with a baby on board. So, one more time: New Parents, Don't Stop Traveling!
For those of us who spent years saving and seizing every opportunity to see new places, the adventure bug is part of our identity. Why should that change just because we have a new addition to the fam?
How often have we heard people say, “I used to travel a lot, but then the kids arrived…”?
At WS&T, putting those travel dreams on permanent hold was unthinkable. Still, we recognized that parenthood would profoundly change our routines, energy levels, and priorities. The only way to preserve our passion for adventure while meeting AJ’s needs was to up our planning game.
WS&T Takeaway: You absolutely can keep your travel dreams alive after kids. If adventures bring you joy, you owe it to yourself – and your little one(s) – to continue exploring and enriching your world and theirs.
Bon Voyage!
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