Hahahaha.  Ok so it’s not actually possible to travel with kids peacefully and easily.  (But I do have a great tip to get you closer to it…)

When you travel with a 5 year old and an 8 year old or any age kids for that matter, there can and will be a LOT of ups and downs.

I tend to have temporary amnesia every time we travel.  I forget any of the chaos and mayhem and only remember the beauty and bliss.  Sort of like childbirth.  You forget how painful it is until you have another child.  It’s a love-to-travel coping mechanism.

I enter into every vacation thinking it will be amazing.  Lots of quality time with the kids.  A beautiful romantic connection with my husband.  More fun than you can ever imagine.  Perfect weather.  Sunny beach days.  Great food.  Interesting new friends.  I could go on and on.  I’m very optimistic.  I always set some positive intentions.  (A powerful practice, the alternative does not end well, trust me…)

We just returned from Mexico and this trip was no different.  Booked a beautiful room at our favorite hotel, warm sunny weather.  What could go wrong?!

Well as you know when you’re traveling with kids anything and everything can go wrong.  The kids might whine and fight.  A LOT.  The taxi might take FOREVER.  You might get booked into the wrong room and have to move.  Your son could get sick and you could spend 3 hours in the ER on day 2.  Only to see him suffering for the next 4 days until you leave.

Yea.  We’ve all been there.  Being away from home, and traveling always sounds more glamorous than it is.  And we as humans tend to focus on the negative.  It’s somehow written in our DNA.  The first thing we do is tell the dramatic tale of how Jack got sick and it ruined our vacation.  We feel more comfortable sharing the hardships than the highlights.

Well I’m not buying into the bullshit rule that says that you have to share the drama.  Or even the reality.  I will find a way to highlight what went WELL.  I’ll share the triumphs, the laughter, the sweet moments we shared.  All the amazing memories we created.

We had the best New Year’s Eve we’ve ever had as a family.
Stumbled upon a fun show and beach dance party.
My daughter and I had a late night fun adventure on the beach.
When the kids went to sleep we got to ring in the New Year, just the 2 of us.  Watched some fireworks over the ocean. Romance – check.

On New Year’s day we had a late night beach fire ceremony.  As a family we wrote down things that no longer served us, that we’d like to leave in 2016.  Jack being sick was on all our lists.  And things we wanted to create in 2017.  I loved reading their lists.  What beautiful intentions these kids can set.  Lighting the list on fire in a homemade fire pit and then shouting our intentions to the wind and ending with a family Hakka ceremony.  Now how can I let that get overshadowed by a few bumps in the road.

It’s all about where you put your focus.  Do you focus on what went wrong, the fighting, the sickness, the delays.  Or what went right, the morning breakfast buffet with food we all loved, the quiet time by the pool, the Zoomba water aerobics, the jogs on the beach with my love.  Backflips in the pool.  The kindness of strangers.  New friends from England.  Feeding the fish in the pond and counting 16 turtles, the swim up bar where the kids ordered hourly chocolate smoothies.  The grilled lobster tail for dinner.  Reading a full book cover to cover.  Jet skiing, beach walking, swimming in every pool on the grounds.

Honestly when you focus on what went RIGHT, on all the GOOD.  What is there to complain about?  Life happens.  How do you choose to respond to it?

As we got in the taxi to the airport I asked my kids to tell me their 3 favorite moments of the vacation.  We came up with 25, at least.

We can sit and reflect on the stress and the problems.  And create a story of a nightmare vacation, where things went wrong and we may never go back.

OR we can focus on all the moments of beauty and connection.  The quality time that wouldn’t have happened at home.  The new experiences that expanded our horizons.  The growth and the laughter.  The smiles and the joy we shared.  The swimming and the dancing and falling asleep in each other’s arms.  That’s what I’ll focus on.  And soon we’ll forget that Jack got sick.  I might remember how nice the doctors were and how taken care of we felt.  It won’t be a bad memory.  But a good one.  More of that please.

So here’s how to travel easily and peacefully with your kids.  Focus only on the easy parts.  Focus only on the peace not the stress.  There are as many moments of those when you look for them.  And the more you look for them the more you’ll create them.  And you’ll head into blissful amnesia before your next trip.

Oh the places you will go… Where will you go next?

Loving this life and travel,
Steffani

PS:   My new Happi Mom Squad started YESTERDAY.  There is 1 space still available for this 6 month long mastermind.  If you’re ready, really ready to focus on your happiness so you can raise happiness, email me and join us!