“Hey, You!” (Top of Old Town Hall Tower, Prague, Czech)
GCCjr recently achieved the ripe old age of 16 months. By coincidence, he also recently visited his 16th country. (Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Vatican City, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, UK, Ireland, Iceland, US… Taiwan apparently is not a country.)
At current pace, he should be able to visit all 195 countries of the world by the time he is old enough to drive, making him the youngest person ever to achieve that milestone. But accumulating passport stamps just for the sake of passport stamps isn’t a goal, so our pace is likely to slow. Still, he’ll probably be a full member of the Traveler’s Century Club.
When we first started traveling with the little guy we didn’t really know what to expect. Based on the numerous questions we’ve received during the past year, it seems many others are in the same boat. So here are some thoughts on traveling with kids based on 16 countries worth of experience.
Thoughts on Traveling with Young Kids
I imagine every child is different, and some will travel better than others. Kind of like adults. And of course their wants and needs change with time. Plans that work well with toddlers probably need some adjustment over time.
GCCjr is a natural traveler, likely in part because it is all he has ever known.
He is quick to smile with adults, will shake hands when meeting new people, and walks right up to other children to give them toys, asking them to play. There are very few situations where he feels uncomfortable… crowds, heights, big dogs… it’s all great. Well, everything except clowns…
He loves being outside and will hand us his shoes if we are taking too long to get ready in the morning. When we arrive at a new hotel or Airbnb ($25 free with 1st stay) he will wander off to explore the place and report back with any interesting finds.
He loves airplanes, elephants, and horses. If there is a photo, painting, or sculpture of any of these in the room somewhere, he will let you know with an elephant trumpet or horse whinny. Every time he sees an airplane in the sky he points and yells “fei ji, fei ji!” (飛機 飛機, airplane in Chinese)
He is a happy, healthy, thriving kid. Travel and adventure suit him. This is what we do to keep it that way:
More Direct Slower Travel
As two carefree adults we have experienced long overnight bus trips, red eye flights with inhuman connections, boat trips that twisted our intestines inside out, and single days with all of the above. Those days are behind us.
We now try to limit travel time in a given day to just a few hours, and do our best to align travel time with nap time. 6 am flights are eschewed in favor of noon departures. This limits the number of miles and time zones we can cover in any given day, but there is no rush.
Trips that might involve several connections or multiple forms of transport are avoided, at least in one go. Rather than spend 2.5 days to get from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Luang Prabang, Laos, for example, we decided to fly 60 minutes direct to Southern Thailand instead. Laos can wait until they invest in better infrastructure.
Direct and short distance travel isn’t always an option, but we can still take steps to make getting from A to B as efficient as possible. For our 16 hour flight from Asia to Europe, we booked business class seats using frequent flier miles, and chose a midnight departure for easy sleeping on the flat bed seats. Jr slept most of the flight. For our upcoming 14 hour fright from LA to Taipei, we booked GCCjr’s first dedicated seat, even though he still qualifies as a lap carry infant. Zzzz…
Planning
On occasion we have been known to arrive at a random destination with no plan and no reservations. We would just book something when we arrived and figure things out as we went.
With a young child we don’t want to arrive in the middle of the night with no place to sleep, so we have accommodations sorted before we arrive. When we departed for our European trip earlier this year, we had booked our arrival flights to Portugal and our departure flights from Iceland to the US. We also had 3 nights booked at an Airbnb in Lisbon. The 4 months in the middle were unplanned. Where do you want to go today?
Packing
A 3rd person does expand our packing list a bit, but by less than you might think. A long trip is really nothing more than a series of individual weeks, so a week’s supply of clothes is all that is required. At present size, nearly all of our baby clothes are about the size of two of my T-shirts.
Although we could probably do it if we tried, we don’t try to travel with carry on only luggage. Walking through an airport with a child is enough exercise for one day without having to lug baggage as well. This sometimes results in a few extra dollars of baggage fees, but nothing worth worrying about.
Mostly everything we own
Daily Use Items and Other Stuff
We’ve seen parents bring two full sized suit cases to a beach in Thailand just to hold a month’s supply of baby food, diapers, wipes, and formula. Children go through an ungodly number of these things.
We had only a few days supply, so we just walked across the street to the grocery store and restocked. It turns out there are babies born in Thailand too. Globalization means everything we’ve needed is available everywhere. (We figured this out when Jr lost two left shoes in two days in Madrid.)
Moral of the story: pack light.
Routine in the Absence of Routine
There are very few constants while traveling, so we take steps to provide a routine. The main constant is ever present parents; Mom and Dad are always near.
Within any given day, there are repeating patterns such as our bedtime ritual. A bath and bathtub songs, a bottle, brushing of teeth, and bedtime stories and songs wrap up each day. Only after Jr falls fast asleep do we make time for ourselves.
The combination of parental presence and routine provides a strong sense of security and comfort. Jr is a pretty chill little dude.
Snacks & Meals
Mom keeps Jr on a fairly strict diet of natural foods, which means many of his meals are made at “home.” Restaurant meals can be heavy on oils, salt, and seasonings, so we seek out simple preparation of quality ingredients using staples such as rice, fruit, veggies, and meat & fish. This usually mean’s avoiding the children’s menu.
For snacks, broccoli and asparagus are Jr’s absolute favorite foods, followed by berries and grapes. These are all easy to prepare and transport. Often before we go out for a big day, we fill some small containers with sliced fruit and steamed veggies and bring a container of puffs. We also always have water.
Incidentally, many Starbucks across Europe will give a free steamed milk for the kiddo, but it is hit and miss.
Naps
When we leave “home” we always have a plan for nap time.
Ideally we can return to our apartment or hotel to get a light nap or just to take a break. This allows us to nap together so we are all equally fresh and recharged.
Since napping at home is not always practical, a reclining stroller with a jacket or blanket draped over the top to keep out the light makes a great snooze box.
Exercise is a huge help to make sure nap and bed time go off without a hitch.
Toys & Entertainment
Toys of all shapes and sizes have been tested and scrutinized by our young boy, but they are all just passing fads. The toys he currently favors all pack small, such as his toy trucks and planes, stack and roll cups / balls, and wooden animal magnets.
But his true loves are rocks and sticks. He can pass hours casting stone after stone into a small stream, and every short stroll is greatly improved upon by dragging a small stick alongside. Sand boxes and beaches are also great fun, as are slides and swings.
Fortunately, rocks, sticks, sand, and playgrounds are everywhere. Not a day passes where we don’t spend time with one or all of them.
Education
At this stage, learning is largely focused on language, getting up and down the stairs, and self feeding. I’m really excited for the day he wants to use the potty by himself.
We read everyday, sometimes for just a few minutes but usually much longer. Often we’ll read the same book, once in English and again in Chinese. A family favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar aka 好餓的毛毛蟲.
Screen time is very limited, usually when we need 10 minutes to pack. He loves watching Peppa Pig (for a proper English accent) and Qiao Hu. Jr gets most of his best dance moves from Qiao Hu.
We’ll add Writing and Arithmetic to the curriculum when it seems right.
Medical Needs
Routine medical needs due to the common cold and other childhood illnesses can be managed fairly easily at home. Rest, time, fluids, books, and some cuddles go a long way. Cancel the dinner reservations and hang out at home instead.
For scheduled vaccinations, they can be done in any modern hospital (they are all modern hospitals.) To date we’ve done all of these in Taiwan, but we wouldn’t hesitate to get vaccinations done in any country we’ve visited.
For emergency care, immediate needs would be handled at the nearest possible hospital. Jr is covered by his own travel insurance policy.
Outside Observations
Parents across the globe are all trying to figure out this parenting thing, and have shared many observations with us about GCCjr. They often assume he is older than he really is because of maturity and level of comfort in many situations.
While some like to point out that “he won’t remember any of it”, the truth remains that his personality and world view are being shaped and molded by his experiences. In simple terms, he seems to grasp well that people are nice, all foods are worth trying, and being outside and exploring are the best.
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Certainly not an exhaustive list of ideas, but these practices have been working well for all three of us.
Do you have tips for traveling with young kids?
To close, an obligatory gushing parent photo collage of the world tour:
Taipei, Taiwan
Osaka, Japan
Koh Lanta, Thailand
Penang, Malaysia
Singapore
Rome, Italy
Berlin, Germany
London, UK
Dublin, Ireland
Blue Lagoon, Iceland
Seattle, WA, US
If we end up having kids, we’re copying all your moves :)
So great to see that you guy ended up going to some of our favorite places in Europe. And I can’t believe how fast Julian is growing! It seem like only yesterday he was sitting in my lap in Chiang Mai and eating fistfuls of my hair :)
Love all the awesome pictures and travel write-up (also Winnie’s kick-ass new hair colour). Whenever anyone tells us “oh you can’t do what you’re doing with kids”, I immediately point them to your blog. Keep up the good work!
It’s always fun when people tell us we can’t do what we are already doing. Good times for them, I’m sure.
Will you guys be at FinCon?
Sadly, not this year :( We’re travelling for the next 6 months in Asia. Will try for next year.
Wonderful advice and fun pictures.
A well rested infant is a well rested mum and dad. So worth it to put some work into good sleep habits. If our kids are anything to go by, these habits are lasting. Our two boys napped daily and on schedule for 1-2 hrs until they were nearly five.
Love the mention of A Very Hungry Caterpillar. We must have read that book and Goodnight Moon about a thousand times….
It is amazing how kids allow other travelers to open up and be interactive. We have found more often than not that young kids and travel mix very, very well. Something actually that the general public think the opposite.
We have a lot of people talk with us just because we are with a baby. It’s a bit like having a puppy
I wish we had this two months ago. We did a family trip to France and Spain, using most of what you said here, but there are a few chunks we did not: slow travel, few layovers, and the like. Otherwise we did very well, enjoying a month in Spain. Thanks for another great article. I’ll share it with my wife so we’re all on the same page for our next big trip to China.
Nice, a month in Spain with kids sounds great! We really enjoyed Sevilla, Barcelona, and Girona. I think we managed to do nothing longer than a 3 hour train ride during our whole visit there. When do you go to China?
As an early childhood educator, I have to tell you that I thought about a lot of things you might mention before I read the post. And you have nailed it! Focusing on needs and maintaining wellness will take a little one (and his family) far! I love your focus on limiting how hectic your schedule gets. That’s a huge problem for many families. Naps, healthy eating at home (or healthy snacks on the road), short travel when possible, limiting screen time – and a bunch of good books. Sounds like a recipe for success. You are giving your child an amazing gift – seeing the world and experiencing so many cultures. I would guess that GCCjr will develop into a fine teen and adult, embracing diversity and sharing his love of living a “not so normal” life!
Excellent, thanks so much!
Wow, you guys really move around a lot.
While we don’t travel nearly as much as you guys do, we practice most of the tips you provided. It’s a good list.
The only tip I might add is this: Be flexible and relaxed when things go wrong. With the little ones, the unexpected can frequently happening. If the adult stresses out, this ends up stressing the little ones out.
I’m always reminding myself to handle the daily disasters with little ones *calmly*,
Good point. We always set our expectations low for what we can see in a day. More than 2 hours of “sightseeing” with our (at the time) 2 year old and it was nope nope nope. So if we wanted to see 3-4 different places in various spots in a city, that might just take us 3-4 days hitting one spot per day. 5-6 if we want a day or two for down time.
Sometimes the only local sites we see in a day are the neighborhood park/playground and a small stream with lots of rocks to toss. We can go to the museum or whatever tomorrow or after play time. Somehow we still manage to see all the good stuff.
Yep, been there plenty of days. We program in lots of “do nothing” days where we might visit a park or playground, eat something, and otherwise be lazy.
I can’t wait to meet the little man in a few weeks! See you all soon :)
Oh wow, that is coming up fast! See you soon
An incredible way to grow up. And what a great way to be parents and world travellers at the same time! We still move at a quick pace while traveling, probably because we were trained to maximize our limited vacation days. I like the way you pace your travel and limit travel time in a day. Now that we have more time, I will have to copy your moves to make traveling more relaxing as well.
Winnie used to make a spreadsheet for our vacations with hourly breakdowns of restaurants, activities, transport, and hotels. 4 years ago we threw out the final spreadsheet and now we just figure it out in real time.
It is definitely more relaxed.
WOW…really great job! The future is unpredictable, so glad to see the present being thoroughly enjoyed! Time for another one…ha!
We’ve started thinking the same thing… so maybe not so unpredictable ;)
This post is inspiring me to get out and travel with our little one. She’s a little younger, and we’re sleep training her right now, but once that’s done, we need to hit the road.
A lot of people definitely use a kid as an excuse not to travel, but you prove it’s not that hard.
However, we are using reusable diapers, and that might prove a little challenging to continue on the road.
We did our first travel with Jr when he was 5 months old. It was the first time he fell asleep by himself at night. That’s when we knew it would all be possible.
We use cloth (reusable) diapers as well – they can be a bit of a challenge on the road, but less so than we expected. Especially when our daughter was young, she tended to turn in before 8pm and it was often a good excuse for one of us to get out and find a laundromat to wash them in :). The only place it turned out to be a real problem was in Sweden (because apparently there’s no laundromats in the entire country.. which made even washing our own clothing a bit of a pain)
Great update, thanks for sharing! Very smart to travel extensively before Jr. turns 2 and has to pay for a full-price (or close to full-price) ticket. We got a little bit of a sticker shock when our daughter turned 2 and our air-travel cost went up 50%. On very long flights before our Jr. turned 1 we used the bulkhead seats where they installed a bassinet/crib. Very easy and comfortable. But once the kid gets too old, yeah, you probably need a separate seat on trans-pacific flights!
We never did get the chance to use the bulkhead seat with bassinet, but it looks like a great setup.
For our upcoming flight to Asia, it was going to be ~$250 for the lap carry infant but only ~$350 for him to have his own seat. That was a no brainer.
You are getting around! At 16 months now he must be walking or close to it. Ours is just now 2 and has 3 stamps (all 8+-hour flights), but all the traveling parents of older kids I’ve talked to have said to get in the traveling early. Not only because of ticket prices as mentioned above (that’d be offset by traveling hacking for you, I’d guess), but also because the toddler years are supposed to be the hardest for plane travel–he doesn’t want to sit still and can’t/won’t listen. It’s supposed to get better again after about 4-5. We’ll see how it goes this Christmas when we take the 12-hour plane ride to visit my parents (Japan to east coast US).
So my question is about the language learning: one parent one language? Do you speak any Chinese/are you trying to learn, and if so how strict are you with following the rules?
I don’t think I can offer you any baby travel-based info that you don’t already know, but I would suggest looking up Simplicity Parenting if you haven’t already read it. Sounds like it’d be right up your alley.
He has been walking nonstop since his birthday. He’s pretty unstoppable now.
Having the little energy beast on a plane for 12 hours is definitely a bit of a challenge. A lot of people use some pharmaceutical assistance to encourage sleep, but we haven’t tried it. We do what we can to make the flight coincide with bed time so he sleeps as much as possible naturally, and then have plenty of snacks and toys/games to keep him busy, with screen time as a last resort. Exercise helps too, before and during the flight.
I do speak some Chinese, but I speak 99% English with Jr and Mom speaks 100% Chinese.
My wife speaks 100% Swedish to our little girl and I 100% English (although she is picking up more Swedish so sometimes I change over to get her to understand!). She is nearly 2 and isnt speaking fluently in either language, but she is picking up words and seems like she will be spitting full sentences out pretty soon. That is great to raise a child bi-lingual. Supposedly helps them pick up other languanges quicker later on in life as well.
Very cool to hear the kiddo is rocking it on your big long permanent vacation around the world! Our kiddo didn’t do quite as well at our first attempt at “global” travel when he was 2 (Canada is Global, right? ;) ), did a lot better when 3, and this past summer he was a pro at age 4 (and even understood that our Toronto house is different from our Raleigh house).
Next summer is stacking up to be spent in Europe and I think we’re ready.
Agreed on the relative ease of traveling with kids and being able to buy anything almost anywhere. Diapers, wipes, clothes, shoes, etc. We’ve seen them all over the world because oddly enough kids need that stuff regardless of where they live. :)
Canada is definitely International. Especially Quebec, eh.
Europe is great for kids, with super public transit and tons of parks and playgrounds.
Quebec is like another country ha!
Europe is great because public transit is so easy.
That’s good news. We love exploring parks and playgrounds. Montreal and Toronto were both incredible places for wandering around and discovering awesome new parks seemingly every other block. And incredible weather during the summer months. Also lots of free swimming pools. :)
Nice!
Totally agree on how travelling young really shapes a child’s view on the world. While we’re not yet retired ourselves, we’ve found that making sure we keep up some form of travelling has made our daughter very adaptable to change – much more flexible than her dad, for example :)
We’ve travelled a lot (in the US/Canada) with our young son. We’ve also experienced people question this with, “but he won’t remember anything?”. We definitely agree with the sentiment here that every new experience is shaping his mind and personality, regardless of whether he can specifically recall the experience when he is older. Also, WE want to see things as well. Having young children shouldn’t be a sentence for parents to forfeit vacations and exploring while the kids are young. The easiest was traveling when he was under a year old. Now he’s four and has fairly strong opinions of his own…
Great pictures of GCCJr. What a cutie! He’s getting a dream childhood with both parents traveling around the world with him. Glad to hear that “traveling with a toddler” is not the nightmare many foretold before you started traveling with him. Awesome life!
That’s incredible how many places he’s been. My girlfriend is Asian and I’m white, and we are waiting for her to become financially independent so we can travel together around the world. When we look at you guys, we see what we hope to become in a few years or so. Maybe GCC Jr. will learn how to speak Icelandic. That sure would be impressive!
Sounds like a great plan! It’s a great way to live.
I think Spanish will be his 3rd language.
I so enjoyed your post…. Cute son you have and he seems so happy traveling… brings back memories traveling with our 2 children….We mostly traveled and camped Camping trips was fun and exciting… Tents were the craze back in those days… To this day our grown children raised their children (our grandchildren all six) enjoying the life of camping…. no complaints ever… They also used tents… Here is my post on more camping my husband and I have done and enjoyed in our older years… http://creationsbyninnie.com/2016/06/the-sunsets-and-sunrises-are-beautiful/the-sunsets-and-sunrises-are-beautiful/
if you would like to read it from my blog/ web page http://creationsbyninnie.com/
Wow GCCjr is getting pretty big now! We plan to do something similar as you guys in the near future but with two kids (yes our family grew by 1 since we met in Japan last year, Mrs. T was pregnant when we saw you). We’ve been toying with the idea of going somewhere in Asia next year for a few weeks. Should be interesting with a 1 year old + a 3.5 year old. We’ll test the water this Christmas first by going to Denmark.
We certainly won’t be traveling as long as 16 months. :)
Having traveled quite extensively when I was young I totally agree that there are so many things you can learn from traveling that you can’t learn in classrooms/books.
Congrats on T2! I remember that Mrs. T was preggo in Japan.
I’m sure traveling with two will be twice as awesome.
thx for sharing. Travel ore with the kids is high on my priority list! Reading your story makes it look so easy…!
I like the idea that everything is a series of weeks…
Maybe easy isn’t the right word… babies are difficult whether you are at home or abroad, but I don’t think traveling makes it any more challenging :)
Agreed, easy might not be the right word. Lets go for doable, or possible.
Those are great tips! He is sooooo adorable! With our four kids, we traveled a lot and learned overtime to downsize in a big way. My husband preferred to carry our younger child in a camping backpack. As for schooling, there are so many homeschooling or worldschooling options to consider as your child grows that even that will become an adventure in itself. We were hesitant to travel with our oldest kid, but when the other kids came along, we didn’t want to wait any longer and then we loved traveling with them. Keep sharing your experiences with traveling with your kiddo.
Curious, in which country did GCCjr start walking?
In Taiwan. This video is at a Starbucks in Taipei.
Dunno what the magic ingredient is but I think your kid could freelance as a model. job well done!
This is great. Thanks for all the tips.
Gotta love getting some crossfit style wall ball baby throws in the pool!
He is 25 lbs now, so playtime is becoming a good workout!
You are my Inspiration! Thank you for sharing!
Any plans of slowing down in the future?
Yeah, we prefer a slower pace. But I don’t know what that looks like yet.
Hey Jeremy, I just wanted to let you know I’m enjoying your blog. We live in Panama and our daughter is in first grade here. If you get down this way, it would be great to meet up. Oh, and your next Uber is on us, I just signed up on your link.
Thanks for sharing. The photos are priceless. Very cute. I have to say I am so impressed you are doing this much traveling with a young child. When our kids were young we would have never dreamed of it. In hindsight we probably should have. Your tips are great. As the kids get older they may be easier to travel with in some ways but definitely not in others. Also for what it’s worth that clown is pretty scary looking:)
I think exposing young kids to a world view is an great idea. Our first grader in Panama goes to an International school that has kids from over 27 different countries. Some subjects are taught in Spanish and some in English. Exposing kids to the world while young would seem to build confidence and curiosity.
Love the pictures! Did you increase your hotel budget to stay at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore or did you find a way to hack that room price? :)
I think we paid $300 or $350 a night, almost as much as we paid for a whole month in Chiang Mai, Thailand!
I am trying to get my wife on board with being more FI. I just happened to slip this post to her and she loved it. We just found out we are expecting our first (took a while of trying). We aren’t FI yet, but I would love to be mini GCCs in the future. Love seeing these travel posts.
What a lucky kid. Hopefully he remembers when he grows up :)
Amazing tour guys. Even if he doesn’t remember, this blog will serve as a great reminder of his baby globetrotter experience. He is a lucky kid indeed and I am sure he will inherit your financial sense to start a GCCJr blog to talk about his 20’s retirement! I wish him well for a great future.
The first 4 years of our oldest life, we went through 27 countries. He was/is an amazing traveler. The pace is different, but I loved it. We had a 2 days of activities then 1 day off scheduled. Plus we only did 1 paid sight a day. It’s so much more relaxing than trying to fit 4 museums into every day, with or without kids. Now we have 5 little ones, and we still love traveling. We did a 6 week trip this summer in our pop up camper. They had an amazing time, as did the grownups! I actually love traveling with little kids. Their enthusiasm and excitement is contagious. Even cheesy or kitsch sights become amazing when a 3 year old is there. =)
Hi GCC team! Love your blog, such inspiration. I remember when I read your post about going to Japan with Jr and you guys felt like the stroller wasn’t very useful. Did you guys continue using it after that trip or did you use carriers until Jr. was able to walk?
Thank you Janice.
I think the usefulness of a stroller has ebbed and flowed. We used it a lot in Europe… even though Jr could walk well at that point, he couldn’t walk fast or far. And since we were out all day, it was a convenient place for him to nap.
Now that we are in Taiwan for awhile, we got him a little push tricycle (like this one.) It wouldn’t be great to travel with because it doesn’t pack well or provide a nap space, but it is good for walking around the neighborhood. But now we don’t really use the stroller much.
I think it depends a bit on the baby. We have met babies who will sit happily in the stroller forever. Jr was never one of those babies.
Your blog gives me reassurance that traveling with a toddler is possible. I am thinking of going to Makaysia for a visit. That’s a long way from US! I don’t think I can afford business class but will get seat for my 15mth old. Do you need carseat for your flight? How do you manage jetleg? Does your child has difficulty adapting to different climates in Asia?
Your insta looks like a buzzfeed article.
“This X year old has already traveled to Y countries” with super cute pictures of him. Get some press and maybe someone will hire him for $100/hr!
How do I get a viral Buzzfeed article? (things to figure out)
“For snacks, broccoli and asparagus are Jr’s absolute favorite foods.” How did you make this possible???????
Kids like what they get most exposed to. Eventually.
Great article and great point about his personality being shaped by everything he is experiencing, even if he doesn’t remember. If I may ask a somewhat unrelated question, did you give up the apartment in Taipei when you moved to Thailand and Europe, etc? Im still making my way though the blog, but Im curious.
yeah, we gave it up. No need to keep the apartment when you go into full travel mode.