Travelling can be a bit of a nuisance in itself. But travelling with children during the holiday periods takes everything to the next level. At least that used to be my experience, until I decided to take a different approach.

I usually aim to avoid travelling during children holidays, but recently that has proven to be impossible due to business trips that I couldn’t postpone. So had the joy of experiencing travelling with children … not my own, but other people’s. Lots of children … lots and lots of children … the only words that come to my mind, repeatedly, are: mamma mia!!!

Traveling With Children Might Be A Mindfulness Lesson

Mamma mia, indeed … here I go again … so I decided to turn the experience into a mindfulness lesson. Here is what I observed and the lessons I learned.

1. Children suddenly appearing from wherever you can least imagine.

It’s interesting how naturally children make the world their own, how the earth spins around their existence and how natural they are about it.

My mindfulness lesson: stay calm in the face of the unexpected and embrace it with curiosity and smile. Expect the unexpected and make it a fun game, the sort of “where will the next kid appear from next?” . Only the next kid could be whatever situation life throws at you.

2. Children are loud and tend to make their presence known through sound and volume.

They do not take being ignored personally, they just increase the volume till they receive the attention they seek.

My mindfulness lesson: just because you don’t receive the response you’re looking for immediately, it’s not a reason for giving up or feeling insulted. Be creative, be persistent and committed and results will show sooner rather than later.

3. Children can easily and naturally entertain themselves.

They find interest in the smallest of things and turn them into their whole world for a while with no expectation of the outcome.

My mindfulness lesson: being by yourself doesn’t mean being/feeling alone. There’s always something to catch your interest if you approach life with an open mind and curiosity. For example you can use your holiday time to change some of the bad habits you are dealing with. Find out more on this topic from our article How To Change Daily Bad Habits While Traveling.

4. Children find it very easy to talk to strangers and are not held back by being the fear of being judged as silly.

To the contrary, in most cases they use silliness as an ice breaker. They are comfortable with who they are.

My mindfulness lesson: self-consciousness is a barrier in interacting and communicating with others. Letting go of the fear of being judged and talking to strangers might open doors that lead to unimaginable opportunities. A chance encounter could prove to be the exact missing link you need to close a deal or find the answer you have been looking for for ages.

5. Children know how to make their needs know.

Whether they are feeling hungry or tired, they’ll definitely let everyone know and request those needs to be met. In the case that doesn’t happen, then they are very good at showing their discomfort, they pay attention to their body’s needs.

My mindfulness lesson: be mindful to what your body is telling you. Our body has an amazing way of telling us how it feels, it is up to us to pay attention and to make sure we don’t push too hard, especially when travelling. Partner with your body, don’t act against it.

Learning to travel in a mindful way, putting our well-being at the forefront is definitely a lesson that children can teach us. Is a lesson that, if and when learnt, makes a world of difference for our well-being and it also enhances our travelling experience. Besides the lessons from traveling with children, we can learn a lot about ourselves by going on solo. If you never done it before, find what might restrain you from traveling alone from our article Why Is traveling Alone a Life-Changing Experience and give it a go!

SparkYourBloom Today and Everyday!