When you think of holidays with children, do you feel excited \u2014 or does it keep you awake at night?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When our children were four and six, we locked the door of our home, put the key in our pocket, and left.
We came back one year later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I once came across a sentence that said: \u201cYou don\u2019t really go on holiday with children; parents simply end up babysitting in different places and countries.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the words children<\/em> and holiday<\/em> come together, a familiar list of worries quickly appears: illness, sleepless nights, food issues, boredom, tantrums\u2026 But what if it doesn\u2019t turn out that way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What if they don\u2019t get sick \u2014 and no matter how old they are, their horizons widen? Let\u2019s be realistic. A little grumpiness, a little joy, and a lot of new experiences. Even if you stay at home, minor tensions, small discomforts and endless games are already part of life. Now imagine knowing this in advance while travelling. How would that feel? In Australia, when my son was six, he was looking out of the car window. Before the other one could say, \u201cWhere? I didn\u2019t see them,\u201d we had already driven past. My son paused and said something I\u2019ve never forgotten: Mornings in the caravan felt the same. As we travelled, the children took responsibility. Like every journey, there were moments when we stopped and said, \u201cThis is wonderful,\u201d But now, looking at the bigger picture, this journey sits high on my list of life\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m so glad we did this\u201d<\/em> moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not just for the children \u2014 for us as adults too, it became a powerful space for connection and awareness. We lived the true meaning of connection before correction<\/em>. Australian Aboriginal culture, the underwater world of the Philippines, the Tasmanian devil, the back streets of Dubai, swimming in a lake in Canada, bays where sharks really can appear, and the endless green of Scotland \u2014 A holiday is, in many ways, a space to reconnect with ourselves and to review the bonds we\u2019ve created. Not with nature, not only with your family or the country you\u2019re in \u2014 When it comes to health, researching in advance and creating your own map has never been easier. So now, let me ask you: by Hatice \u00d6zalp<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When you think of holidays with children, do you feel excited \u2014 or does it keep you awake at night? When our children were four and six, we locked the door of our home, put the key in our pocket, and left.We came back one year later. I once came across a sentence that said: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2,10,179],"tags":[1737,1734,1739,1741,1738,1732,1731,1728,1733,1729,1740,1730,1742,1735,1736],"class_list":{"0":"post-1890","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-health","9":"category-health-beauty","10":"tag-adventure-with-kids","12":"tag-comfort-zone-growth","13":"tag-couple-connection","14":"tag-family-connection","15":"tag-family-experiences","16":"tag-family-travel","17":"tag-holistic-travel","18":"tag-long-term-travel-with-kids","19":"tag-mindful-parenting","20":"tag-parenting-and-travel","21":"tag-raising-resilient-children","22":"tag-travel-memories","23":"tag-travelling-with-children","24":"tag-world-travel-family"},"yoast_head":"\n
and the list goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What if you are finally able to enjoy being a couple again, or spending meaningful time with friends?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What if both happen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a well-known saying: \u201cIf you want to know someone, go on holiday with them.\u201d<\/em>
What if travel gives you the chance to understand each other \u2014 and your family system \u2014 more deeply?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Staying home doesn\u2019t free us from them; what matters is knowing how to respond<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing where to go if your child becomes unwell.
Having a small, personalised first-aid kit with you \u2014 whether that\u2019s fever relief, a healing cream, or a homeopathy kit (a gentle and effective first response, which I\u2019ll write more about in future pieces).
Knowing what to do in an emergency, where to go, and what you can do with children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Safer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suddenly he turned to his sibling and asked excitedly,
\u201cDid you see the kangaroos?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t see them,\u201d came the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have to look straight away. Otherwise, everything \u2014 just like life \u2014 passes by in a second.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waking up every day with the excitement of asking, \u201cWhat will I see from my window today?\u201d<\/em>
It\u2019s a feeling we\u2019ve never experienced anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each had their own small suitcase, fully their own responsibility.
Yes \u2014 even four- and six-year-olds can take ownership of their experiences when given clarity and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and others when we thought, \u201cWhat are we doing here? We could be at home, warm and comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Living as four people in a 15-square-metre caravan made us realise that even our 200-square-metre home had never truly felt big enough.
I also discovered that my husband and I knew poems by the same poet \u2014 both by heart \u2014 without ever having realised it before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because life so often keeps us stuck in correction, forgetting connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
these places remain vivid and real in our children\u2019s memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you step physically outside your comfort zone, your mind and soul eventually follow.
And that is when real connection begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but with yourself<\/strong>.
The most valuable connection of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not saying everyone should pack up their children and hit the road.
But in a way that suits your life, it is always possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you were to do one thing differently \u2014 what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n