Ever since I was a young girl, I have been dreaming about traveling the world. I dreamed about rough nature, fairytale landscapes and meeting people from different cultures. I always wanted to be an explorer, a free soul, traveling the world’s farthest ends. In some way, I turned out to be a legal advisor, being able to only take 25 days off a year. But this didn’t hold me back from pursuing my dreams. I didn’t give them up. I just made them fit my life. I spent most of my free time traveling and have seen over 40 countries. At the age of 25, I became a mom. A single parent.
But I wasn’t about to give up traveling. Nowadays, I travel the world with my 5 year old daughter. I see traveling as an important part of raising my daughter. I take her to different countries during the school holidays. As a 5 year old, she has seen 18 countries. I really believe that a child is like a blank book and it is up to the parents to write the first pages.
Thanks to all the countries we have visited, she has seen how nature looks like and how other people live in different countries. Next to that, she is impressed by the high mountains, the rough seas and all the different animals she didn’t know existed. She learns that the wealth and welfare we enjoy today are not just natural achievements. This is why I am convinced that our journey forms my daughter into a thankful and open minded person.
Traveling as a single mom
Traveling with a child isn’t hard. Childeren are curious in general, so before we leave, I tell her everything I know about our next destination. I show her pictures of the landscape and I try to explain how people live their life there. She gets all excited about our next trip and even asks me a thousand questions about it I don’t even know the answer to. In order to prepare her for the long flight or drive ahead of us, I tell her exactly how long it takes to get there. I always take some games and colouring books. And usually, she also sleeps for a couple of hours.
Adventure for mother and daughter
We love traveling in an adventurous way. We hiked through the desert in Jordan, got lost in Cuba, snorkeled the corals in the Red Sea, dwelled upon the remains of the war in Bosnia, slept in a castle in England, wandered through the Albanian forests, explored the haunted chambers in underground Edinburgh, went swimming in a Slovenian Cave and strolled through Prague. I tell her, in such a way she will understand, about the sights we’re going to visit and try to make her excited about it. It works. In Petra, Jordan, I told her about the pink city that was hidden behind a gorge and we went looking for an Arabian princess in the caves. In Santiago de Cuba, she performed the beautiful song ‘Chan Chan’ with four Cuban street musicians. An awesome experience. In Stirling Castle, Scotland, she dressed up like a medieval princess and felt herself very special, all day long. Visiting an old temple by horse, is just as interesting for her as going to a theme park. She still shares these experiences with everyone, just because they were so magnificent for her.
Are we always busy capturing the sights abroad? Of course not. Children need to play and moms need to relax. Sometimes we just read a book or play a game. We go for a swim and build sand castles on the beach. We just sit in the park and watch people wandering by. We do normal things, because the journey itself is sometimes adventurous enough. And most importantly, we enjoy each other’s company.
Learn while traveling
Traveling the world doesn’t have to stop when you turn into a parent. Due to our traveling, my daughter learns and experiences a lot. She learns that you find nice people everywhere in the world, even though they are sometimes not as wealthy as we are. She experiences how grateful we should be for the little things in life, like being able to choose what to have for dinner. Every journey teaches us lessons in life. The only thing you have to do is open up yourself and your children, and the world will open up to you.
Want to read more about our travelstories?
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