Do you ever have that moment when you’re settling back into life following a trip abroad and then think to yourself, “Nope, I don’t want want to do this anymore” and spontaneously book another trip abroad that leaves 72 hours later? Yeah, me neither….
Just kidding. Of course I think that way. Especially when I have days off that have to be used up or I lose them, never to be spent again on a trip around the world. When planned right, 6 days off means 11 days of vacation. A very exciting prospect. And even more exciting when it happens to be my first backpacking trip with my daughter. At only 4 years old she was about to start learning how to live out of a backpack abroad.
Up to this point I’ve been super hesitant to take M on any backpacking trips alone. It was a daunting thought trying to formulate a plan in my head on how to navigate new, unknown terrain with both of our things while trying to reign in an energetic young child who still needs to be told multiple times a day to not to touch everything in sight and “come here” when she’s asked. But, the good thing was, I had someone who was keen to start these adventures with us. Having recently run around Colombia trying to learn Spanish, A was keen on continuing his pursuit of this goal by heading off to another country. Although this time he wanted to fully immerse himself in the culture with Spanish classes and a homestay. And I was keen to tag along.
After a bit of research, we decided on Guatemala. Although I’ve been there before, A and M hadn’t yet had the chance to earn that passport stamp. And considering M’s a quarter Guatemalan, it seemed like an amazing opportunity to take her one of the countries she has roots in. So, 72 hours later, we were on a plane bound for Guatemala, via Mexico. I’ll save the rest of the stories for later, but for all of you out there wondering if it’s worth it to travel with a toddler or young child… YES. YES IT IS. Don’t think twice about it and just go. Sure it’s tough and it requires slight adjustments, but it’s also totally possible and an absolutely incredible experience to show kids the world when they’re young. And as a parent, watching kids, who don’t speak the same language, play together effortlessly while laughing their heads off with a huge grin on their face… it’s amazing. You see how universal play is, and they discover just how similar everyone around the world is. To see their shocked faces when they discover that kids in other countries drink coffee, or that these amazing little things called “tuk tuks” exist, or see them eat foods you never ever thought they’d eat just because they see another kid doing it… well, it’s just something you can’t put a price on.
And we were still able to do almost everything we wanted to do too! Sure, we may have moved at a slower pace, and made more stops for ice cream than we may have done otherwise, but we still hung out in hostels, climbed volcanos, jumped around from place to place and explored little towns, and got a little down time to ourselves during naps.
So, as much as I was enjoying writing about Colombia and the crazy experiences I had there, I’m now going to have to sort through the memories of all 3 countries (because yes, we also made a pit stop into Mexico). But the good thing is, I love writing about my travels and sharing my experiences, tips, and hidden gems. But for now, I just have to say…
“You’re not always going to have the perfect situation, but it’s always the perfect time to drop everything and just go. They’re only little for so long.”
Teryn Warnke 
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