Brigitte Barta - Travel with Children

When I wrote the first edition of Travel With Children, Tashi and Kieran (our children) were four and two years old and we had just moved to California to set up the Lonely Planet office.

Although they were very young, they were already veteran travellers. At eight months Tashi had her first taste of life as a Lonely Planet baby, updating our Southeast Asia book. When Kieran was three months we all went to Indonesia, and later that same year to India, Nepal (including a trek) and Sri Lanka.

Travelling was what Tony and I did, and it seemed completely natural to us that when the babies came they would travel with us. Of course, other people thought we were mad, and there were times when I would have agreed. It wasnt always easy; we travelled by public transport or drove ourselves. We stayed in pleasant, family-run places which had local facilities, but not much in the way of the normal amenities families in Australia or other Western developed countries took for granted. When we finally took the children to Europe, Tashi found it hard to believe that she could drink water from the tap in every country we visited.

The children learned a lot Kieran, aged five, when asked to do a show and tell of his trip to Egypt, insisted that the Sphinx had a moustache. When his teacher gently suggested it was a beard, Kieran asked him had he been there? The result was that an entire class went through primary school convinced that the Sphinx had a moustache, because, after all, Kieran had been there and seen it with his own eyes.

When Tashi was three we were updating the Sri Lanka book and Tony took her with him when he went to check out some hotels. In one of them, the owner, recognising Tony from an earlier trip, offered them some tea. They chatted for a while and then Tony got up to leave. Tashi tugged on his arm and said, Daddy, arent we going to check the toilets?

Years later, when Tashi was 13, we decided to spend a week at a beach resort with family friends. After a few days, Tashi came to me and asked, So, we stay here, we dont go from place to place, we go to the same beach every day we just hang out? I replied, Yes, thats it. So is this what you call a holiday? she asked and I realised that although we had travelled all her life, this was indeed her first holiday.

People always assume that it must have been a wonderful childhood, constantly travelling, seeing new places and encountering so many different people and cultures, and it was, but of course it wasnt always easy. Our children were often a curiosity to local people, and they would find a place they loved, but we never stayed more than a few days. Kieran, even at three months, knew he would rather be home; Tashi loved being on the road. However, travel is woven into the fabric of their lives and both of them cant imagine a future without plans to travel. Kieran spent eight months travelling in Southeast Asia and has since visited India and Europe, and Tashi lived in London for three years and travels whenever she can get the time and money together.

MAUREEN AND TONY WHEELER WITH THEIR CHILDREN, TASHI AND KIERAN

TONY WHEELER | LONELY PLANET IMAGES

As parents we want to give our children so much, not just material things, but memories and experiences that will help them navigate the rest of their lives. Travelling with your children opens up the world to them and gives you the chance to see it again through fresh eyes, and despite the inevitable anxious moments and the sheer hard work involved, I would do it all again.

Maureen Wheeler