What’s the right age to take the tots travelling?

What happens when modern nomads have kids? Do they stop travelling or do they take the wee ones with them? Is this wise or foolish- and will the small child benefit from such things or just ruin your trip?

No matter what moral stance one takes in the matter, traveling with young children is a drain on you and let’s be honest, everyone else that’s sharing the plane to wherever it is you’re going. The US Department of Commerce’s Office of Travel and Tourism Industries counts that among outbound passengers from the US, 8% have at least one wee bairn in tow.

It seems that whatever popular opinion or the know-it-all neighbours may say, people are travelling with kids regardless. There is even a company in the US now calling itself ‘Ciao Bambino’, which organizes family based holidays in France and Italy. They also offer online advice for planning family trips.

Who better to ask about the subject than someone intimately connected to one of the most well-known and widely read travel guides in the world.

Lonely Planet co-founder Maureen Wheeler says to wait until, “…they’re out of diapers, when they can eat food, when they can talk. If you’re planning once-in-a-lifetime trips then maybe you don’t start traveling with your children until the age of 7 to 10. I started traveling with my children when they were babies and that’s just stupid. It was exhausting.”

www.lonelyplanet.com