A How to Guide on Traveling with Children. (Details on Moroccan Road Trip)
Road Trip- Our Three Week African Adventure
The World is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.” Saint Augustine
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
Through travelling, I can expand my mind, open my heart and escape. I love to see how people live and learn their way of life. There is immense diversity in outward appearances and inadvertently similarities in our hearts. Traveling gives me the ultimate human experience, to go beyond my comfort zone and daily norms. It is refreshing to break out of my daily regimen and reflect. It also serves as a reminder to appreciate the life that I have and not worry about the small stuff. When I became a parent, I started to go on a lot of beach vacations. I love the calming effect of water and swimming freely, but I wanted more. I missed indulging in the history of people and their contributions to the world. I wanted to provide my children with the experiences and knowledge that I learned through traveling. After a lot of thought, I planned a trip Morocco in Northern Africa.
I choose Morocco because of its rich history, beauty, distance, safety and food. My children were young when we went to Morocco. My son was four and my daughter was two, a long flight was not an option for me. The flight from New York to Casablanca was approximately six hours and forty-five minutes. The choice was clear when I saw there was an early morning flight, I did not want to take a night flight with my children. To be an attentive, patient mother I need to sleep, and I did not want to risk my children losing a good night’s sleep. Especially since we were traveling internationally, I wanted their immunity to be intact. Morning flights are great, because my children’s nap time coincides with our flight, and they sleep on the airplane.
Why a Road Trip?
It takes a lot of planning to travel with children, months before the actual vacation. I wanted the preparation time to be worth it and to truly indulge in Morocco. My husband I, opted to spend three weeks on a well-planned road trip throughout the country. My husband has an incredible sense of direction and great driving skills. He has done road trips before throughout Europe and Asia. Driving throughout the country provided us with the independence we needed with young children. I wanted to create my own schedule, rather than wake my children up for an early morning tour that ended late. I knew I would not be able to see multiple sites in one day because it would be overwhelming for them. I also wanted to travel off the beaten path and drive through small villages.
Below are some tips that made our trip smooth and successful. These tips can be used for any vacation with little ones. Links will be provided for all products mentioned at the bottom of the page.
Traveling Necessities:
*Airplanes are notorious for being flying petri dishes. Before sitting I used some anti- bacterial wipes, to wipe down our seat, arm rest, tray table, and seat belt. I also used the wipes, when we went to restaurants to clean the tables and chairs. I frequently wiped their hands throughout trip when washing was unavailable.
Antibacterial Wipes: https://amzn.to/2rlZBwh
*On the plane ride, I packed a “busy bag,” which consisted of crayons, markers, stickers, mini coloring books and a couple of cars.
*I bought two portable DVD players that we used on the plane rides and throughout our road trip. Some of our drives were long and it was helpful in keeping my kids occupied when it wasn’t so scenic. I purchased a lot of educational DVD’s which eased the guilt of giving them screen time.
DVD Player for kids: https://amzn.to/2JUtNWh
*I had two older models of iPhone’s which I used to download games for my son and daughter. Peppa Pig and some car racing games, came in handy throughout the drives. I also downloaded episodes from Netflix of their favorite shows, when I did not carry the DVD players, or they were not charged.
*I purchased small toys, that I gave to my children, every time we were travelled to a different destination. The newness of the toy was very exciting for them and kept their imaginations busy. My son received miniature Thomas and friend’s trains. My daughter received small Peppa Pig figurines and miniature dolls. My children love to play with their toys at home, so I provided them with these travel toys. (When we got back home, I took these toys away and used them in two subsequent vacations. They forgot these toys existed and it was like new, each time they saw them).
*I purchased an extra light, double umbrella stroller. The stroller was great for travelling, it closed easily and provided enough space to hold our baby bag. It did not take up a lot of space in our vehicle. Most of the hotels kept our stroller at the front desk as a courtesy, which gave us more space in our room and easy to grab when leaving.
Food / Miscellaneous Tips:
*I gave my son Emergen- C for kids and my daughter Culturelle Probiotics for Kids, daily. This really helped ward off any viruses. Before trying this, I spent two vacations, trying to find a doctor for my son who had gotten sick.
Emergen- C -https://amzn.to/2HPLR7d
Probiotics-https://amzn.to/2KDNKBS
*My kids and I drank bottled water, my husband opted to take his chances by drinking local water and he was fine. I would not recommend this, he rarely gets sick. We did drink Moroccan mint tea a lot despite not being made with bottled water. The water was boiled which killed all the microorganisms, like bacteria. We did not eat salads or fruit we did not peel ourselves to avoid any trouble.
* I packed “American snacks,” that my children were used too because the same foods can taste different in another country. I bought small bags because it was to keep in the baby bag and I could allocate the amount of servings depending on the length of the car ride. I also purchased snacks, for my children to give to Moroccan children, it was part of the learning process of interacting and sharing with people of different cultures. I packed juices for my children, but the grocery store had great alternatives when I ran out.
*There is a time difference in Morocco, I knew it would take a few days for my children’s body to normalize. For this reason, I only booked hotel rooms with mini refrigerators, where I could keep milk. I bought cereals my children were used too because we often woke up after breakfast. This is also helpful at night when all of the restaurants are closed, and they were hungry. I packed a small plastic bowl with a lid and reusable spoons. I purchased a small sponge and dish washing liquid at a local grocery store. My children are really picky eaters, so familiarity is important them.
The Actual Road Trip
When we arrived in Morocco, there was a glitch in our GPS, so we had to use an old school map. The people are very friendly and were willing to help us find our way. There is a language barrier which made it hard to communicate but somehow through the use of sign language and some words we learned along the way, we did not get lost. All signs are written in Arabic and English. There are signs everywhere, which makes it easier to navigate throughout the country. The highways and roads are well taken care of. The hardest part for me was the roundabouts, in the absence of a stop sign or traffic lights. Traffic flowed generally in one direction, but I was so nervous about who would go next. However my husband the driver, did not suffer such anxiety. Some of the Riads or old traditional Moroccan homes, were inside the souq or market. Initially this was confusing as we kept driving around looking for a hotel. We had to park our cars and take our luggage into the souq. Having my husband drive was the perfect solution for all of us.
Safety:
During our road trip we did not travel to a new destination during the night to avoid any potential danger or getting lost in a foreign country. We did drive at night when we stayed in a city for dinner and checking out the night scene. When you park in Morocco, a fee is paid to a person which is similar to a money meter. This person watches your car and ensures it is safe. We were able to leave our luggage in the car, while site seeing or eating.
* I felt safe in Morocco, in Rabat I walked through the souq alone to go carpet shopping. Men did not hassle me while walking or shopping. I did not blend in, even though I wore hijab. The locals could tell I was American.
I lost one of my earrings while staying at a Riad in Rabat and the cleaning lady, brought it to me and put it back in my ears. I did not even realize it was missing. Most of the time, I was with my husband and children.
This vacation was incredible for so many reasons. I value, the amount of time I got to be present and with my family. I asked for everyone’s input when planning this trip. We all have our favorite memory, though time may fade the sharpness of the moment. This trip, lives on in the way we view the world and interact with others. It has altered and shaped our minds. The most important thing when planning a road trip is balance. I was mindful of having time to rest, relax, rejuvenate and really enjoy the trip. I choose cities based on our interest and left things out that we did not value. We could not do everything because it was too much for our children, but I made that sacrifice when I became a parent. Despite all the planning and organization, there was still an innumerable amounts of, “ Are we there yet?”
Links:
Stroller-https://amzn.to/2JWN75o
Cheaper alternative, I purchased for another trip:
https://amzn.to/2KC8VEp
