Going on vacation will never be the same again once kids are in the equation, but one woman is determined not to put the brakes on her travel plans now that she is a mom.
Travel enthusiast Christina Haisfield from South Carolina posted 10 reminders on an Instagram reel and encouraged other fellow parents not to wait until their kids are older.
Haisfield, who is known as @jetsetchristina on Instagram, told Newsweek that there is a common misconception that babies won’t remember their time on a family vacation as they are so young, but the mom of two challenges this notion.
@jetsetchristina
“I think that’s like not reading to a child because they won’t remember the book. They will feel it and you will experience it with them. It will shape their world and expand their horizons,” Haisfield said.
The reel, which has been viewed almost 2 million times, featured snippets of their vacations as a family. Haisfield, husband Kenny and their two children can be seen wandering through rainforests, kayaking in crystal-blue waters, and relaxing on sun loungers as they travel the world together.
“So many people think that, once you have kids, you won’t be able to travel, and I wanted to show people that having kids is a reason to travel, not a reason to stop,” Haisfield told Newsweek.
Her Instagram account and travel blog, Jetset Christina, have allowed Haisfield to share her tips so other parents can see how they make traveling with young kids easier.
“I’ve been able to encourage other moms and dads to face the fear of traveling with kids and go make their own family memories, which makes me so happy,” Haisfield said.
Haisfield added that quality time is spent with her family while making memories abroad: “I’m a working mom, so, during the week-stroke-workday, I don’t see my babies, or my husband, as much as I would like. But, when we’re traveling, we get that quality, no-distractions time to disconnect together in paradise, and it’s so important.”
In the viral clip, Haisfield listed 10 reminders that some parents may not be aware of when traveling with children. Namely, how most places are baby-friendly.
“In Portugal, for example, every local rushed us to the front of EVERY line (from customs to rental car lines, to stores to Starbucks) because we had a baby,” she wrote in the caption.
Thousands of other Instagram users engaged with the reel, with some commenting that they found it refreshing.
“This is so encouraging, our baby is almost 5 months old and we are talking about an international trip next year! Even more excited after seeing this,” one user wrote.
“So inspiring to see other people who manage to combine travel and baby. We’re awaiting our little gal in October and have plans to travel to Cali and get a campervan for a few weeks,” posted another.
Haisfield said that her post had a positive reaction because the narrative around parenting can be seen as limiting or restrictive when your baby arrives.
“People see my take as refreshing because they are so used to seeing negativity when it comes to parenting small children, and how hard it is; how tired you’ll be and how your life is over once you have kids,” Haisfield added.
“They need someone to show them just how wonderful it is to have children, and to see the world with them,” she said.
