Mixed Family Travels

He’s black, I’m brown,and we love to travel. But having two babies in less than two and half years has kind of put a damper on our exotic expeditions. We did manage to take Alina across country a couple times, and look forward to Sebastian’s first flight soon too. As parents to biracial/bicultural babies, Daddy D and I are committed to family travel as means of education and reinforcing our value system.

Mixed Family Travel Etiquette

If you are a traveling family, you are aware of travel etiquette. You have to be. Traveling with small kids is not easy, and although the exposure to culture and excitement is worth it, most adults making the effort to take along the babies, versus leaving them at home, adhere to proper etiquette. Especially in the airport, where cattle calls and long lines do not make a small-child toting parent’s life very easy. There is a ton of gear, toys and food, steps to ensure comfort and many other factors a family traveler must consider. Traveling with baby is not easy! After an experience traveling with Alina alone, I wrote this post on travel tips for single parents.

However, adhering to proper airport etiquette does not just apply to the family traveler; you should show consideration to those around you even if you are a single traveler, honeymooners or a group of wild ‘n out chicas ready for a Vegas weekend. The airport and air travel brings together many types of people, all focused on their particular itineraries, and with the increase of families taking the kids along to explore the world, proper etiquette and consideration should be extended to those of us with kids, too.

My Top 5 Family Travel Pet Peeves

1. Stop rushing me! Yes, traveling families have a ton of stuff. I may have a baby wrapped across my chest, which makes me move slower. My toddler is likely asking a million and two questions. We realize all this may be annoying to you. But does that give you the right to stand on my heels? Rushing a traveling parent isn’t going to make them move any faster. I got to the airport with plenty of time to make my flight. Apparently, you did not.

2. Babies cry. Adults should not. A traveling parent does not need to hear your huffing and puffing. In fact, making it obvious that you are bothered by their children will likely only stress the situation even more. I have never gotten on a flight with my kids and thought, “wow, wouldn’t it be awesome if they cried the entire flight?!” Leave your dirty looks for people that deserve them.

3. Respect the shared spaces. Just because we share a destination, doesn’t mean we have similar itineraries. Maybe you have to sleep on the flight, or get work done. I wouldn’t be rude and let my kid hang from seat backs; likewise, not everyone in this club is gettin’ tipsy. Especially poignant because I live in Las Vegas {and ya’ll can get pretty dang rowdy}, respect the shared spaces and keep your antics for appropriate venues. In addition, unless you want my voice-recording toddler to cuss you out, please refrain from dropping that 500th F-bomb within her earshot.

4. Traveling with kids is fun, too. Maybe it’s just me, but it irks me when we’re asked why we have to bring the kids along. “You guys need time alone”. While that very well may be true, the fact that we choose to take our kids on travels that will impact their identities and views of the world is very important to us. I consider it admirable. I would love for someone to applaud us for our efforts as parents, as opposed to pointing out what we lack as a couple. D and I traveled solo and together before we became parents; we are excited to now travel as a family of four.

5. We’re mixed. And we’re traveling. Traveling while brown can present its own set of challenges, but traveling while different shades of brown brings about a unique experience as well. Not that it would ever stop us from going where we want, but bigotry and family travel is definitely a combo that gives me pause. Daddy D says they stare because we’re beautiful. But I think he says that so I hold his hand a little tighter.

Whatever his reason, I have to agree; this traveling brown girl is happiest when traveling with my beautiful brown family.