Traveling with my Daughter
Although I have a son too, much of my recent travel has been with my daughter. Recently my son’s summers and holidays are no longer conducive to the timing of our family trips, as he is now married and has a three year old and a new baby. But it’s just a matter of time before he and his family will be able to join us on our adventures once again!
So for now, it’s me and my daughter Janine off to see the world.
Even as a little girl Janine was always an outgoing and lively character. Even my neighbors knew that when Janine came home for her college breaks, our house would come alive with music, singing show tunes, dancing, and old high school friends.
Being very talkative and animated; Janine can run her mouth on just about any subject. She’s also humorous, quick witted, and opinionated. You could described her as a deep thinker, culturally aware, and best of all, she’s an excellent travel companion.
Now don’t get me wrong, she can sometimes, be a drama queen and drive me crazy. But I just roll my eyes and keep it moving.
Not to say she doesn’t have to deal with my drama, for example, me not wanting to climb up the stairs of the Great Wall of China. I really thought the Great Wall had one set of steps; (but I guess I didn’t do my research), as this wall was like a spider web of stairs and forts, going up, down and up again — what seemed like for miles. I really see why it’s one of the wonders of the world. It was beautiful, but not for me to be walking up and then down all of those stairs.
A Foodie in the House
My daughter is, what some might call a “foodie”. But she’s not a foodie in the sense that she seeks out the best restaurants, shops, and markets during her travels.
Janine is a foodie similar to Anthony Bourdain. She would try almost anything at least once. Frog legs, crickets, octopus tentacles, etc. I’m not as adventurous as she is with exotic foods, but I do enjoy eating vicariously through her.
At the age of 15 my daughter spent her 11th grade year of high school in Thailand as a foreign exchange student.
She lived with a Thai host family, attended a Thai all-girls high school, and had a life-changing year abroad.
That single year in Thailand definitely influenced the trajectory of her now 29-year-old life.
So, now that you have a better idea of who my daughter is, let’s get into how we’ve been able to have fun and successful mother daughter trips together through the years.
Communication is Key
Whenever we have that craving to get on a plane and see a foreign land, one of the most important steps to the planning process is communication, collaboration and flexibility.
Communication is so important to understand where you want to go and why.
Really understanding what you both want to get out of this experience, and most of all have fun, live your best life, try new things, and have an open mind.
Collaborate with each other
Collaborate on the planned activities and excursions will help you both find a balance, where you both will feel like this trip has fulfilled your expectations.
Collaborating and compromising go hand in hand when being a good travel companion.
Using the previously mentioned mother daughter scenario, through collaboration and compromising you might opt to take a few days when your daughter creates the itinerary, but also you may want to have a beach day, a spa or yoga-meditation day for both of you to unwind and unplug.
Both Mother and Daughter Must be Flexible
Another important factor with mother daughter travelling is flexibility. Being able to roll with the punches is an amazing skill to have when traveling no matter with you’re alone, with your partner, child, or a large group. It’s all a major part of your adventure.
Things often can and will go wrong, you just must be prepared and willing to adjust accordingly.
Here are a few examples:
- The restaurant you arrived at for dinner decided to close earlier than the hours on their website.
- You ask for a hot dog & fries and the waiter brings you 10 sliced hot dogs with no bun and potatoe chips
- Your flight got delayed due to weather, so you miss your flight, now must sleep in the airport.
- You start to have some sort of allergic reaction and you break out in itchy hives.
- What would you do in these situations? What is your back up plan B?
- When you travel, you must expect the unexpected — it’s all part of the adventure.
With these tips of communication, collaboration, and flexibility, you should be able to plan a successful and enjoyable trip with your daughter.
Now there still may be some disagreements and some unwarranted attitude along the way but remember…collaboration is the key. If everyone is having fun and enjoying themselves, this generally indicates a successful trip that was planned with careful planning, open communication, you will come away with a memorable mother daughter adventure.
Our Top Favorite Mother – Daughter Destinations & Experiences (thus Far)
Cuba– Relatively safe. Now although we went a few years ago. We loved Cuba, it came alive at night, listening to great street music, dancing, art and strolling the city, being among the local Cubans.
Thailand– Night markets, floating markets, great shopping, Thai foot massages right on the street.
Morocco – For some real mother daughter bonding – Moroccan Hammam bath and spa, camel ride into the desert to your camp site to spend the night in the Sahara desert
Portugal – Trolley rides through the city, visiting the Lisbon castles, traditional pastries at the market
New Orleans – Great food, live music, eating in the market, spooky ghost tours, great entertainment
Tanzania – Stone Town, Ramadan, Prison Island, Old Slave Market
Hammam Bath – Les Bains d’Oriente – Marrakesh, Morocco,
Nepal – Delicious momos, beautiful temples, stupas, vibrant city life
Vietnam – Great food, inexpensive, beautiful landscape, rich history, loved the locals
Ghana – Rich history for Black Americans, great hospitality, Vibrant culture
Salvador Bahia Brazil – Afro Brazilians, lively music, drumming & dancing – Click here for a brief glimpse of our mother-daughter fiasco in Brazil
Kathmandu Nepal – Great food, unique small shops, cool temperatures, monkeys everywhere
When I had to move to Vietnam for work, I was able to bring my Janine along. No one could have prepared me for the mother-daughter experiences, crazy times and lifelong memories that we had traveling together and living our best life.
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