Traveling with kids can be challenging but rewarding at the same time. Living the Buslife with kids adds an entirely different dimension to your travels. Some people even decide to provide homeschooling and see traveling with the bus as a great alternative to teaching children about life as compared to them being in a classroom. In today’s article, we will take a look at the aspects you need to consider when traveling with kids. We hope you will walk away filled with inspiration and new insights.
The Benefits of Traveling with Kids (for Kids)
In the first years of life especially, kids are building their worldview. This is largely an unconscious process and depends on the kids’ surroundings. The current mainstream lifestyle encourages the use of various types of technology while connecting with nature and being in the outdoors is slowly less emphasized.
In the years to come, we will see that this shift towards a more technology-focused society affects children in some bad ways. Most of us know that a child should spend their prime years exploring and adventuring as much as possible. That is exactly where the Buslife comes in! Many Buslifers decide to travel with kids to provide a different kind of perspective of life. Hence, the main benefit for Buslifer kids is that they often experience the natural world more strongly than the technological world.
Buslifers Ambassadors, Carolina and César, say the following about traveling with their daughter Lupe: “We believe that the experience of traveling contributes positively to the baby’s growth so we want to do more kilometers together. And also, as parents, we can build a strong relationship with her”.
Practical Things to Consider when Traveling with Kids
Some of the main concerns people have about traveling with kids are space, hygiene, and entertainment options. Let´s address these and more concerns.
Space
Carolina and César, like most people, have limited space, but they make it work somehow. They said, “In our case, we don’t have the chance to enlarge the bed so our daughter was sleeping between us. But we are thinking of making some changes to the bus to be more comfortable”.
Some VW buses have the bed on top, which is one of the most efficient ways to create some space.
Toilet
We often get asked about toilet options and alternatives. In a separate blog post, we’ve discussed the topic of toilets extensively. Chemical toilets, compost toilets, or buckets are some of the options at your disposal. Depending on the age of your kids, a potty might be the best option. Make sure to read our blog post fully to learn how to dispose of waste in an environmentally friendly way.
Hygiene
The immune system gets stronger by spending time outdoors, in nature, and by being in contact with others. However, you also need to make sure to get the basics right. Hand washing before eating, using antibacterial wipes, maintaining good sleeping habits, and staying hydrated are all important parts of ensuring good health.
Entertainment
“Regarding the entertainment, we tried to play as much as we can with the kids, read stories, enjoy nature, avoid as much as we can any kind of screens like laptops, cellphones.” – Carolina and César
Here are our top-4 tips for entertainment for children on the road:
- Bring along their favorite stuffed animal
- Play a game of bingo
- Get a nature kit with items such as binoculars
- Bring a coloring book
What About Homeschooling on the Road?
Some countries allow parents to do homeschooling. In the USA alone, over 2 million children are homeschooled!
As mentioned, no better way to do homeschooling while living the Buslife. This provides the child with a great dose of adventure in their early life and a unique opportunity to learn in comparison with other children.
Discipline in homeschooling is important, and establishing a routine helps with that. Depending on the age and country homeschooling requirements, we recommend setting aside two or three fixed times per day for homeschooling.
Connecting with other Children
One thing that is a little harder to do on the road is to connect with other children. It is not the same as being in school day in and day out, in which kids are constantly surrounded by other children. Finding friends to play with is an important part of a youth’s life.
To counter this issue, we recommend finding and connecting with local communities whenever you decide to stop for a few days. There are plenty of Meetup events organized, to name an example of community events.
Get in Touch with the Community
On a final note, we would like to encourage you to get in touch with the Buslifers community to exchange experiences and knowledge regarding traveling with kids. Our community travels far and wide, and some have indeed decided to travel with their kids and even do homeschooling while on the road.
If you have traveled or are planning to travel with kids, or if you have any questions, please let us know in the comments below.
