19 Jul Pack Up Your Kids When You Travel
As a dad who traveled with his son (since he was three years old), and as a travel photographer, dads-to-be and new dads often ask me the following questions: “What was it like traveling with your son? Did traveling with a kid slow you down? Could you still shoot? Did he have fun? Could you still focus on photography? Did you get frustrated when you could not shoot? Was it safe? What’s your best advice for traveling with a child?
Well my friends, following are my answers to those questions. But first, in a few words, I would not have missed it for the world. My son Marco is now 23 years old and working, so we don’t travel as a family – for now. So I am very glad that my wife and I made it work for so many years.
What’s more, I always made good photographs, some of which I’ll share in the column, along with some of my favorite photographs of Marco.
Okay, here is my take on traveling with a kid.
Left: Marco at the Aviaros del Caribe Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica. Right: A sloth hanging out.
What was it like traveling with your son?
Traveling is the best education, and what better gift can you give a kid than a good education – in addition, of course, to giving your child love and a feeling of self-esteem?
My wife and I feel fortunate to have added to our son’s education by taking him to Mexico, Italy, Sicily, Barbados, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Galapagos, Brazil, Panama and Brazil – as well as to Alaska, Florida, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Texas, and several other states.
No doubt he has learned about different cultures, wildlife and environments – stuff you can’t learn by reading a book. And what fun it was to have new experiences as a family.
Left: Brazilian rainforest woman. Right: Marco playing with some monkeys at our resort, Ariau Amazon Towers, in the Brazilian rainforest.
Did traveling with a kid slow you down?
Sometimes. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Slowing down gives a photographer a chance to look at the world a bit differently – sometimes from a child’s point of view.
Left: Marco, who speaks Spanish, helps me set up a shot in Kuan Yala, Panama. Right: Young school boy by in Kuna Yala, Panama
Could you still shoot as much as you like?
Yes, with a bit a planning. My wife Susan watched over Marco when I needed to get a particular shot, or we hired someone to watch him when we were both photographing.
Marco has a close-encounter with a giraffe at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose, Texas.
Did he have fun?
Yes, just about all of the time. On a trip to a remote island in Panama, however, it so unbearably hot and humid that all of us wanted to get off the island and back into civilization – ASAP.
Left: Marco holding a lava rock in Galapagos. Right: Blue-footed booby.
Could you still focus on photography?
Yes, but I always though about my son’s feeling ¬– first and foremost.
Did you sometimes get frustrated when you could not shoot?
Yes, sometimes. But I realized that missing a shot was not, as my dad would say, the end of the world. At the end of a trip, I always had enough new pictures for my books and magazine articles.
Was it safe?
We never took Marco to an unsafe location. In addition, in planning a trip, we made sure that a good hospital was only a few hours away.
What’s your best advice for traveling with a child?
• Well in advance of a trip, explain your destination to your child – fully.
• Plan activities exclusively for your child – such as mini-golf or a swim in a pool.
• Don’t take a child anywhere he or she will not enjoy – and will have nothing to do.
• Respect the needs and wishes of your child – and know what is important to him or her.
• Be very aware of your actions, and know how they will affect your child’s impression of you . . . and what you care about.
• Don’t forget to pack your patience . . . plenty of it.
• Take family pictures. In the future, these photographs will remind your child just how much you loved him or her.
Rick, Marco and Susan Sammon in Kuna Yala, Panama.
Latest posts by Rick Sammon (see all)
- Perfecting Panoramas - April 25, 2015
- Making Images With Impact: Part 3 - March 23, 2015
- Making Images With Impact: Part Two - February 25, 2015
No Comments