how do u have rhythm while traveling a lot?

[dalia]

sorry gonna give a little back story here.. before he met/married me, dh traveled a ton. after we married he traveled a little less and after ds a lot less. I have been on a campaign for another baby, and reluctant dh mentioned the other day that with another dc it will be even less opportunity for the travel that he loves so dearly. I want to give this back to him, but I also know how important rhythm is for children. how do we have rhythm in our lives when time zones are changing and we're on the go visiting family/friends all the time? we are on a trip right now and ds, who is one, suddenly has a schedule that is all over the place! advice/wisdom?

[boatbaby]

I am a big believer that travel and kids are not mutually exclusive. Kids naturally center you and I think make the travel a rciher experience.

You won't have a tradition Waldorf "Wash on Wednesdays" rhythm, but you'll find rhythms and traditions that are meaningful for your family and your lifestyle. Maybe it's the stories you tell at bedtime. Maybe it's giving thanks at meal times. Maybe it's collecting bits of nature everywhere you go. Journaling with your kids.

Best of luck to you!

[tallulahma]

we travelled a lot over the summer- actually it was about 3 months of traveling.

there were parts- mostly when we were in other peoples homes- when our rhythm was GONE. that was hard. You really cannot have a lot of comforting rhythm when there are children that are raised differently in the same house. ime- my kids just wanted to do what they saw the other kids doing. it led to LOTS of frustration in all of us.

now, staying in hotel rooms, that was easy for us. We had a candle we lit at bedtime, we made breakfast a ritual that mostly stayed the same everyday, we had circle time everyday, nature walks, we had laundromat day, farmers market day, etc.

when we were driving, we found our own rhythms- like we only drove the long boring stretches at nap and bedtimes, stopped to let them play, watched for signs that they were needing a few days of NO car travel, brought lots of books, coloring supplies (we also used movies), etc

we would think nothing of traveling again. 3 months was a little too long. we were all craving comforts of HOME... but anything under a month is doable. you just have to slow down and be prepared to have schedules blown to pieces.

[lyrebird]

I agree it depends on whether you’re visiting relatives or staying in own accommodation. Relatives can be tricky but it’s not impossible to organize outings around a basic rhythm. We recently travelled with a 10 month old and 4 year old. We had to try to give bub morning and afternoon sleeps, which most rellies understood, so we worked around having late morning/lunch dates. In hindsight we could have built more rhythm into the time away – afternoon walks/parks after the afternoon nap was something we tried to do but didn’t always work out. Not overfilling the diary – it was a bit frustrating because we would like to have seen more people, it is hard to strike a good balance. I think one is much more tuned in to how the children are when travelling – you just have to watch them for signs of overstimulation and travel/visiting fatigue and give the antidote – usually a quiet day when they can just play. I noticed in the four year old that he missed just playing by himself.
Little things surrounding wake up/meal /wash and bed times can often remain quite constant. Even on long haul flights – changing into pyjamas for night time, story and prayer.

[zoebird]

before taking a trip, i create a 'travel rhythm.'

for example, i'm planning a trip over christmas--two weeks, with 2-4 hr drives each day between different sleeping spots. as we are staying in hostels, we will be using kitchens and making breakfast and dinner (hot meals) and packing lunches and snacks (cold meals).

i've designed it so our days go like this:

Dh rises and bathes, then heads to the kitchen to get breakfast started. I get DS and myself ready for the day (we bathe at night), and my aunt also gets ready. I pack our things and put them in the car, then we have breafast with DH. we clean up breakfast. this should be finished by 9.

we check out of the hostel, then go on a hike or adventure in our location. these have been designed to last about 2 hours at most, so we're back at the car by 11. we have a snack while on the trail, where we will do circle time, hand games, songs, and snack.

we'll drive an hour or so to our lunch spot (12/12:30) we'll have a picnic lunch in a beautiful setting. we can then explore this spot after lunch for about 2 more hours if we wish, and will do a story time then using origami critters. then, we get into the car again (2:30/3) and head to our next sleeping spot. We should arrive there around 4. DS will likely nap either being carried after lunch, or while in the car on the drive.

we arrive at our destination, and take our things in. we will then have our snack time, and some quiet/private time. DH and my aunt will be able to have some quiet time, check emails, go for a walk near the hostel, read, journal, or whatever. DS and I will get showered and get into PJs. Dh and Da will field DS while i cook dinner, and we'll have dinner around 6 or 7.

some of the places have evening events--star gazing or special night-time hikes. I will likely do these with my aunt, and if my son isn't down by 9 (he usually is by 8), then he will come with (in the wrap), and if he is down, my husband will stay with him.

then, repeat the next day.

we are going to keep to basics of our rhythms: our song and blessing on meals, the candle ritual before bedtime, story time and circle time. we'll be taking a few small toys for DS, and we'll be picking up items as we go (rocks and such). we'll have christmas in the fjordlands. the cleaning schedule is still present by packing the car, cleaning up dishes, and the like, as per usual, and i thought i would bathe in the evenings because it's two baths while DH and DA get ready in the AM.

when i would visit family, i would send forward the rhythms of what we do, and we sort of impose on everyone in this way. LOL we went to dinner at a friend's, and we asked if we could do the blessing that we normally do before meals, and then the candle song/lighting to settle him down for bed. literally, everyone sang with us, and we all sat in the candle light and talked quietly while DS passed right out. it was 9 rather than 8, but it worked.

so, we tend just to do what we need to do, and in so far as is possible, i try to make itravel fit in with it. all trips take FAR more planning, but it's worth it because we tend to have a more amazing time.

[lyrebird]

Originally Posted by zoebird

all trips take FAR more planning, but it's worth it because we tend to have a more amazing time.

I think this is quite a good point - why do we travel? to have a good time, enjoy seeing the world/people, etc., and if a good rhythm is in place then it will be a far richer experience. Perhaps not the sort of experience one might have if one wasn't travelling with kids - a bit slower, perhaps a little frustrating at times when we don't see as much as we'd like or as many people as we'd like, but a lot can be got out of travelling to a different place by living in the moment there.

[dalia]

thanks so much to everyone. this is exactly what I needed. such good advice! especially the planning thing. we are going to definitely do that! so glad I now know we can have our cake and eat it too!