Motherhood can be a very rewarding experience. I know because I'm one. Most people think that mothers don't travel. I get why they assumed so. Before I became a mother, I used to visit at least one new country in 2 to 3 months. Every year, I visit at least 5 new countries. Of course, this was possible because I don't have to worry about a child. In fact, there are some days I don't even have to plan my travels. I just woke up and decided that I need to visit a new city. Indeed, there is so much freedom to travel as you want when you don't have another human being depending so much on you.

Most women worry that once they become a mother, they will not be able to travel as much as they would like or used to. You are probably worried that you don't have time to take care of a baby and plan your trip. In recent years, women have to work a lot. But that it is not the only thing we do. We take care of homes, we shop, we cook, we clean, and most importantly, we care for our babies. It's no easy task keeping another human being alive and thriving. The process is so uniquely complicated and fraught with unforeseen circumstances. There is barely enough time left to take care of ourselves. For some mothers, traveling at this stage is almost unthinkable.

Why As A Mother Is Difficult To Travel?

In our group meeting last year, I asked other mothers with me when they traveled last. The answer I got shocked me. Only 3 out of 21 mothers present have traveled in the past 2 years. About five mothers have not traveled to any other country since they became mother last 8 years. This got me thinking. Mothers are missing out on the huge benefits that come from traveling.

Perhaps, some of the reasons below can explain why some modern mothers are not traveling enough:

• Lack of Finance
• Time-Consuming Jobs
• Too Much Anxiety

Traveling cost money. Last year, I visited Mexico - a somewhat affordable country. But even that ate deep into my pocket since I was paying for two persons: myself and my baby. This is one reason why most mothers choose not to travel because they fear to go broke from paying too much on their travels. In fact, mothers are taking up more jobs in order to make ends meet.

More mothers are working today compared to the 1980s or thereabout. As a mom, your employer is very unlikely to give you another vacation break after coming back from months of maternity leave. Take the United States for an example, an average mom works from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is barely enough time left to plan and prepare for travels. Some choose just to forgo traveling all together than doing it without adequate preparation. An average working-class mother wants to get to the peak of her career, this means taking less vacation and put in more time at work.

Moreover, the number of single moms are on the rise. It becomes even more difficult to fulfill your dream of traveling when you are a single mom with a full-time job. However, it is not impossible. With adequate planning, you can make your dream of traveling come true.

Children are very unpredictable. A perfectly healthy baby may get sick on a plane. On one of my travels when I had a 1-year old baby, she got so sick on our flight from Mexico to Texas that a flight attendant had to make a separate seat for us. Of course, it was very embarrassing and this is one major reason why most mothers are afraid to travel.

It can be very embarrassing to have your child crying throughout a 6-hour flight. Moreover, mothers fear that their child can get sick when they are abroad. You don't have to give up traveling because you are afraid that your child may get sick or embarrass you. With adequate planning, you can have everything under control. You can make an arrangement with your doctor to recommend another doctor in the city you are traveling to. Additionally, airlines usually have a seat for nursing mothers and mothers with infants. Talk to the airline before you book your flight to see if they can make a special arrangement for you.

There is no doubt that traveling as a mother can be very challenging. But being a mother is not an excuse to give up on what you use to enjoy. I was able to travel more as a mother because I have a reliable travel agency that always help me with visa, hotel bookings, and even tour packages. With a good travel agency by your side, half of your problems will be solved for you. Next time you want to travel, make research and choose an agency that will make a special arrangement for you as a mother who wants to travel.