Thankfully, in Arab culture, much of the load of traveling with kids is lifted. I have never been among more gracious people, even on a late night flight with crying babies.
In Jordanian culture, we have seen that people, all people, love kids. I mean, everyone from 6-year-old girls, to teenage boys, to old men and women, make an effort to show you how happy they are to have your kids around. My son’s cheeks have never seen so many affectionate squeezes as they have living and traveling in the Middle East. Granted, our son doesn’t always appreciate the attention as much as we do, but he makes out OK. We don’t give him much sugar at home, mostly because we know he will have plenty of opportunities to eat it when we are out and around the local people.
So whether we are on an airplane, a bus, at a hotel or resort, we never have to worry about getting annoyed glances when our kids are acting a little crazy. Instead, in our experience, the Arab people have been the most gracious, helpful, and loving people toward our kids outside of family.
I am lucky to live in a place where my kids are welcome. I am thankful that I can travel and see this part of the world with a little less stress when my kids are along for the ride.
I look forward to some upcoming trips in the region with our two young kids. We’ll keep you posted on how they go.
But for now, we’d love to know, what are your experiences traveling with kids?
