Episode 24: How to travel the world with kids. Two surfers, two kids, six continents surfed. Interview with the Dennings

Episode Description

Have you ever travelled abroad with your little ones? Long airplane rides, no sleep, missed connections, stuffing gear like surfboard bags diaper bags and strollers into taxis or shuttles? Yes, it is not for the faint of heart. But it certainly can be an incredible bonding experience for a family and set children up for life with a knowledge of new cultures and ways of living. This week’s guests, who have traveled to not one, not two, but every continent other than Antartica to find surf, in one year, with their two and four year old little ones in tow,are going to tell our listeners why traveling with little one’s isn’t as daunting as one would think, and how now that they’ve gotten used to it, they seek more and more adventures abroad.

The beauty of interviewing amazing mamas and in today’s episode, amazing mamas AND papas, is hearing their unique and inspiring perspectives and realizing none of us are truly alone in our parenting experiences-the ups and the downs. Each family choses their own road to joy and it isn’t always a clear one. Sometimes we have to lose site of what we once adored to rekindle it again in our lives, sometimes we know what it is all along. I began this podcast because of the conflicting feelings that arise when we step into this new role of parent and how we often feel we have to give up many of the things we formerly so adored. The Denning family is going to tell our listeners why we don’t have to give up or let go of our dreams, and how we can honor our dreams while enjoying them with our children.

Mike and Chelsea, also contributors to the online surf platform the Inertia, are from Oceanside California and have been married for 12 years.Mike has been surfing for 20 years while Chelsea took up surfing while in College in Hawaii. They both decided they wanted to continue their passion for surfing, and stoke their fire for travel and new cultures, so they took the leap into bringing along their babies, Coral and Reef (ages 4 and 2) with them to places like, India, South Africa, Fiji Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Malaysia and Thailand.

Today, they are going to tell our mama listeners about their family motto “collect experiences, not things” and how they are teaching their kids to be bilingual in Spanish and English and be kind to everyone regardless of race, religion, or cultural differences.

And to add to the excitement of this family and their pursuits, they have another water baby on the way in November! In true soul mamma fashion we will be talking about motherhood topics like how important it is for Chelsea to be a part of a group of surfing moms that bring their kids to the beach and take turns surfing, but we also get the added fun perspective of “Soul Papa” Mike who will be joining us today on the interview.

Take-aways:

 5:07: Chelsea and Mike discuss Chelsea surfing while pregnant until almost six months.

10:53: Chelsea speaks of feeling terrified to be a mom because she thought she would have to “give up everything”. She now talks about how there is certainly no need to give up everything.

19:25: Overpacking on your first trip with kids certainly isn’t necessary. The Denning’s realized their kids would entertain themselves on the road.

21:49:  When people ask the Denning’s how to travel with kids they always remind people that you can prioritize the things you love in life, like travel. One way to travel a lot with kids is stay in affordable accommodations.

26:50: Society often met them with disapproval because they didn’t understand why and how they just dropped everything to travel the world.

34:40: Surf sessions look a little different. Now Chelsea and Mike can’t just surf endlessly, but instead, switch off and let the other surf when the latter is watching the kids.

38:51: Traveling has been an incredible bonding experience for their family and they encourage others not to be afraid to do so.

41:18: The Denning kids make connections with other kids from different backgrounds and walks of life and this is a major reason they bring their kids along on all of their trips.