Travel with kids * Shay * Bolivia

Series - "Travel with kids" is a series of posts from women who have traveled internationally (with their kids) and lived to tell about it. Hopefully their travel tips (and trials) will encourage and equip your family for adventures of your own.

Introduction - Shay and her husband Lowell are a pretty creative pair. We met them when we were newly married and attending the church where Lowell was on staff as the music guy. Shay always had her hand in some sort of creative endeavour - it was clearly important to her and she made time, despite being a busy young mom. It was fun for me (as a married/without kids) to watch her pass that love & enthusiasm for creativity on to her kids. Shay recently became a consultant for Umba (a company that, in my opinion, is perfectly aligned with her persona and values) providing a platform for artists that sell beautiful handmade goods. You can read more about their time in Bolivia here... you can also find their contact info if you are interested in learning more about Umba.

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Hey guys! I’m Shay Ballew and I’m married to an incredible guy named Lowell. We have four insanely good-looking and creative kids – Aidan is 15, Liam is 14, Jude is 12, and Olivia (la princesa solita) is 7. Lowell and I celebrated 17 years of marriage on November 9, the majority of which have taken place in League City, TX. I have a passion for anything cool, creative, unique, and artsy. I received my degree in fashion design from UNT, although I’ve never worked in the industry. My “work-life” was pretty short, unless you count the many years of working through out high school and college. I knew I would always be a stay at home, and I was pregnant 8 months into marriage.  Lowell has always been in full time ministry. He was already doing ministry and church work when I met him, so it was clear I was to be one of “those” wives. He served on staff as a worship pastor at Clear Creek Community Church here in League City for 12 years before we went on our crazy God-adventure to Cochabamba, Bolivia. I can only guess that it’s because of that crazy adventure that brought Liz to include me in this RAD group of moms who are nuts enough to travel internationally with multiple children in tow!

Missions is something I’ve always had an awareness about. I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church, and boy do they know how to “do” missions!  From a very young age, I heard stories of missionaries in far off lands, I learned to pray for them and give money to support them (Lottie Moon, anyone?).  I had an aunt and uncle that were missionaries in Tanzania with the Southern Baptist Mission Board, then later worked with YWAM in South Africa, and finally became training coaches at the YWAM base in Van, Tx. Oh! How that all seemed so romantic and adventurous to me! I always had the desire to travel and see the world and was so intrigued by other cultures and customs. I believe God used this desire in me to call me into missions. I went on my first short-term mission trip (3 months) during college in the summer of 1994 to Asuncion, Paraguay with SIM. I was involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and had participated in their missions training program. Again, in the summer of ’96 I went on another 3-month trip with a college group from Denton Bible Church to City Bell/La Plata, Argentina. In between these two life-shaping trips, I met Lowell. He, as well, had a heart for missions and had grown up with a great awareness of missions through his church and family friends that were missionaries in Jordan. When Lowell told me that he was going on a mission trip to Argentina (not the one I went on, this was a year prior), my interest in him as a person immediately heightened! When he returned from his two-week trip, we got together to compare experiences and lo and behold, we haven’t stopped getting together since :o). We went to Argentina together in ’96 as an engaged couple, but Lowell only stayed two weeks, while I stayed the full three months with the team.

Fast forward to 2008. Yes, 12 years and four kids later. We finally had another opportunity to go on mission! Clear Creek was partnering with leaders in Ukraine to help plant a church and was taking teams annually (and later bi-annually). We knew we wanted to GO! However, this was not a trip to take our kiddos on. We left them with grandparents and went on an amazing God-adventure to L’viv and Mukachevo, Ukraine. Wow, did God ever use this time to speak to us! So many thoughts, dreams, hopes, and past experiences were brought fresh to our hearts and minds!  We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were supposed to GO and do something radical – something that everyone else would think was crazy and illogical and unwise. Yes, sometimes the things God asks us to do are not sensible to the average human – Christian or not. It really didn’t make sense at all to uproot our family, sell all of our belongings, raise heaps of money, and move somewhere foreign, unknown, and SO different. Why would any sane person leave the comfy, safe bubble of North-American suburbia??

Our first international trip with the entire family was in August of ’09.  We went to Bolivia for a 2-week vision trip and to gain clarity on what God might want us to do there. At the time our kids were 3, 8,9, and 11. They had all flown before except Olivia. I remember buying her a toy pink laptop to keep her occupied on the flight – that was a total failure. Good tip: Be sure the toys you pack/purchase are age appropriate and travel friendly – i.e. lightweight, no batteries, quiet! Honestly, the smartest tool any mom can use for travel, period, is the faithful backpack – chock full of tricks. You don’t need to buy anything fancy or expensive, but definitely items that are imaginative, creative, and interesting. Something new and different that your child maybe has never seen or played with before – or a new snack or drink and of course, candy. Hey people, it works!  And, of course, plenty of extra (comfy) clothes for the babies and toddlers. I remember using pull-ups for Olivia on the flight even though she was potty trained, simply to make life easier. Plus, it allowed her to sleep without me having to wake her to potty. Be sure to pack plenty of good books to look at and/or read, coloring books for the little ones (my favorite art item was the color wonder books and markers because you didn’t have to worry about any messes or accidents!), and always plenty of good snacks and drinks to last the trip. These days, of course, you will want to make sure you have all of your technology in order. Make sure all iPhones, iPads, iPods, laptops, etc. are charged fully before leaving, and charge them in the airport during those long waiting periods! Don’t forget headphones - preferably one for each person/kid. Label chargers and headphones with initials, which reduces the amount of fighting, arguing and blaming when one goes missing.  One of the best things we did was bring along a few new movies for the kids to watch on a laptop during those long layovers.

When we left for Bolivia to live there permanently (which ended up being only a 2 year term), my kids were 4, 9,10, and 12. Things were a little different, but pretty much the same - only with more technology.  Two other essential items I bought each of my kids for traveling was their own small travel blanket and eye mask. These definitely come in handy when they’re trying to get “cozy” and sleep during those long flights. The eye mask can really be helpful if your flight is during the day.

Our last flight, which was just last May, was from Bolivia back “home”. All of a sudden I had two teenagers to deal with! The kids were 6, 11, 13, and 15. The one I was most worried about was my 15 year old. He doesn’t do long flights too well, and he was nervous. Honestly, I was worried for him. He hadn’t slept but about the last 45 minutes of our nearly 24-hour travel journey on the way to Bolivia 2 years prior and he was absolutely delirious when we arrived. We will never forget that – now we can laugh about it but at the time it was scary and a bit freaky.

One of my own personal obstacles I have to overcome when flying is claustrophobia. Therefore, I started taking Xanax several years ago when Lowell and I flew to Ukraine. I was going to experience the longest flight I ever had and I was really worried about panicking. The Xanax really helped me relax and remain calm throughout the flight. However, I learned that taking only one didn’t help me sleep at all. So, on our return flight I decided I’d try taking two pills! Well, it worked. I was OUT before we took off. All of this to say, I decided to try giving my son, Aidan, a Xanax (only 1!) to help keep him calm and relaxed and hopefully help him sleep.  The results were fair – he was definitely more relaxed and calm, but it still did not help him sleep.  I suppose the two movies they showed back to back (which thankfully were kid friendly) helped tremendously as well.  So, medication can definitely come in handy if you have a true issue like anxiety, airsickness, sleep deprivation, claustrophobia, etc.  Just make sure you are knowledgeable about the medication, dosage, or any side effects before using with your children. Dramamine didn’t seem to help my kids much at all. Another natural option might be chamomile tea, or a little dab of a calming essential oil, such as lavender.  For babies or toddlers, the Hyland’s homeopathic calming tablets would be excellent.  

Another very specific tip for those that may be flying into a higher altitude than you live in – be sure you take a medication specifically for altitude sickness at least 24 hours before traveling, and continue taking it until you have adjusted! In Bolivia, we took “sorochi” pills and mostly drank coca tea for altitude sickness. They drink coca tea for everything and it is a miracle “drug” – really. (Yes, you are correct in thinking the coca leaf is the source of cocaine. However, it’s the chemical process that they put the coca leaf through that makes it into the addictive drug. Coca itself is a widely used medicinal plant in Bolivia).

So…was it all worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Traveling with kids is a challenge, but the rewards are above and beyond any difficulties you may encounter. You are giving them an experience of a lifetime – especially if you travel internationally. Don’t discount the lessons learned from your experience. You are giving your children a global perspective and opening their minds up to other lands, cultures, languages, and customs.  Our children’s little “safe, small-minded”, bubbles are burst completely when we show them life exists outside of our small homes, neighborhoods, towns, states, nation. And that life is amazing and beautiful and sometimes weird, different, and crazy! Their outlook on life is changed when you expose them to the world. Every single chaotic, crazy, tear-filled, joy-filled, wonderful moment makes it all worth it!! DO IT.