We were sent the book for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are our own. This post contains affiliate links.
Travelling is something we are passionate about as a family and something we have been trying to do more in the past year. When offered the chance to review a book, filled with stories about travelling with children, I knew I had to read it! Featuring 34 stories, 1 poem and many contributors, the locations span five continents and talk about some amazing experiences. The book’s publication day is the 4th of November 2019!
About The Book
Becoming a parent need not put an end to wanderlust. That’s the message in Kidding Around, the latest in Bradt’s acclaimed series of travel writing anthologies which lifts the lid on the perils and joys of travelling with babies, toddlers and teenagers in locations spanning five continents. Contributors include renowned travel writer Dervla Murphy, National Geographic Traveller Editorial Director Maria Pieri, multi award-winning authors Adrian Phillips and Mike Unwin, and nature writers Amy-Jane Beer and Nicola Chester, to name just a few.
The thirty-four stories, and one poem, cover potentially life-threatening situations, confessions of inept parenting and celebrations of derring-do. There’s plenty of adventurous travel, from trekking with toddlers in the Himalayas to sailing en famille across the Atlantic Ocean and the first circumnavigation of Mauritius by bicycle. Read how one mother threatens to dump her baby on jobsworth airport officials, how a father inadvertently takes his daughters to a brothel, and how one family turned up six hours early for a flight… and still managed to miss it. Join families paddling with crocodiles and getting their jeep stuck on a beach as the tide is coming in, or eleven-month-old Rory as he eats alongside marine iguanas and three-year-old Quin who befriends a family of cockroaches.
At times comical, hair-raising or just plain fun, there are also magical moments with wild creatures or in wild places. Kidding Around is a captivating read for anyone who has ever travelled with children, or wondered what it must be like to head out into the unknown with little ones in tow.
What I Thought
If anything could inspire the wanderlust even more in me, this book could. With tales from the UK and even as far flung as Borneo, the stories were interesting and kept me turning the page, eager to find out more. Some of these parents are much braver than I probably could ever be – scaling mountains with their children or sheltering from freak weather conditions.
I loved that the contibutors didn’t just focus on the obscure and far flung places though. Whenever I read travel content usually, people try to focus on the more daring experiences and sometimes I just want to read about something as simple as camping in the UK or a hike round the Downs. This book manages to balance the stories so that you get a taste of home and a hint of foreign lands too – after all, the UK is well worth travelling round too.
I’ve got so many more places I want to visit thanks to this book and many new travel writers I want to check out -these people are truly an inspiration and I’d love to see what other escapades they have got up to.
If you love travelling, especially as a family, then this is a book you will want to check out. More personality than travel guides, true personal stories from the contributors and beautiful descriptions of the locations and experiences. it truly shouldn’t be missed.
You can buy the book on Amazon here {affiliate link}.
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That sounds like a great book. We love travelling as a family. I’ve had many adventures as a child camping and it’s great that it includes this too.
Oh what what a great book, this is right up our street!! I think any books like this, which really inspire other families to keep travelling are such a great thing.
What an interesting book with some really amazing stories. It’s great to discover these kinds of books to read.
This is right up our street as we love travelling. Travelling with kids can be a challenge though
Haha love the title of the book. I bet this was a right giggle with some interesting tales for sure xx
This sounds like a book that would really appeal to us as a family, travelling is something we have always done and it’s not always been straightforward! 😀
Sounds like a great way of inspiring parents to continue travelling with their children
Sounds good I do like travel as a family
Sounds like a really interesting book with some amazing stories! I love travelling with kids and making memories while travelling.
This book sounds great! I’ll keep this in mind as a gift idea for friends with kids!
I love books like this, they’re always such a great read. My dad loves these reads as well, he’s a seasoned traveller so it would make a great Christmas present for him.
I would love to read this book. I have actually got myself and my daughter into a few scrapes abroad (but don’t tell the older kids). Travelling with kids is awesome.
It does sound like a great read, not sure I could be so adventurous with my son in tow.