When TeAndra Taylor began posting photos of her abroad with her toddler, Carson, she had no concept to what would motivate so many parents with their young children.
Now the mother not only has a blog, but has just presented a series of picture books with her new book, Captain Carson Goes to Bali.
“Carson the difference between the TSA pre-check and the normal TSA. That’s what we traveled,” says Taylor, 31, about his travels with 3-year-old Carson.
So far, they have traveled to 11 countries and 18 states, trips Taylor writes on his blog, Voyager with the Taylors. Tuskegee University graduate and full-time mother also offers recommendations on activities for other cities and how to do it with children.
“He knows when he’s meant to take his pill and his liquids compared to when he’s not,” he continues. “When we get on the plane, Carson knows you have to put on your seat belt, listen to the flight attendants. Sometimes he even goes straight to the cockpit and greets the pilots.
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Taylor traveled the world because his father was in the army. I knew I wanted to take the same reports to Carson.
“I looked for my son to notice new places, new cultures, new traditions,” he says, explaining that they volunteer when they travel. (The Taylors went to Cuba for their first trip abroad. There, Carson helped distribute toys and coloring books.)
So far, his favorite has been a stopover in Indonesia.
“Carson was able to feed the elephants there. He was able to do a dust bath with the elephants,” Taylor says. “We went to the temples and he could use a pareo and he just embraced the total culture.”
Taylor to write Captain Carson Goes to Bali because when he was looking for children’s books about travel, none of the characters looked like his son.
“You may not find books with young people who look like him. And I looked for him to find anything he could relate to,” says Taylor, who worked with her friend and illustrator Samayyah Smith to create the book. She hopes this will motivate all young people to more.
Taylor’s two biggest pieces of advice for traveling with little ones? Make sure you pack some of their favorite things (snacks, toys, electronics) and tire your kids out before getting on the plane.
“So for my travels, I’d tire Carson out before I left,” he says. “When we’re at the airport, Carson loves to push his suitcase and let him do it. We arrive early and I’ll give you a smart hour before the flight.”
“We passed through the airport and he just pushes his suitcase. So, the moment he gets on the plane, he’s in a position to fall asleep,” Taylor said.
But the Taylors have visited any airport since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States (the mother had trips to 10 countries planned, adding posts in Africa, all of which had to be canceled).
Instead, they made car trips from their home port in Dallas, Texas. The obstacle abroad also influenced Taylor’s upcoming children’s book.
“I sought to make perception even less difficult because we don’t know when we’re going to be able to travel abroad,” he says. “So I made the decision to [present] once this time. This is one of our favorite cities and states.”