A Note of Appreciation

Ciao Bambino is not a hobby for me. It’s a business I’m thoroughly committed to growing. I often refer to CB as my second child (smile). In addition to loving what I do, a big part of what keeps me going is appreciation from our readers. I’m so grateful for the “fan” mail we receive from parents everywhere who value our content.

I received a note last week that made my day (my week!) … I thought it would be fun to share it on the blog as the author’s perspective and experience is very much in line with how I felt when our son was born. In fact, it was the reason I started Ciao Bambino!

A big thanks to our readers and subscribers who take the time to email us. We love hearing from you!

My inspiration to start CB enjoying Morges, Switzerland

A Note of Appreciation for Ciao Bambino

I just wanted to say thank you to the team at Ciao Bambino for inspiring my family. I’m 30 years old and pregnant with my first child, and prior to becoming pregnant I traveled pretty extensively throughout the world.

When my husband and I discussed starting a family in the past, my biggest fear was that we wouldn’t be able to travel as much or show our child as much of the world as we are hoping to. Part of this is for financial reasons (it obviously costs more for three people to travel than for two), for practical reasons (independent foreign travel can be complicated, and many tour companies do not allow young children), and because of my own inexperience with children and and fear about how my family would be treated by others (some adult travelers hold hostile attitudes toward children on planes, etc.).

Reading the articles on your site has been very helpful. They have a much different tone than I have experienced on other sites; for example, one family travel site that I recently visited seemed to focus on all of the “hazards” one could encounter in various countries, as well as listing food items in the countries that they profiled that they felt American kids wouldn’t like. I found this to be extremely condescending and ethnocentric, and it made me wonder how the authors viewed children in general (inflexible, picky, whiny?). Surely this isn’t always the case. If children are presented with an aspect of a different culture and are told that they won’t like it by a trusted adult, of course they will balk. Presentation is key; if parents are open-minded and enthusiastic, children will be as well. Thank you for not perpetuating these stereotypes about children, for not talking down to parents, and for not assuming that families would be unhappy without American-style everything – otherwise, what’s the point of leaving the country?

I am hoping to take my child to more off-the-beaten-path destinations in the future and am curious about how families have fared in areas without the resorts and amenities that are typically suggested on family travel sites. I am also curious to learn more about what family travel companies are best (not just Disney) in terms of offering authentic cultural experiences, and also which escorted tour companies offer itineraries that are age-flexible (especially multi-country tours).

It would also be great to learn more about family-friendly activities and cultural excursions in less common destinations such as Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nepal, various countries in Africa and South America, etc.

Thanks again for your site, and I will continue to follow it.