Seize the world

Wartime is no time to miss a travel adventure | Mindy Belz

Rocky and Heidi Weaver are WORLD readers who are planning a trip to Israel this fall—"Lord willing," they say. "We hope to stay with a family we got to know several years ago here in the States. This family lives on a kibbutz and has invited us to stay there with them. We have five children ages 9, 7, 5, 3, and 8 months," Heidi writes. "Could I trouble you to give us some recommendations on what to take or how to travel best as a family? We have not flown overseas before as a family."

In 2002-2003 during the months leading up to the war in Iraq, months heavy with war-on-terror tension, my family of six spent seven weeks traveling around the world, much of that time in the Middle East. Children grow quickly, and mine as I write are living in three different states. We revel in our collective memories of that trip. We're glad we didn't listen to the voices (our own!) telling us we were crazy. So if you are like the Weavers, here are 10 quick recommendations on how best to travel as a family: