Kidding Around: Tales of Travel with Children

by Dervla Murphy (Foreword), Hilary Bradt (Editor), James Lowen (Editor)

Becoming a parent need to not put an end to wanderlust. That's the message in Kidding Around, the latest in Bradt's acclaimed series of travel writing anthologies. Contributors include Dervla Murphy, National Geographic Traveller Editorial Director Maria Pieri and nature writers Amy-Jane Beer and Nicola Chester.The 36 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 (or ideal gift) 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.

Genres: Travel, Parenting

224 pages, Paperback

Published February 7, 2020

About the author

Dervla Murphy’s first book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, was published in 1965. Over twenty travel books followed including her highly acclaimed autobiography, Wheels Within Wheels.

Dervla won worldwide praise for her writing and many awards, including the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing and the Royal Geographical Award for the popularisation of geography.

Few of the epithets used to describe her – ‘travel legend’, ‘intrepid’ or ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’ – quite do justice to her extraordinary achievement.

She was born in 1931 and remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, Palestine, conservation, bicycling and beer until her death in 2022.

Reviews

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Traveling with kids can be challenging for both parents and children, but it also offers a wonderful opportunity to create lifelong bonds, share experiences, and teach valuable life lessons. This book is a collection of various travel stories, ranging from trekking and sailing holidays to wildlife encounters and adventures off the beaten path. The stories are a mixed bag, featuring some enlightening narratives, hilarious anecdotes, and a few life-threatening situations. I really enjoyed this quote from the book

"While we adults are totting up our experience in a trophy cabinet of anecdotes and selfies, children
simply absorb theirs and move on. Meanwhile its sediment filters slowly down, becoming the bedrock of who they will be."

[Jane Wilson-Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, varied and entertaining. I liked the tale of the dad taking his young daughters to stay in a brothel by mistake. Do look at the Bradt website too as there is additional material connected with the book to dip into too including an excellent tale from Francoise Hivernel.