Do We Ever Sleep?

Italy | 2011

If there is one sure fire thing in life, sleep is essential. Glorious sleep. For the majority of us, those gorgeous eight hours of shut eye happen at night. We wake up the next morning fresh as daisies, our circadian rhythms happy. However, as soon as you hop on an airplane and travel across a time zone or seven, all of that changes. Not the need for sleep – nope – that stays woefully intact. The waking up fresh as daisies and having a freshly reset circadian rhythm, that is what disappears into the clouds. How we get that sleep – well, that is the challenging part. Depending on your age.

Hong Kong | 2009

One of the highlights of travelling with children that I didn’t anticipate was watching them figure out their sleep schedule. Unlike adults, children typically don’t have any trouble at all falling asleep and staying asleep, no matter what the time. No matter the place either, come to think of it. The challenge with them is the opposite. How on earth are we supposed to keep them awake? They have missed out on some pretty spectacular things because they just couldn’t keep their eyes open.

Ireland | 2015

1. Hey kids! Look it’s the Eiffel Tower!! Kids? Kids? Aah. They’re asleep.
2. Hey kids, sure we can do a horse drawn carriage ride, that’ll be so fun! Isn’t this fun kids? Kids? Kids?? Aah. They’re asleep.
3. Hey kids, should we take a boat ride down the Nile? Look at all the pretty lights! Kids? Kids?? Aah. They’re asleep.

Krakow | 2012

That’s not to say that we don’t envy the ease with which they crash. Ten minute break while in line? Asleep. Twenty minute drive? Sawing logs. Waiting for the train to show up? Snoring. Super uncomfortable airport seats? Out like lights. The upside? Sleeping children, no matter the age, make for some very adorable photos and I just can’t resist.

Columbia | 2013

I’m sure that this ability to grab some zzzz’s at any opportunity has made traveling life easier for all of us. I can honestly say that the kids have never been crabby or grumpy while we’re busy exploring the world. They’ve truly learned how to go with the flow and enjoy what they’re doing at any given moment. Those cat naps have to be the secret.

Cairo | 2010

Because I can’t say it is the same experience for us parents. Jet lag absolutely affects us differently. Let’s be honest, for the first few days of any trip we are walking around in a fog. We are often wide awake in the middle of the night no matter how tired we may be. There’s not much we can do or see at 3:00am for crying out loud. Why won’t our body listen to our brain so we can sleep? It doesn’t seem to matter that we have been awake and busy for over 24 hours, nope. Our body believes it to be the middle of the day and therefore, we should be AWAKE and doing something!! Ugh. We always feel this at 3:00pm when the wall of fatigue rushes towards us. But, unlike our children, we lack the ability to fall asleep anywhere.

The upside? No sleeping pictures of us.

Europe | 2012