TO BE CHILD FREE,

travel the world or settle down, that is the question

Kids provide an exhilarating joy and a sense of wonder, but in my mind, I constantly think about the emotional, physical, and financial bandwidth they require. I go back and forth with the idea of being child free + traveling the world or settling down + starting a family.

So in true Virgo fashion, I made a pros and cons list to decide whether I wanted to travel the world, have a child, or both.

I’m 32 and unsure about motherhood.

I’m at the age where no matter where I go, everyone is concerned about my womb and when my husband and I will have children. We’ve been married for 7 years and I’m content working on my career. However, if it were up to my husband, we would have been pregnant a long time ago. I’m incredibly ambitious and I’m not ready to slow down (I guess my ovaries would say otherwise at this age). Sometimes I wish men could get pregnant, carry the load for 9 months and deal with all the postpartum. A lot of times I feel guilty for not starting a family sooner. My husband gets so wide-eyed when any of our friends have a child or watching babies on social media. Crazily, I love kids! I’m that cousin/aunt that gets your kids all riled up, takes them on trips, and happily returns to sender.

Deciding whether to travel the world, have a baby or both

To be child free means you are choosing not to have children. Being child free allows for endless freedom, location independence, and more discretionary income for all your self-serving pursuits.

I tend to dream about bouncing around the world with my slightly adventurous self, living in a new country every 3 months. As amazing as that sounds, I don’t want to travel alone all the time! I love a good solo trip, but personally, I believe the best part of traveling is finding a place you love and sharing it with someone else. And most importantly, I still want to have relationships with my friends and family beyond a screen. I don’t want to sacrifice time spent with loved ones just to be a lonely free spirit.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not in a rush to be a mother and there are a couple of things I’d like to do before settling down. So my husband and I have decided to commit to part-time travel to satisfy my wanderlust and still manage to have a baby in the upcoming year.

Cheers to being a weekend warrior and prepping for the journey of motherhood!

Learn how we plan to travel more this year.

Brittney Lewis

tRAVELING Artist + Outdoor Enthusiast

ByBrijé is where I share weekend travel guides, trip inspiration and my creative endeavors. I’m currently wandering along the west coast painting colorful landscapes. Come along as I share the magic of the outdoors.

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