Rhys Fox Aarons is only 9 months old, but the New York-born baby has already travelled to Los Angeles, Vienna, Paris, Provence, Miami, and Brazil, with trips to New Orleans, Croatia, and Monte Negro on the horizon. His parents, real estate developer and technology investor Zachary Aarons and boutique-owner Camilla Gale have always been travel-obsessed. Recently they have learned that traveling with young children can be extremely rewarding. And though infant Rhys’ travels won’t necessarily translate to memories, and his parents have accepted that their trips are not honeymoons—“you’ll be sharing a bedroom with a baby,” says Gale—traveling as early as possible has many advantages. Among them, Gale hopes to “instill that love of exploration,” which has been so important to her and her husband.

The challenges of traveling with baby range from the logistical—Camilla has invested in a much bigger carry-on—to the emotional: traveling means more time spent out in public, and possibly looking less-than-pulled-together in transit. “There is a fear of not coming across as the perfect, competent mother,” Camilla says, which might dissuade new moms from traveling right away. Rhys first started eating solid food while in Brazil, and his first papaya, a particularly high-fiber fruit, did not sit well with little Rhys. But it was on that trip that he also developed a fascination with stairs, allowing his parents to slow down and appreciate the scenery, while he climbed them—over and over. “He’s so adaptable. That’s fun to see,” said Camilla, remembering Rhys’ first time swimming in the ocean: “Watching him realize it wasn’t a pool and that the water didn’t end…seeing him react to that was amazing,” she said. It’s the kind of memory that makes some extra planning worthwhile. Below, she shared some solutions for the unavoidable complications of traveling with children. —Artie Niederhoffer