One of the initial draws of Ethiopia for many people is the option to have your child escorted to the U.S. instead of traveling. Sometimes people prefer not to travel because they have health problems or fear flying. Others have young children at home that they don't feel good about leaving. Still others just want to leave their options open and not have to commit to travel early in the adoption process.

Travel decisions are not easy. I totally understand the concerns about leaving children while traveling to bring home a new child. My husband and I have spent hours agonizing about who to bring and who would be OK at home during an adoption. And when I am in the middle of a 12 hour flight, I confess-- I want off that plane just as passionately as the next person.

But after completing four adoptions, I've grown passionate about the benefits of international travel, so much so that John and I intend to bring every one of our children on at least one international trip before they are grown. I've only spent 32 days outside of the U.S. since birth. But the adventures I've had while traveling to pick up our children have become a part of who I am.

International travel is eye opening. Though it can be nerve-wracking at the times, you come back home a bolder and a more confident person with a much more balanced view of the world. I love knowing that I spent days of my life walking in Ethiopia and in Korea, talking to the people and seeing a little of what life is really like in those countries.

Yes, it is possible to learn about the land of your child's birth from books. And of course there are real legitimate reasons that some people stay home. International travel is not for every adoptive parent. But books won't let you experience the smells when you get off the plane, or taste the food, or meet the women who soothed your children when they cried. The vast majority of folks who put themselves on that plane and decide to travel are very glad that they did. And I bet their kids are too.


Additional Links:

Amharic Phrases
Siblings Who Stay Home