• I'm a mom and travel writer; my family often travels with me.
• I've been working to encourage my son to be independent while we travel since he was young.
• He carries his own luggage, helps us plan our trips, and earns money for souvenirs before we go.

Before our last international vacation, my 7-year-old walked around our house wearing his carry-on backpack, testing it to ensure it wasn't too heavy for our long-haul trip. He navigated the airports fantastically. Sure, he needed help at times, but seeing him take ownership in the real world is so incredibly rewarding.

One of my goals as a mom is to teach my son to be independent, including when we travel. It's not always easy — sometimes it's quicker to do things myself — but how will he learn if I don't let him try?

Here are a few tips we've used to encourage independence on our family adventures.

He packs his own carry-on backpack and suitcase

Kids need a lot of stuff to stay entertained. Our son packs his own carry-on with our supervision, which often includes a stuffed animal, activity books, video games, and lots of snacks. This way, he knows what he has to play with and what there is to munch on, so he doesn't ask, "What can I do?" or "What can I eat?" quite as often.

He also packs his own suitcase. We tell him the weather and how long we'll be gone, and he picks outfits accordingly. He lays each complete outfit on his bed. Then, depending on where we're going, he adds a pile of extras. These can be anything from bathing suits and goggles to beanies and jackets.

He carries his own belongings

Getting him to carry his own things while we travel is a big one. We've encouraged our little one to carry his own backpack since he was only a year old. Granted, his first one looked like a rocket ship and was teeny tiny, but this habit led to more independence (for him) and a free hand (for me).

He enjoys the responsibility of being in charge of all his favorite belongings — at least most of the time. On a recent layover in Heathrow, my tired kiddo needed a little help, and I was happy to oblige.

We teach him about financial independence

A few weeks — or even months — before a big trip, I make a list of chores, which ranges from raking leaves to washing cars, folding laundry, and dusting the house. The list goes on the refrigerator, and a small amount of money is assigned to each task. As my son completes a chore, I mark it off the list.

Before we leave for vacation, we tally up the money he's earned by completing tasks. The total is what he has to spend on our trip. He puts it in a wallet, which my husband and I hold. When we get to souvenir shops and toy stores, we discuss how much he has left, and he chooses his travel treasures accordingly.

He helps plan family vacations

Our little family of three discusses where we're planning to travel together and what we'd like to do there. And we continue fleshing out our itinerary throughout our trips. My son gets a voice. If there are attractions that he wants to go to — such as a castle, a swimming pool, or a toy store — we listen and involve him in the conversation.

Planning together teaches decision-making and negotiation skills. Since there are always too many things to do and not enough vacation days, our chats also touch on time management. By valuing our son's opinions and appreciating his interests, he gains confidence in his choices.

We lead by example when things go wrong

My son notices how I react when things go wrong. Unfortunately, no matter how much you plan, travel is full of unexpected challenges. Roadblocks, however, can be excellent learning moments for kids.

To encourage my son to solve problems successfully, I try to lead by example by not harping on what went wrong but focusing on a solution instead. This, of course, is obviously easier said than done. I've lost my cool more times than I'd like, usually when hungry. It helps that I pack snacks for myself now, too.

Over the past seven years, my son's backpacks have gotten bigger, and his voice has gotten louder. My hope is that his independence will continue to evolve as he grows into a confident and capable traveler.

• It's not the most popular take, but I don't like celebrating the holiday season.
• Instead, I book long, international trips to places I've always wanted to visit but never had time.
• I love getting to see a new part of the world and give that priceless experience to my kids.

When my children were little, I felt the magic of the holidays deep in my bones.

Nearly every weekend, we dashed to see a light display or rode the Polar Express while drinking cups of rich hot chocolate.

Then, my kids got older.

As tweens and teens, they became hard to please. They seemed impervious to the joyful spirit of the holidays, grumbling when I booked holiday events and complaining about the gifts I chose for them.

I know this is developmentally appropriate, but it hurts. Last year, I decided to opt out of Christmas in favor of something I love: travel.

Instead of spending time and money on creating an extravagant day that would be stressful and (likely) unappreciated, I took my family on a trip to Morocco.

It was such a great experience that I've made international travel our new holiday tradition.

December happens to work for all our schedules

There's no substitute for seeing the world and getting an up-close look at different cultures and ways of life. I also think it's the best way to raise empathetic, open-minded children, and I'm very fortunate to be able to provide them with these experiences.

However, my kids' school schedules make it hard to go anywhere for more than a few days. I try to make the most of our summers, but that's when it's hot and crowded in many parts of the world.

Luckily, the kids reliably have an extended school break around Christmas each year, making the holidays an ideal time for our family to travel.

It's refreshing to visit parts of the world where Christmas is just like any other day

Another big reason I travel during the holidays is to escape the stress of them, so I like to pick destinations where Christmas isn't widely celebrated.

In many parts of the world, it's just an ordinary day, so attractions aren't closed — aka, we don't sacrifice any vacation time.

Last year, in Morocco, I saw a smattering of holiday lights and small Christmas trees, mostly in hotels. That was perfect for me because I felt very little pressure to make Christmas Day magical.

I've figured out how to make holiday travel as easy as possible

In order to make holiday travel easier, I book group tours.

Although I didn't originally intend to travel this way, I planned last year's trip in a rush, so it was the easiest and fastest way to make sure we could cover a lot of ground in the time we had.

It turns out that not having to worry about booking hotels or planning the logistics of getting from place to place was a welcome reprieve.

Even though I had more time this year, I decided to skip the stress and use the same tour company as a gift to myself.

I may not like Christmas, but I'm not a complete Scrooge

Skipping the holidays isn't for everyone, but it works for me.

Even though I no longer have the will to create an elaborate Christmas at home, I don't want my children to miss out completely.

Every year since my kids were little, I've taken them to the over-the-top Christmas displays at Gaylord National Resort in Maryland, and that has continued. We do all the Christmas things in a single day, from building gingerbread houses to seeing Santa.

It's the perfect way to continue a holiday tradition without any pressure to be perfect — and minimal whining from my kids.

Additionally, I've always believed that experiences are better than physical gifts, and now that we travel, I keep presents to a minimum. However, on Christmas Day, I let my kids choose a special souvenir to commemorate the holiday.