Love letter to travelling with children

The reason I am where I am today is because of travel. Both my parents worked in the airlines – my dad did 44 years at British Airways, starting when he left school – and Mum worked for BA, too. We don’t come from money, but it afforded us the ability to travel from a young age. By the time I was ten I’d been to every continent other than Antarctica and seen so much. I wasn’t fazed by rocking up to a developing city at 2am and not having anywhere to stay and finding something to eat, which really helped when I became a travel writer.

Helen and I had just over a year when Logan was born (in 2018) when we could travel as a family – they came on the road with me for six weeks when I did a tour of Australia. We went to all sorts of places, from metropolitan cities to end-of-nowhere mining towns. The twins were born in 2020, so we haven’t been abroad with them yet, but I want us to take a trip as a family of five to Namibia, a place that is hugely important to Helen and me. It was our first proper holiday after she finished the World Championships in 2015 and we went for three weeks, mostly in the deserts in the south, which are dazzling. It’s one of the most dramatic places you’ll ever see. The skies and night stars are so clear and the landscapes blow you away. It is also where I did the most singularly romantic thing of my life – proposing at sunset in the sand dunes.

Travelling with children does take organisation. We’ve done some wild camping in the UK and you have to grit your teeth and take a chance. Yes, there is the possibility of a massive meltdown, but our experiences have been positive. The youngsters react so well to sleeping out under canvas and to surprisingly big days. For a trip to Namibia, I’d get a camper van, do a circuit and stay for a while. There’s no time difference, so no jet lag either.

I would start at the NamiBrand Nature Reserve in the south, where I proposed. It’s probably the best place in the world to sit around a campfire and look at the stars and has the greatest sunsets you’ll ever see. Then I’d stop off at Walvis Bay, which is great for whale watching, seal spotting and flamingos. Helen and I had a day there where we chased down a sea lion that had been caught in plastic netting and freed it – an amazing, emotional experience. In Swakopmund there are the dunes – and what I think is the best safari in the world, which is a mini-beast safari. You’re taken out by a person who knows all about scorpions, geckos and sidewinders and find all these extraordinary creatures. The kids would love it.

Etosha National Park is further north and is a classic safari spot. There’s a big lake and it’s a cracking place to see leopards and lions, with lots of small reserves on the outskirts. Erindi Reserve is one we’ve been back to many times.

My ideal would be that all three children become interested in wildlife and it leads to a respect for nature. At three, Logan knew more about wildlife – and dinosaurs – than a lot of my peers do. I’m very aware that, no matter what Helen and I do, they will find their own path, but the opportunity our kids have is huge if they want it.

Wildlings: How to raise your family in nature, by Steve Backshall and Helen Glover, is out now. Deep Blue: My Ocean Journeys by Steve Backshall is out in the UK on 21 September 

As told to: Helen Whitaker