We all know: the benefits of traveling are truly endless – cultural experiences, new cuisines and flavors to discover, breathtaking landscapes, exciting adventures and strengthening family bonds, to name just a few. As a parent, providing such an experience from a young age can cultivate a passion for travel in children that will definitely play a vital role in their development.
Some parents may say that traveling with a child is pointless, since they ‘won’t remember’. In this article, you will discover many reasons to forget this speech and book your next vacation with your children, no matter how young they are.
girl kid traveling
Travel strengthens families
Do you dream of taking a break and enjoying your family? Whether it’s a trip between you and your child or a family trip, taking time away from everyday life strengthens bonds. And not just parent-child bonds, but also sibling relationships and, better yet, the bonds between you and your partner.
Families share a lot of meaningful experiences when they travel. And it is these experiences that will have a positive effect on relationships. It’s not just about grand experiences: whether you’re walking with your son or teaching your daughter to ride, taking part in a unique cultural experience encourages a sense of fun and adventure together. Traveling is the perfect opportunity for you, as a family, to accumulate new memories to cherish.
Travel opens children’s minds
This is one of the best reasons to travel with your children: going on a trip opens your mind a lot. The Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho says it himself: “If you think that adventure is dangerous, I suggest you try routine… It is deadly!”
Believe it: travel can do wonders for the minds of young children. Whether it’s raising their awareness of the world and cultures around them, improving their resilience , or diving into exciting new experiences, it’s a classroom-changing way to grow their minds! And although, at first, traveling with your children (especially if they are under 5 years old) may seem tedious and scary, it is an opportunity for them to receive a relevant and important education, in a real context .
They teach new responsibilities
No matter how long the trip, life is very different when you’re out and about! That’s part of the magic of the experience. Traveling with your children helps them accept and take charge of new roles by making decisions and developing new skills. For example, before taking the plane or train, why not encourage your child to prepare their things and pack their own suitcase? This will teach them to tidy up, organize, make decisions and accept responsibility for their affairs.
Once on the road, your kids can try new tasks, such as using a map to find their way, finding an interesting place to visit, or deciding where to eat. Your children, like you, learn new skills through these roles and responsibilities. And it is these skills that they will keep and adapt to other areas of life as they grow up.
They will also become aware of the ideas of tolerance and acceptance. Long lines at a tourist attraction, boarding long flights, or seemingly endless bus or car trips are all opportunities for your children to learn lessons and learn to be patient. Problem solving and travel planning become good skills that will make them grow.
They promote socialization
During my 3-year-old daughter’s back-to-school meeting, the teacher assured us that planning a vacation during school time was perfectly acceptable (within reason, of course!). So yes, my daughter is in the small section, which means that she will not miss anything really vital to her schooling, we agree! But still, some parents think that taking children out of class to travel can mean a lack of socialization with others, but it is quite the opposite.
Best of all, it allows them to connect with people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds – people they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to meet and who can enrich their lives even further.
While school is, without a doubt, important for your child’s development and socialization (regardless of age), travel offers an incredible diversity of social opportunities, which cannot normally be experienced at home. school on a daily basis. So if the school agrees, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the lower prices for trips outside school holidays and go on an adventure!
They even help improve academic results!
All this knowledge learned at school can be put into practice during travel. Obviously, I think above all of foreign languages. How lucky to be able to put the language you learned into practice in real life, even if only to buy something in a store or simply greet someone on the street.
These travel experiences create richer context and substance for the knowledge learned in the classroom, which helps improve grades . Exposing your children to new situations and new cultures can only make them want to learn even more about everything – a quality that they will benefit from throughout the rest of their schooling, from kindergarten to university, and even later in the world of work.
When can they leave without you?
That’s it, your teenager has asked you the fateful question: he or she wants to go on a trip alone or with friends for the first time this year. How to react ? If you’re excited about the idea, of course, your teenager’s vacation destination depends on their desires and how you accept them going to certain parts of the world. You obviously need to take into account how responsible he is, how much experience he has with solo travel, who he’s going with, what he’s going to do and, finally, how much trust you have in him.