I saw an Instagram reel recently and it talked about how busy working parents are. Many only get two weeks vacation a year.
Now, when you translate that into the time that you have to travel with your kids throughout their meaningful years (say 5-19.....the ages when they will remember the trips and before they go off to start their own lives).
If you spend ONE of those weeks each year travelling with them (which most people don't), that's 14 weeks...or 98 days to fill their hearts and minds with all that comes from travel.
That's it. 98 days.......
As someone who made a point of travelling with my kids when they were little (my youngest took her first flight at 9 months, first transatlantic flight at 3) this article caught my eye.
I am pretty sure that my girls have been to 9 countries so far (I've lost count in the pursuit of my own travel!) and they both have a real love of travelling…..and the reasons that the couple in the article state that travel is as good as, if not a BETTER experience for kids, really resonates with me!
- My girls both speak French and learned some basic Spanish phrases by the time they were 10
- They have been to Pearl Harbour and have a real appreciation for the importance of history and the solemness of places like this (well beyond just what happened). It is something quite different to look down in those waters and to realize that in that ship, is the resting place of so many American soldiers and to look around to see people of all ages take that in. It is also something to meet a soldier who was actually there that day (a man who has long since passed now) and to hear his first hand account of what happened. THIS, can't be taught in a classroom.
- They have both been to many European churches and cathedrals and appreciate not only the architecture, but also they know the stories about how they were built and the people buried inside them
- They learned at a very young age to appreciate old cultures…..the Aztecs in Mexico, the Hawaiian culture, the Natives in North America for example and how they need to be respected and understood more, even today. They have become fierce fighters for cultural rights as young women and there's no doubt that their interactions with guides like "Cousin Shorts" in Oahu lit a small flame inside of them with his stories
- They have seen and smelled an erupting volcano as we sailed by in Hawaii. They have also climbed on the old lava flows and have heard the ancient stories about Pele, the goddess of volcanos and fire.
- They have seen pieces of art like the Mona Lisa, in person. My oldest has been to both the Louvre and the Vatican Museum and has a deep appreciation for art and art history.
- They learned that one of the best things about an all inclusive resort was the all you can eat, soft serve ice cream dispenser! I'm pretty sure they would still argue that, even now that they are in their early 20's!
- They ate with the adults at formal dinners on cruise ships, dressed up and learned proper table manners at a very young age. I never worried about taking them to even the fanciest of restaurants as they became accustomed to dressing up for nice dinners, with our very first trip together
- My oldest REQUESTED a day trip to Vimy Ridge when she went to Paris in her teenage years, which then made middle school and high school history SO much more meaningful to her
- They listened intently to wait staff in Cuba, talking about the hours that they worked at the resort and how they didn’t see their own kids for days, because of work. They also delighted in us taking down bags of their gently used clothes to give to the workers there and they saw first hand, how much a used pretty dress could mean to a little girl in another country (and her hard-working mom)
- They both got to travel with their grandmother and great-grandmother for years…..learning more about them in the conversations shared at the a-la-carte dinner tables than they every would have in the rush of day to day life
Did this translate into BETTER performance at school? ABSOLUTELY!
There is something about going and seeing and tasting and hearing about it all that makes it so much more meaningful and real in the minds and hearts of our kids. New languages, new cultures, new food, new places……all of these things are so important and lead to them growing into being more compassionate and more well-rounded adults.
That’s why I love what I do and I particularly love it when people travel with their kids. Take them out of school. Let them get an education that will only enhance what they are taught in school and read in the books……
Trust me, the day that your daughter tells her history teacher that she has walked on THAT beach and visited THAT cemetery where Canadian soldiers (many just a few years older than she was) rest in peace….will be a moment that you can take pride in, and as the saying goes......a moment that is priceless.
Trust me on this. Memories > Things.
BOOK. THE. TRIP.
Helen King