5 Reasons Why You Should Bring Your Kids On Vacation With You
Travelling with children can seem daunting, especially if you're travelling internationally. With long flights and long travel days, differences in cultures, and many other obstacles that can occur, it makes sense why you might be reluctant to bring them with you. However, travelling with your children, particularly internationally, can provide a vast number of benefits for both you and your kids. Here are just a few reasons that you should bring them along!
#1 - Memories
I bet you can recall most, if not all, the trips you have taken. What about the first toy you were gifted? Can you remember all the toys you had when you were younger? Toys are wonderful, but they're not generally as impact-ful as the memories we create while travelling. When your kids grow up, they’ll look back and recall all their memories of travelling with you and you’ll all be able to reminisce with stories from the good times, bad times, funny times or bizarre times when travelling.
#2 - Learning
Most children learn about other countries' history and cultures in geography classes, but when you travel with your children, they get to experience these places firsthand. Your kids will get submerged into different cultures and learn about the people, traditions, food, agriculture, and much more. This helps them better understand and learn while at school, since they can relate it to their personal experiences.
#3 - Adaptability
When you travel, no matter how prepared, there is always a potential roadblock that arises, such as lost luggage or a late flight. Most things that interfere with our travel plans are out of our control. This is an undeniable part of travelling, and an excellent way for your kids to learn to problem-solve and make the best of unfortunate situations when they happen. Children may also learn that there could be different amenities than what they are used to at home. And depending on where you are travelling to, items or tools may not be as accessible to them (and by items and tools I mean WIFI!). Just another example of ways your kids will learn to adapt and go with the flow!
#4 – Responsibility
Giving your kids responsibilities while travelling can provide them with more confidence in their own abilities. Maybe their responsibilities at first are to make sure they have their belongings when moving hotels or going between airports. These responsibilities might increase by having them be responsible for navigating, or planning a portion of the trip (with guidance, of course!). Not only can this build confidence in children, but it keeps them involved and allows them to express what their interests are.
#5 - Self-Discovery
Travelling can help children figure out their interests more imaginatively and creatively by seeing the world firsthand. For example, maybe you notice that your child loves the adventure aspect of travelling, and each time you travel to a new country, they want to figure out all the outdoor adventures they can do. Maybe your child is interested in art and is intrigued by the details of buildings and wants to visit all the museums. Learning this about themselves can help guide them in figuring out hobbies they want to involve themselves in or even potential career pathways that might be enticing for them.
Why not spend some time with your kids talking about where you might want to travel together?! I would love to hear what is in THEIR Portfolio of Travel Dreams!