From the beginning of a journey to long after arriving home, traveling with family can be one of the most rewarding adventures you can have together. While travel enables families to form a stronger bond, children also benefit from new experiences and adults gain a greater appreciation for what’s around them. Read on to find out why traveling is important with family truly is life-enriching.
In this new world, things happen so fast and time slips from our hands, we go to work every day and suddenly, one day we return and we realize that our children have grown up and we recriminate ourselves for the many moments that we could share out of reality and there is no way to remedy it. It’s a sad reality, but we live in a day and age where everyone is constantly preoccupied with their hectic schedules, devices, and distractions. We find families physically sitting beside each other, yet miles apart as each is engrossed in their worlds.
Why Travel With Family?
People are often caught up with work, school, or running a business. So, time spent with parents, siblings, or kids is limited. When you travel, you intentionally set time to be with the individuals who matter most.
Getting to know new cultures
When we travel, we get to know other ways of behaving and living in the world. This is a great opportunity for us as a family to learn universal values such as respect, empathy, and tolerance. There are a thousand opportunities for our children to learn a lot from such adventures.
In addition, by getting to know new cultures, you will get your child not only to learn values but also knowledge of history, art, or religion. Undoubtedly, one of the great advantages of traveling as a family is that it will help them a lot in their studies.
If your children are bored at school, take them on a trip. It is possible that, from now on, they will start to feel more interest in subjects that did not motivate them before. Remember that, no matter how close the place is, you will always find different customs that will surely surprise them. Where to start? It is advisable to start with shorter trips so that your child can gradually get used to other places and customs in a natural way.
It encourages family bonding
Away from life’s everyday distractions and long working hours, families are able to spend uninterrupted time together. Even the simplest experiences, such as a meal, can become cherished memories. Take a look at what travel bloggers, World Travel Family suggest for keeping everyone happy on the road.
Spending quality time together
Life gets really busy, and sometimes we don’t always pay enough attention to the people who are most important to us. Traveling always helps our little family reconnect in a way that nothing else does. Taking time out to rest and recharge is imperative for good mental health and general well-being. Sometimes, we just need to get away and come back to our regular lives and daily challenges, with a rejuvenated outlook and energy.
Learn through new experiences
While you and your family are immersing yourselves in these new experiences on your travels, you and your children inevitably pick up some real-world learning. Kids really learn best by doing, so all those cultures, foods, and ways of life we mentioned earlier are giving them first-hand, multi-sensory knowledge that you just can’t get from reading books and looking at pictures. Even seemingly simple activities like swimming in the ocean, going on a hike, and driving past farms on the journey offer learning experiences.
Reignite That Sense of Adventure
Young kids are naturally adventurous. They love to explore and soak up new experiences. They absorb each new sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
When we get older, most of us lose that sense of adventure. But, traveling helps get our curiosity back.
And if you’re traveling with kids, seeing their curiosities and the way they look at the world will add an extra level to your travels. Exploring the world with your little ones is unique, and a different experience at every age.
Develop critical and rational thinking
As we discover other cultures, we acquire a great deal of knowledge that we have to sift through our reasoning. We encounter many situations in which we will have to take a critical stance.
For example, we may witness a situation that is unfair in our eyes, but normal in other parts of the world. We also visit monuments and museums where we are shown other cultures that, at first, we may not be familiar with. This is a unique moment to develop our critical thinking.
Do not hesitate to take advantage of all these situations to make your child reflect and develop their critical thinking. By doing so, you will be making them more responsible citizens in the future.
Remember that critical and rational thinking is increasingly demanded by pedagogues and education specialists. Here is your chance to do your bit too.