Traveling is an enriching experience for everyone and can have a tremendous impact on our lives. That is especially true for children. A well planned family vacation with the right mix of stimulation (learning) and activities (fun) that is age appropriate, is a fabulous growth experience for children, strengthens family bonds, and creates memories that last a lifetime.
As parents, many of us spend a lot of time and money planning our children’s education. We fuss about the choice of school, their teachers, their learning styles, their peer groups, and the learning environment. We want to give them all the advantages that we can. We do the same with their extra curricular activities. We want the best for them. It takes time and thought and planning, and it’s all worth it.
But do we spend the same amount of time planning what we will do with our children for those precious few weeks every year that we have allotted for vacation?
Travel is fantastic vehicle we as parents have to give our kids enriching experiences: to open their minds, to learn new ways of doing those everyday things we take for granted, to awaken their curiosity about the world, and to just have fun together as a family.
Carlos and I have our own version of a bucket list. It’s a list of all the places we want to take our kids before they grow up. It’s a living plan. We have fun adjusting it as we learn more about our children’s likes, dislikes, and aptitudes, and as we explore all the great vacation options for children.
There are an overwhelming number of choices for family vacations these days, so having a predefined list helps with the decision making when it’s time to book vacations. As travel counselors, we have the advantage of having access to every product available along with all the information we need to make decisions.
Our current list is quite extensive and includes things like a Disney Cruise (which is our next vacation), beach vacations around the world, amusement parks in Europe, river cruising, and doing volunteer work in Africa or South America.
Stay tuned – future blog entries will talk about specific vacation ideas for family vacations.
