No matter what people say, what your past experiences tell you, or how tough you find it in the beginning, traveling with kids is worth it.
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Yes, you will have to plan every detail.
Yes, you will have to be on your
toes all the time.
And yes, it is going to be demanding. Very.
But - Traveling with
kids is as special as it is important.
Let us tell you why.
1. Travel makes kids Aware, Compassionate and Humble.
New places, new people and new
surroundings – they all make kids more aware of the difference in our regular
lives and the world outside our homes. Travel teaches kids to be compassionate
and humble, instilling in them a quality that the world needs more of. As kids
observe new places and people, they learn to be more accepting of ways that are
different that ours, and they learn to appreciate what they have. Watching your
child mingle with children of different cultures and backgrounds, without any preconceived
ideas or prejudice is something every adult should take the chance to see and
learn from. We told you how Travel is the Best Teacher of all times, and it
teaches kids the qualities that makes them good human beings. What more can we
want?
2. Travel Pushes
Their Educational Horizons
Our kids education will NOT
suffer if we take them out of school for some time - this is something every parent needs repeat five times. We are so caught up in percentages, and careers and attendance, that we forget the real meaning of education. Traveling provides
children of all ages an education that simply can’t be matched. Kids are like
sponge, they absorb every tiny detail and when traveling to new places, they learn
things that no school, no story book and no TV show can teach so quickly. Travel
can make History and Geography come alive, but that’s not all. From remembering
all the botanical names of all the flowers in The Valley of Flowers, to
learning about Buddhism in a part of Himalayas, from learning how to camp in
wilderness, to singing songs in a new language around a bonfire – Travel teaches our kids the language of love,
of tolerance and of gratitude, which is exactly the kind of education
they need.
3. Travel with Kids Teaches You
Not only the kids get to learn by
travel, but traveling with kids teaches us adults a lot too. Yes, it works
both ways! Children tend to have an open and untainted view of the world, and
while traveling with them, parents find themselves noticing things that they
would otherwise have overlooked or missed. Traveling with little ones teaches us to be more informed about the place we’re visiting – so that we can answer their endless questions. It teaches us to be well prepared – for little allergies
or demands. And it teaches us to be more grateful for little things – like a
bowl of hot Maggi on a cold morning? Yeah, it is pure bliss. Travel can be a
very rewarding, as well as a character developing experience, for the entire
family, if you take advantage of the opportunity. Learning should never stop,
they say, and travel shouldn’t either!
4. The Gift of Experiences
Contrary to what the TV and
magazines have us believe, our kids do not need a room full of toys to be
entertained. The best entertainment we can provide for our kids is a life full
of memories and moments that they will cherish for life. Some experiences fulfill us, while others teach us a lesson. Both are equally important. Whether
it is a small hike on a Himalayan trail with the wrong shoes, or a Snow-Man with
your favorite (and very expensive) lipstick smudged on his lips, whether it’s
a rash you got from a tree or the spicy food you ate at a local dhaba – you will be laughing at it later,
narrating these stories in your living rooms, and the kids will take these
experiences with them for life.
5. Traveling with Kids Makes the Family Come Closer
Travel will help kids develop an
immense sense of home as wherever their family is, rather than it being a place.
Isn’t it beautiful? Travel provides the opportunity for families to spend
quality time with each other, and bond over things that will become shared memories
you’ll cherish. The time you spend making memories, is the time you and the
kids will remember. Years later, someone will ask you “Where was that picture
of your daughter taken?”, and you’ll smile, remembering the time when you
carried her to the top of a small hill, looking for rabbits and finding
peacocks instead. “She’s dancing like the peacocks”, you’ll tell them happily.
So, there you go. People will tell you it’s a hassle to travel with kids, they
will tell you about snarky looks of fellow airline passengers or requests to ‘keep
it down’ from people on the train – and you might have experienced it yourself too.
You will have to be extremely well prepared, you will have to give it your all, yes.
But the joy of passing your love for travel on to your kids, is unmatched. Ingraining
a sense of travel and adventure in your child from the get-go could help the
entire family dynamic, and will help kids grow into good human beings.
“One of the under-reported stories of the internet is this: it constantly reports on what’s possible. Somewhere in the world, someone is doing something that you decided couldn’t be done.”– Seth Godin
Travel teaches kids a lot more than anything else ever can. Take
it from us, India’s Premier Adventure & Outdoors Travel Specialists since
1999. Come spend a family vacation with us at one of our Himalayan Ecological Lodges, and let the kids explore nature.
Happy traveling!
