How often do you travel as a family? If you haven’t been on a vacation at least once this year, it’s time to start planning one. It doesn’t matter if you prefer a luxurious trip abroad or a simple family getaway in a nearby town. What is important is that all of you, as a family, get to visit some new places and experience the joy and beauty of traveling together.
It is more than the fun.
Traveling is really good for you and your kids.
Below are some of the best reasons why you should go on a family trip from time to time:
Take a break from life’s daily stress.
Every family has their own share of stress, challenges and difficulties. Most families spend each day dealing with tasks, deadlines, and many other activities. Unfortunately, these little stressors add up and without you knowing, you are all burned out, anxious, and emotionally unwell. And even if it may seem that they have time for play and rest, even your kids get stressed too! It could be due to schoolwork, peer pressure, extracurricular activities, household duties, and so much more. There’s no doubt that many people travel to relieve stress. Traveling gives you a break from your daily routine. It is an opportunity to have fun, bond as a family, and just enjoy the moment, leaving all your worries behind.
Connect deeper with one another.
One of the biggest challenges that many parents face especially with their teens is trying to connect and relate to them. Let’s face it. Sometimes teenagers seem to hail from a different planet. Traveling is a perfect opportunity to connect and bond with your kids. Involving them in the whole thing – from planning and choosing a destination to packing – will make you understand them more and relate to them. Also, traveling promotes opportunities for a lifetime of discussion. You will know more about their interests, goals, and other things that they might be too hesitant to share with you in an ordinary day.
Learn together as a family.
Experience is the best teacher, so they say. Traveling as a family is like taking a class without having to be in the classroom! Children are very curious. They like to learn as much as they can. Traveling broadens their horizon as they learn about new cultures, geographies, etc. It also teaches them how to deal with challenging situations in life, socialize with other people, and respect other people’s traditions. Whether using FlyingKids’ Travel Guides, searching the internet before or during your trip or just watching and learning from locals - your kids can learn and get great benefits from being in another place. Even adults learn a lot from traveling too. You will surely discover something new with every place you visit.
Develop better appreciation.
Children are very inquisitive and mindful. And these qualities make them perfect travel buddies! Why? Because having them around makes a family see things that they otherwise would have not noticed. Traveling as a family more often also trains you to be more appreciative of the things around you – from the lakes, streams, plants and trees to the moments of just being with the people you love the most.
Create priceless memories.
Taking time to create positive memories together that will be reminisced later on gives every family such a magical feeling. When you go on a trip, give your little kids activity books and journals where they can record their experiences and immerse themselves even further into the beauty of traveling.
These are just a few of the many benefits of traveling as a family. So stop delaying that family vacation you’ve been thinking about. Plan a trip. Pack your bags. And let the journey begin! Remember, all these benefits apply whether you’re traveling afar or close to home. Everyone benefits from a little getaway.
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Check out our Kids' Travel Guide series and maps for kids. Now, more than ever! Teach your kids about the world!
I’ve raised my kids to believe in the power of making memories versus buying things. I have one child who is difficult in this concept, I am not sure if it’s his high functioning autism or just his personality, but he struggles with grasping this concept now that he’s a tween :( I love making memories with my kids and live very simply.
Some of my favorite childhood memories are of trips we took as a family. We all looked forward to those trips. As an adult, I prefer to give gifts that are experiential. Physical gifts are nice but there is just something about a shared experience that has a long-lasting effect for both parties.
Kids like to ask a lot of questions and with that they learn. My kids teachers are always asking me where they get their knowledge and say, “I bet you read a lot” and I just laugh. My kids won’t pick up a book to read unless they’re looking at pictures. They learn because they like educational tv shows and they like museums and walking in nature. They like to pretend and vacationing somewhere is a BIG adventure where they can learn. I hope that we can do more traveling vacations, but they are certainly learning from the little mini trips we take around our state, so that’s still a start.
I believe what you say is a deeply profound truth. And we’re proof! We applied what you’re recommending and although my kids are grown with families of their own, we STILL make great memories by traveling together, once a year. Ince the pattern started, it just kept rolling!
We love to travel as a family, it is a great way to make memories :)