{"id":9068,"date":"2021-10-20T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-20T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vacayou.com\/magazine\/?p=9068"},"modified":"2025-02-11T10:31:24","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T15:31:24","slug":"why-family-travel-matters-and-is-good-for-you-and-your-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vacayou.com\/magazine\/why-family-travel-matters-and-is-good-for-you-and-your-child\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Family Travel Is Good For You & Your Child"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Traveling with children or grandchildren. Probably not the most relaxing way you imagine spending a vacation. I mean, between the extra carrying around, the not sleeping as much and the additional planning involved, you would think that family travel is very far from relaxing\u2014more like exhausting\u2014right?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know what? You\u2019re absolutely correct. Hear me out, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jump to:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. You Spend Time Together<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. You Interact with Different Environments<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. You Disconnect from Your Routines<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. You Activate New Life Skills<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. You Awaken Your Curiosity<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. You Expand Family Well-Being by Including Grandparents\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Did you know that family travel could also be a resource to help you not only create, but sustain that \u201cready to conquer the day\u201d feeling and positively impact your overall family well-being?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As a \u201ctravel mama\u201d of two little ones (and one on the way), I\u2019ve experienced more than my share of overwhelm and body aches. What I remember most from every single family travel is the good times and the happiness we built together; as well as the learning and social skills, and emotional intelligence instilled in my children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Six Benefits of Family Travel <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Are you ready to give family travel a chance? Here are six ways in which family travel matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. You Spend Time Together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Family<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    But not any type of time. Not like the one you spend at home between daily routines. It\u2019ll be quality time you get to spend with your partner and your child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Time when you\u2019ll discover, learn and figure out new things together. Time building excitement while at the same time building patience. Sometimes you\u2019ll get to run around laughing; other times you\u2019ll learn to be comfortable just BEING with each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you travel with your children, you\u2019ll reap experiences that\u2019ll last forever. You\u2019ll go to bed somewhere around the world smiling while you talk about the wonders that you\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You\u2019ll get to spend time that you wish could stand still\u2014becoming aware and appreciative of what\u2019s happening in the present moment<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. You Interact with Different Environments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Children<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    When you bring yourself and your family out of what\u2019s familiar\u2014it can be a bit intimidating at first\u2014but, you\u2019ll start building new brain connections about the way you perceive the world while you also stretch your comfort zone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Travel opens the doors to the unfamiliar and lets your family interact with different places, cultures, people and languages. When you expose your children to what\u2019s different, you teach them to be flexible, tolerant and welcoming. Behaviors and characteristics that they\u2019ll take with them and strengthen as they grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Family travel invites children to question and wonder. It builds a sense of understanding of the world and how they get to interact with it, which enhances their wellness by creating self-belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. You Disconnect from Your Routines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Family
    A young boy looking thru a telescope at sunset with his father.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Even if you don\u2019t have a routine at all! When you family travel you\u2019ll bring yourself out of your \u201cdaily ordinary\u201d which can include a lot of fun things, but could easily become draining, monotonous and uninspiring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve found that as a working-from-home-mom, every time I return from family travel I feel recharged in mind and body, and usually bring back tons of new ideas for my business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Taking our kids away from a routine through travel sparks excitement and can boost creativity for older kids. For younger kids and babies, family travel is a great way to stimulate and awaken the senses by doing activities that you typically don’t do at home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Imagine being able to enjoy a Turkish breakfast in Istanbul one day or stargazing at a national park another. These are the moments that you and your kids will cherish, and the ones that will build your unique family memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. You Activate New Life Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Children<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Although kids are natural learners and explorers throughout their entire childhood, this statement is especially true for babies up until three years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the first few years of a child’s life, we are setting the foundations for how they\u2019ll understand, relate and react toward things, people, situations and challenges for the rest of their lives. The moment we choose to travel with them, we immediately maximize the sources from where this fundamental knowledge will come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When children are able to learn simple concepts like say, water, through the lens of travel, they\u2019ll unlock a deeper dimension of understanding. They will not only know how water looks like, but they\u2019ll also be able to taste it and see it move in the ocean; they\u2019ll be able to feel it and smell it in a rainy forest. They\u2019ll get to see it far from a plane or very close from a boat. Flowing, still or frozen. They\u2019ll see water in so many colors! Pink in Mexico or turquoise in Croatia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Family travel can help boost your child’s wellness and mindfulness by giving them an overall broader understanding of the world and how they relate to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. You Awaken Your Curiosity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Curious<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Oh, the wonders of seeing everything through your child\u2019s eyes. Wouldn\u2019t it be awesome if we, as adults, could hold on to these magic lenses that as children we get to have? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But wait\u2026 we can! And traveling with your child can give you one of the quickest ways to access this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Just as they are natural learners, kids are naturally curious little beings. In fact, a lot of the things we learn as kids, we do thanks to our innate curiosity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How do you think we learned that some foods are spicy? Or that the sun \u201cgoes to sleep\u201d at night? We asked questions and let ourselves discover. But then we grow up, and we suddenly stop looking at the world with wonder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Travel can help you regain that curiosity, especially if you travel with an inexhaustible and expandable source of curiosity, Yep, your children! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Next time you family travel, tap into your inner child<\/a> and join your kids on their world-exploring journey. Get sand on your feet, get ice cream on your face, and open yourself to the laughs and sense of wellness you\u2019ll all feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6. You Expand Family Well-Being by Including Grandparents <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Grandmother<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    When we think about family travel, our first thoughts might take us to traveling with younger children. Family travel can actually include many types of travel. Traveling with teens, traveling with siblings, and of course, traveling with our beloved gramps and gams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    By including grandparents in your travel plans, you can boost your entire family\u2019s health, mindfulness and well-being even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n