I have a couple of friends who met while they lived in different parts of the world; they fell in love, and spent years traveling to each other’s homes, and to new places to make new, shared memories.
These adventures became a part of who they are, and now that they have children, they are continuing the adventures.
The difference is that they now have three tiny humans to bring along for the ride, and are trying to find ways to get these fresh humans excited, interested, and involved in the places that they are being taken. They want them to be more than just “along for the ride”, they want them to be engaged in the ride.
But how do you get kids, more interested in what’s on the screen in front of them than on the real world, excited about a trip that their parents are planning?
You get them involved in the process.
Here are some tips on how to involve your kids in your trip-planning process and get them excited about traveling the world.
Pull out your globe, paper maps, and atlas
It is one thing to tell these little humans where you are going, but a whole other thing to show them so they can actually visualize the journey to get there.
Pull out a globe to show them the big picture, grab an atlas to give them a more detailed view, and then give them their own paper map of your destination that they can pour over it themselves (bonus points for a more interactive map that highlights points of interest).
Head to the bookstore or library
Now that your littles have a sense of where you are going, it is time to help them learn more.
Head straight to the travel section of your local bookstore or library (try to go to a physical space rather than just ordering something online, thumbing through books and pulling out something with attractive images is part of the experience here). Point your child to the section that contains information on the place you are traveling to and have them search through the books and find one that looks “good” to them.
Purchase or borrow the book for them to dig into at home.
Let them pick a day, an activity, or a site to visit
Now that they have a map and a travel book, give them the task of choosing their own adventure. Tell them that they can use the book that they picked up to plan a day (or less depending on how long you are traveling for), when the entire family will do everything that they want.
They will have to pick where you eat, what you see and do, and how you will get there. (Obviously, adjust this according to the age/comprehension level of your child).
Give them a budget to stick to, and a notebook for them to write down their itinerary in. And then have them present it to you, and the rest of your family, so that you call all get excited about their day on your next trip.
Get them a camera to document their own images and a journal to record their experience
If your child doesn’t already have a camera/phone to use to take photos, purchase a point-and-shoot (or a disposable camera if you want to go old-school), so that they are able to record the memory of the adventure that they have planned for your family.
Also encourage them to document the experience in a journal, so that they can keep track of all the trips that they had a hand in planning.
Photo above by Lara Jameson
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Meet The Author
Lindsay Shapka is an avid traveler and the creator of The Anthrotorian — a website dedicated to sharing travel tips, stories about adventures, culture quirks, artists you should know, fascinating bits of history, and more!
She is also an artist, marketing specialist, editor, and freelance writer who has work featured on websites, blogs, and in magazines like National Geographic Traveler.
Whether you are a super fan of art and history, or just want to say you've seen the Mona Lisa, a visit to the Louvre is a must-do if you are in Paris. This fortress turned palace turned gallery is now a massive, sprawling, and overwhelming collection of some of the most important pieces of human history.