As parents, there is nothing we want more for our children than to see them grow up and achieve their goals in life. We want them to experience fun things that we have experienced. If you’re an avid traveller, one of the things you can do is to share your passion for travelling with them.
What better way to create strong bonds and share special moments than to take your family on memorable family trips? While travelling with children can seem like a daunting task, you can still make the experience go as smooth as possible.
All it will take is a little preparation and planning to help your kids develop the travel skills they need to become independent and capable travellers. There’s no better time to get them started while they’re young and eager to learn. Here are some practical tips to help your children become better travellers.
Encourage them to see the world
There is more to life than just staying at home and playing with electronic devices. The world is a vast place.
There are many sights and sounds to see. Your kids can learn to appreciate other places and people from different backgrounds at an early age. You can do this by sharing stories of your own journeys.
Nothing is more effective than storytelling because children love hearing stories. Aside from reading them the typical bedtime stories, you can get them a World Atlas and a globe.
Both are effective in showing them various countries, cultures, tradition, and its people. This will encourage them to be more open-minded and help them realise there is so much to see in the world.
Teach them to pack
Packing is a basic but essential travel skill. Kids between five to ten years old already know what they want to bring when going on vacations. It could be their favourite toy, blanket or other items they may consider important for the trip.
You can help your child get started by piling their clothes. Then sort out their other belongings and teach them how to pack efficiently. Once they get the hang of it, you’ll have more time and energy to do other things needed to prepare for your family vacation.
Learn some local words and phrases
This is an enjoyable activity you can do together with your children. By learning how to say simple phrases, like good morning, how are you, or where is the bathroom, in their native language, the locals will be more responsive and appreciate you more because of the effort you have put in.
Give them a travel journal
A simple notebook will do. Your children can write their experiences during your travels. They can read their entries and recall all the things they’ve seen, the food they’ve tasted, or whatever has caught their interest.
You can also take photos and include them in their travel journal. This is not only good for keeping souvenirs, but also develop their writing or storytelling skills. Who knows? They might even grow up to be a prolific travel blogger or journalist someday.
Teach them to be resourceful
When travelling, many things can happen beyond our control. Flights can get cancelled and hotels can get overbooked. So, it’s a good idea to teach your children to adapt and learn how to deal with stressful situations.
They can become more patient and improve their problem-solving skills, instead of throwing a hissy fit just because something doesn’t go their way. Teach them what to do In case they get lost.
We hope these basic travel skills will come in useful for both you and your children. And when you plan your next family vacation, remember to book an airport parking space, so you’ll have the convenience of using your own car when you return.
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