Moments, Memories and More: The Benefits of Travelling With Your Kids

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory” Dr. Suess

In today’s busy society of work, school, sports, extracurricular activities and all the pressure on our time, our family vacations have been the escape from regular life and its demands. Travelling with your kids comes with many benefits for both the kids and the parents (and grandparents).  

Moments and Memories:  A recent poll found that childhood memories are most often connected with family travel.  These memories can be anchors to remind them of positive family times as they grow older.  And as a parent, you have the opportunity to just enjoy those moments and be present with your children without distractions of work, or phones.  When we look back over our years as a family together, it is those vacation moments and memories that come up the most in conversations.  Since we travelled with our kids from a very early age, some of those memories are more mine than the kids but the experiences have shaped who my kids are today and through pictures and sharing of the memories my kids have felt that many of them are their memories as well.  When my daughter was 3 and my son was only 16 months we went to Disney World.  I had always said that I would never take kids that young to Disney World as I had seen so many kids crying and frustrated parents that it did not look like fun.  Besides, they were so young they wouldn’t likely remember it anyway.  But my sweet 3 year old was so into all the Disney Princesses and I thought if we waited we might miss the magic of that time. Then someone said to me that they may not remember but you always will.  So off we went.  As I watched her walk hand in hand with her Dad towards Cinderella’s Castle and then on her Dad’s shoulders watching the Disney characters in a stage show in front of the castle I had tears in my eyes as this was exactly the experience I had imagined for my family.  I have to say it was magical and my daughter can tell you many details about that trip because we talk about it often and she has looked at all the pictures.

As they have gotten older, they are creating their own moments and memories but most still include time together.  On our trip to Europe we had so many moments that have been cemented in our memories and re-lived at home.  The food was a big part of that trip and we have endeavored to recreate some of it around our family dinner table.  Besides the great food we met some fantastic local tour guides and one highlight was a tuk tuk ride through the streets of Paris at night having family pictures taken at all the iconic sites.

More: While family moments and memories are key benefits, there are so many more benefits.  Through our travels our kids have experienced other cultures.  They have seen how different people live, tasted some of the foods they eat and learned about history and geography in very tangible ways. We have often tried to make our vacations educational as well.  I remember on one of our cruises when the kids were younger we had wait staff from Portugal and the Philippines.  Each night at supper they would ask the wait staff to tell us one thing about their home country and write it down.  They were able to compile some great information about both countries that they shared with their class when they returned home.  Another great benefit of travel for your kids is to broaden their tastes.  I have a son, which I am sure many mom’s can relate to that was quite picky when it came to food.  It has been so great to see his tastes expand as we have travelled.  From the kid who would only ever order chicken strips and pizza to someone who was brave enough to try squid when we were in Greece, guacamole in Mexico and creme brulee in France. 

Although there are many more benefits, the last big one I will mention in this article is that travel develops independence in your kids.  When we are on a cruise, we have allowed our kids to have a lot more freedom as it is a secure and safe environment to allow them to explore.  They were able to go up on deck to get lunch on their own or get an ice cream cone all by themselves when they wanted.  They have learned to navigate airports, train stations and Metros (subways) in many different countries.  On our last trip I had my 16 year old daughter lead us through Newark airport and when we were in Paris she travelled through the train station all by herself in search of a bathroom while we were in a very long line for a taxi.  As well, they would be given their own spending money for the trip and were responsible to budget it and make choices on their purchases. All great skills to instil in your children. 

Consider this: How many toys that were under your Christmas tree do your kids remember?  When you invest in family vacation time together you will shape how your kids develop and create memories that will last a lifetime.