Travel and Kids

SIA A380-800 Interior Panorama by Mads Bodker

A lot of families hesitate to travel internationally with kids. They are afraid kids will find the food unpalatable, they might fall ill or that it might be plain unsafe. Any one of these reasons would make the trip unpleasant for the adults. 

The pros for traveling with kids far outweigh the cons. Kids can learn:

• to appreciate other cultures and people
• to be tolerant of occasional discomfort, which makes them more adaptive
• they learn to handle long journeys where one cannot do whatever one wants to do
• they learn to adapt to new food and ways
• they learn to communicate sometimes while not knowing a language very well
• many a time kids help adults in looking up maps and information, which helps them learn map reading and sourcing information via timetable, boards or asking at counters
• when a plan falls through, they learn to adapt and move on
• while looking at museums or other such sights, they learn about history at the place it was made
• on seeing ancient buildings kids can comprehend how man has grown over time
• the flora of other countries helps kids understand how food on our table is from someplace very far away

Interestingly it is getting quite common for families to go on multigenerational trips. Three generations travel together and do a bit of everything that members of the group like. It is also a great time to bond with family. 

Kids always have a unique view and opinion about places adults travel to. They love some and hate others. At the end of the day the travel shapes them into who they are.