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Julies last blog post..Border Town: Tijuana/San Diego
As a child I moved all over (my Dad was a nuclear engineer, so we lived in a lot of garden spots: Arkansas, Eastern Washington, and so on), but my experiences living in Taipei at 10 were really formative. In college I did a semester at the UNAM in Mexico City (followed by 4 weeks of picking coffee beans on a plantation in Veracruz). As an adult, I jumped on an opportunity to live in England for 2 years.
Travel is genetic and contagious. I'd be surprised if your (hypothetical) kids didn't get the bug.
jamies last blog post..Dude, Where’s my Ranch?
Thanks so much for including us in your wonderful collection of family travel websites!
Family travel is much easier, cheaper and more rewarding than most people realize. We started our open ended tour of the world when our daughter was 5 and have visited 4 continents, 25 countries, traveled over 50,000 miles ( most on land and sea) and live large on 25K a year ( even though much of it has been in "expensive" Europe).
The keys are slow travel and extended travel to both keep prices down and immerse deeply. It has been enriching beyond our dreams and my daughter has already seen more of the world than most people will ever see. We stay long enough and match our homeschooling to our travels to deepen her experiences. Life as a field trip is beyond compare!
The other reward of family travel, especially extended travel is family bonding and shared experiences. My daughter rode a camel into the Sahara at 6 to play a violin concert for 60 Berber nomad kids who had never seen a violin and live with no running water. That was a peak experience that none of us will ever forget.
We have had so many of those and I am also grateful that my child has more time with her father than most do.
She has made friends with kids from all over the world, some that speak one of her languages and some that do not. Today she played for hours with German kids here on the Romantic Road. Soon we will be in the south of France and she will switch to French. Many of these kids she will be friends with for the rest of her life, especially the ones she meets while in our 15th century village in Spain for the winter or our longer stays elsewhere. She has even made friends from the internet and through our school collaborations!
Show your child the world! It is easier than you think and worth the effort. You will be so rewarded by the joy of viewing the word through a child's eyes and as a family.
We love the RV style for families so much that we will ship our RV to Africa and then onto South America next, both for long stays. We also like long term rentals, although we have tried every possible accommodation from 5 stay hotel in a 5000 year old cave in Turkey to a boat house in the middle of Amsterdam.
Books make travel more rewarding for kids as much as it does for adults, so I encourage you to do that. We do many itineraries based on good children's literature. There is nothing like reading Homer in Greece or Troy, Turkey and Harry Potter in UK or Astrid Lindgren in Sweden...even for a young one!
Remember too that slow travel and play is so important for kids, so schedule that in between the museums and sites.
Go for it, you will never regret it and you might just become hooked! It is a beautiful world, let your children experience all the glory!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn9rDTZj-m4
Soultravelers3s last blog post..Lucky Luarca, Austrias?
Gretchens last blog post..Wordless Wednesday
I *know* of so many families doing it (Hi SoulTravelers3!) and in creative ways (I have a Q&A on TravelingMamas.com re: the family biking from Alaska to southern tip of South America -- with their 11-year-old sons). But could *my* family really do it? I think hubby has to hire someone really great to replace him at his current job, training for a while, or sell his part of the company for us to be truly free-wheeling.
For now, we vacation as often as we can. But taking off on a road trip - or 6 month sabbatical in a foreign country w/ one home base and local travel - is one of my dreams. Gotta make it happen if going to make it a reality.
Thanks, Christine!
Amber's Crazy Bloggin' Canucks last blog post..Mr. Lord of the Gourds Visits the Super Bowl of Pumpkin Weigh-offs
I cocked an eyebrow at the title of the post because I wrote a book about traveling with my one-year-old for 13 months and was unable to find a publisher largely because editors felt like no one would want to read it ("I find it hard to believe that many other parents would want to take a trip like this one" is a direct quote from one rejection).
Like others in this small network, I've never seen WideWideWorld either and will be heading that way.
My blog is called The Mother of All Trips, and I describe it thusly: The Mother of All Trips is a place to get tips on traveling, to savor the adventures of other families, and hopefully to find inspiration for your own wonderful journey.
I tell lots of stories of both current and past adventures including recent trips to Vermont and Paris with my two sons.
Mara's last blog post: Mondays are for dreaming: Boston
Maras last blog post..Mondays are for dreaming: Boston
I currently blog about my various travels with my kids, accommodations, book reviews, and trip plans at http://www.wandermom.com. I'm also currently working on a book 'Traveling with Kids' in the Wanderlust and Lipstick series (http://www.wanderlustandlipstick.com).
Since my husband and I are both from Ireland, but we live in Seattle, I've had to travel with my kids - just to keep in touch with family. But, independent of family, we also love to travel, so we've been around the US, to Mexico, Australia, Fiji, Greece, Portugal and Italy with our boys too. We're currently planning an RTW trip, so I'm excited to read about the family on WideWideWorld.
Great post!
wandermoms last blog post..special times in seattle
Catherines last blog post..Deck Smarts
I'll admit that my world view is a bit skewed since I spend so much time reading travel blogs, but Mara, it's funny to read your comment, because I can't imagine (especially on the heels of Eat, Pray, Love) that parents wouldn't want to read your story & see the world through your eyes. Maybe the strength of the community we are building online will help change the mind of one of those publishers.
Debbie Dubrows last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DeliciousBaby/~3/414454618/" rel="nofollow">LittleJetSet.com Gift Certificate Winner
Maras last blog post..Mondays are for dreaming: Boston
I wrote the book "Jet With Kids" to address the flight process- from planning to arriving. I interviewed the people who see it everyday (flight attendants, gate agents, pilots, travel agents, pediatricians, etc.) for their expert advice.
As a nurse I cover the practical/medical side of travel - Have ear pain? Try www.EarPopper.com Safety on Planes? CARES harness. Organization in flight? TrayBien Hygiene concerns? PlaneComfort Cool snacks? IcyBag Food Allergy? PlaneSheets
I work with manufacturers, inventors, entrepreneurs, travel experts, physicians, etc. to find the best travel tips, products, and services.
Oh and my preschooler and I fly every month to meet with these experts. My son will be visiting his 15th country before he starts kindergarten. I grew up going to Germany where my grandma lived her whole life. My 4 yr. old was able to visit her twice before she died this year at 97.
Travel is an incredible gift. A personal invitation to join our traveling community at www.JetWithKids.com
Saras last blog post..Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Iowa
However, I was overwhelmed by how different it would be to travel with a child. So I asked the experts-
The key really is preparation - and paying attention to the small details. I can honestly say that I love traveling with my child - and I see the world differently and experience so much more by interacting with the locals (children are a conversation started all over the world!)
If you have questions - there are plenty of experts out here on the Internet to help!
www.JetWithKids.com
My 2 cents' opinion is kids should be brought along to travel when they are 5 years old and above as not much memories before that they could recall in future...
My experiences with travelling with her are all pleasureable. She is so calm inside the plane (despite long haul flights). No problem whatsoever for me. I am lucky. We will travel again to Jordan and Istanbul next spring.
Sandier Pasturess last blog post..13 Great animes by Hayao Miyazaki
My wife and I are so grateful to have the opportunity to share this experience with our children. They are learning a lot, but honestly, we're learning as much if not more from them... Seeing the world through their eyes.
When I was younger (before I had children), I didn't have the courage to take a trip around the world. I think I found the courage knowing that I would be with my three favorite people for a year.
Taking a year off to travel is very difficult for many families - and more difficult than ever considering the economic mess the world seems to be slipping into... But it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and I feel confident it will have been worth every penny and more.
Lastly, I want to say to others who want to do extended travel with their children - it is possible. It can be done. There are as many ways to travel with your kids as there are families that travel.
I have compiled a pretty comprehensive list of RTW families at www.thewidewideworld.com For anyone considering such a trip, I recommend spending some time reading through the blogs these other families have kept. Somewhere in that list you will find the right model for your trip.
Best wishes to all.
Craig James
http://www.thegoreport.com/family-travel/travel...
Safe Travels!
Misty, Founder
My Inspiration Lounge
http://www.myinspirationlounge.com
Cheers! Misty
My Inspiration Lounge
That said, I do think it's very important to travel with kids. My family constantly went on trips all over the USA in our minivan and I learned so much about life and myself on the road. Now as an adult, I can take those lessons learned and choose to move around as much as I want but I will always have a homebase and that feels nice.
And I didn't need my parents to make me learn French, or any other language for that matter - they tried that with piano lessons and I rejected it because it was forced on me. Learning French was my decision, I love it, and am now fluent. If your kids want to become language learners and world travelers they will. If not, hopefully those family vacations at least opened them to the possibility and to how other people live. My sister took the same trips I did as a kid, but just isn't that interested in travel or foreign cultures. And that's ok.
Tanyas last blog post..The City of Headlights
I grew up living all over and I think it was absolutely the best thing in the world for me and made me what I am today. I have had such a full and rich life due to that and I think it has increased my flexibility, adaptability, thinking on my feet, creativity and willingness to take risks, follow my dreams and own drum.
I want my child to have these same advantages and more. I want her to really know about the world and you can not really do that in a two week vacation. I would have been an extremely unhappy child if I had to endure life in one small town my whole life. The world is my home, so I am a free spirit, at home any where in it! That is what we want for our child and we find this journey enriches and expands her in such positive ways. Some personalities just thrive on freedom and change!
I have just the opposite experience than you with adults raised as "Third culture kids". I find them the most interesting, successful people I come into contact with! I am sure there must be some duds and I am sure some people who never left their small town can also be great, but over and over in my life my favorite people have had very enriched "third culture" lives.
Also many famous people have had that kind of upbringing and clearly it worked for them. I've read some interesting thoughts about Mozart and Michelangelo, proposing that they would not be who they were had their lives not been impacted by travel. They were both exposed to much more than their peers.
What happens in a young life does impact the future, but most of it depends on HOW it is done and also on the individual child. You will find the same thing with something like adoption or even catholic schools; some will thrive on it and others will always have a wound.
Today it is easier than ever to do extensive travel internationally as a family and more and more families are doing it. The internet takes away many of the disadvantages that supposedly make a TCK. ( Some people say there really is no such thing). Remember they were studied and named long before free Skype webcams, blogs and twitter etc, which all allow people/expats to stay close with their friends, family and home culture, while immersing deeply into another. Snail mail & expensive calls are a thing of the past. I know some traveling homeschool teens who collaborate from several states and countries, writing and making music for their band! We live in a fast changing world which is getting smaller and smaller.
My daughter talks constantly on free Skype webcam calls to grandparents, cousins and friends. She is not isolated like a child in the fifties living with missionary parents in China would be. We also are aware of the possible problems and make sure we support her in ways that the downsides can be avoided. Funny, but we are even closer as a family and closer and more connected with family at a distance than when we lived 20 minutes away! My daughter is still close to her friends at home and has deep connections in our village in Spain where we will spend our third winter soon. Meanwhile, she has more time with both her parents than most kids get which is the primary thing children need.
I like this Doctors take on it:
“It is never too late to build family foundations,” says Dr. Nicholas Levy, a pediatrician affiliated with the Univ. of California, San Diego, who advocates traveling sabbaticals for families. “Travel, particularly international travel, exposes families to different lifestyles that intrinsically bring families together.”
“Adaptation and accommodation are probably the most valuable lessons that we can teach our children,” Levy says.
Have you heard of anyone traveling overseas with a cat? It seems like they would be more of a hassle since they generally don't go for walks. Dogs you can take basically anywhere outdoors. Any traveling-with-pet blogs out there?
Nevertheless I persever in the hope that some of the experience will rub off - currently planning visit to Berlin with teenage daughter and friends in tow.
Heatheronhertravelss last blog post..Medieval frescos at Orosei - in Sardinia
I guess traveling internationally is like anything else people do with their kids. Some of the kids will thrive and love it and live their lives similarly in the future, and others will reject the lifestyle they were given and resent the way they were raised. Ah, the joys of parenthood :-) I can't wait!
Tanyas last blog post..Dollar vs. Euro, Round Two
As a mum and a frequent traveller for my business, I write for the Cookie Magazine travel blog http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/blogs/goingpl....
Tamaras last blog post..A pressing matter: cider-making in Herefordshire
It was time to slow down a bit, plan some more time for her too.
Jean-Francois Noels last blog post..Finding the Best Hotel in Paris
Yes, I know two women who traveled over a year in Europe by RV that took their 2 cats with them! We also traveled extensively with a cat to Mexico ( via small 6pack camper) and car using hotels.
Many RV fulltimers in US travel with cats and dogs.
In some ways cats are easier than dogs because they are small and you do not have to walk them.
Soultravelers3s last blog post..Sublime Santillana Del Mar