Many people do all their traveling and get the travel bug out of their systems before having kids. They think that once the kids come along, travel would be a thing of the past. Well, they’re wrong. One of the greatest joys is seeing the world through your child’s eyes. Here are 15 tips to prepare your kids for travel :
1 – Include Travel In Your Bedtime Reading
Show them the pictures of great monuments, parks, animals, zoos, ships and explain they’ll be seeing all those things soon. Infuse them with travel lust.
2 – Prepare Them For Air Travel
Make them look forward to flying over clouds and oceans; this will take the dreariness out of air travel. At the same time, explain how things are done on a plane such as food and beverage service, when to use the overhead lights, seatbelts and so on. Also teach them to respect other travelers’ privacy.
3 – Tell Stories Of Past Travels
Once, when I was climbing the steps of a temple in India, a monkey landed on my shoulder and riffled through my bag. I was terror-struck for a minute but then just stood still till the monkey decided my bag wasn’t worth it. On subsequent strolls, I always took peanuts along – Stories like this will thrill your kids and make them anticipate the travel much more!
4 – Watch Travel Videos Together
Watch videos of travel programs with your kids; point out different places and if you’ve been there, share your experiences with them. There’s a great program called ‘The Little Travelers’; you should be able to get their videos online.
5 – Get A Large Globe Or A World Map
Imagine what fun your kids will have tracing your planned travel route on a map! You can get them to pin little notes on the map of what they plan to do in each place. Get them on Google Maps and let them look at satellite pictures of monuments and parks.
6 – Make Travel Collages
Let your kids cut pictures from back issues of National Geographic and create destination-based collages. Alternatively, use a Google Image search and print great travel pictures.
7 – Try Out Some Recipes from Your Destination
Food is an area where you might face some issues with kids. For example, if you’re traveling to China, Thailand or India, they might not take well to native flavors – Try and get them used to different food by having a ‘travel food day’ each week. Try making spicy momos this week and some roti-dhal-curry next week to get their palates accustomed to trying different tastes.
8 – Explain How Transportation Works
If your kids are really small, you might have to explain how planes, trains and buses take us to different places. Let them know in advance that they’ll have to leave pets behind or you’re in for some major tantrums.
9 – Prepare them for The Culture Shock
Watch videos of what people at your destination eat, how they eat, what they wear and how they live. If possible, make some costumes similar to what people wear at your destination.
10 – Ask Your Friends to Share Their Travel Videos And Pictures
If you know anyone who’s traveled with their kids, get some pictures and videos from them. Watching kids they know having fun and doing different things in foreign places will ease your children’s fear of going into the unknown.
11 – Let Your Kids Help You Pack
When the time comes, allow your kids to help you pack their stuff. You can also give them a small backpack each to store their little treasures for travel. This will help prepare them and make them less insecure.
12 – Help Them Make a List
Let them study the various attractions at your destination and make a list of places where they want to spend more time. Let them write or explain exactly what they want to do there. Make a game out of it!
13 – Introduce Them to The Historical Aspects
If your child is 6 years old or older, it’s a good idea to turn your travel-video-watching into a history lesson. Explain holidays such as the Guy Fawkes day in Europe and its significance. These details will help them appreciate the places they’re about to see without getting overwhelmed with sensory input.
14 – Teach Them Airplane Etiquette
Avoid potential embarrassments by preparing beforehand about airplane etiquette. Let them know that they are expected to be polite to the other travelers and the staff and that if they want something, they should ask you instead of screaming. Also explain security zones and why they’re not allowed to run everywhere.
15 – Teach Them A Few Words In The Local Language
Learn a few words and phrases along with your kids and then practice talking to each other. They’ll love it especially when they’re able to communicate to people at your destination with their new-found knowledge!
About the author: Zoha is a contributor to Adrenalin. She has written many guest posts on travel, adventure and other topics. Her favorite experiences include helicopter flights in Sydney and riding a hot air balloon over Melbourne.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Noel Abejo.