Travel means something different to everyone, whether it’s a sense of freedom, self discover, seeing as much of the world as possible, or stepping away from the daily routine and relaxing from the daily stresses. Whatever your reasons, travel can have a huge effect which is why all parents should encourage their children to travel the world.

Why All Parents Should Encourage Their Children to Travel

Just as everyone has a different reason for why they travel, we also have different ways in which we like to travel: whether it’s throwing a single bag on your bag or heaving a giant suitcase through the airport, it may be going it alone, with a loved one or the entire family.

The problem comes when we talk to other people about our travel experiences: delayed flights, rotten accommodation, pick-pocketing, bad food, and even bad weather. All of these things can dictate how we recommend a destination to a friend or family member and worse when we project these opinions onto children.

I grew up believing travel was expensive, stressful and only done once a year. This is only true if you are a bad planner.

However, this post isn’t about how to plan a trip, it’s about why I truly believe all parents should encourage their children to travel the world.

3 things you should teach your children about travel from a young age:

You Don’t Have to Go Far

Treat every weekend like a potential adventure. Jump on a bus and take day trips to local areas. If you live in the UK you should know that it is a country full of fun and excitement that doesn’t require spending huge amounts of money. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of museums, castles, parks, natures reserves, beaches and forests just waiting to be explored.

The World is a Playground

Children are learning from the minute their born, their senses are on full alert. Allow them to see, hear and touch as much as possible. Whether you have a child who loves sport, or one that prefers to sit with a good book, by being out and about in the world they’ll absorb and discover much more than those who sit staring at a phone for hours on end.

People Are Inherently Good

Children generally, have an instinct about whether they trust people or not. The notion of “stranger danger” is brilliant and yes, children should be taught how to keep themselves safe and how to look out for dangers, but they should not be taught fear and mistrust.

What Travel Will Teach Them

Responsibility

Give children a task so they are involved with the planning of any trips: packing their own bags, looking through guidebooks. As they get older give then more responsibility by looking up trains times or arranging pet-sitters.

Independence

Nobody wants to be tethered to a child 24/7 so give them the opportunity to do things by themselves and watch as they grow up to be trusted, responsible and independent enough to run their own lives.

Personality

As a parent it is not up to you to decide how quiet or gregarious your child turns out, but it is up to you to give them the opportunity to decide for themselves. Whether they want to try extreme sports, laze on the beach with a book or spend hours wandering through museums, by travelling your child will discover for themselves what they enjoy. 

The world is naturally an incredible place full of wonder and intrigue, with landscapes, food, culture, languages and history, and everyone should have the chance to experience the world around them. 

Ultimately the job of a parent is very basic: to keep the child fed, clothed, loved and protected until they are old enough to fend for themselves, but there are other aspects of a parent’s role that will dictate the type of person your child becomes in later life: to encourage questions, learning and creativity and to instil respect and kindness.

The great thing is that if parents were to encourage their children to travel they would also be introducing these (and many more) things that would ultimately make their child an amazing human being in future.

How do you think parents should encourage their children to travel the world?

Let me know in the comments.