Dear Kids.
Yes Yes I know….. Mama can be melodramatic! I get my sentimental swings on during our trips? Well, continue to indulge with me as you roll your eyes … whether it be over an amazing view, a nice song in the car or an enjoyable meal together. These are definitive moments that shape your characters – even unconsciously. In time, you will appreciate what you have experienced and what it has taught you. Take for example our recent road trip around the East and West Coast this Summer 2016. It was good to bond over meaningful conversations and move about with care and consideration for each other. Daddy and I can see how you’ve all grown from our travels and I beam at the fact that despite the selective hearing on my litany of Life Lessons, the experiences naturally transform you. Keep in mind the following as you journey further.
State College PA
Life Lessons Kids Learn From Travelling
1. Keep an Open Mind…
Your exposure to different cultures teaches you how things are very much relative. From refraining certain words said in public to religious beliefs that need to be respected. Travel opens minds.
A weekend in New Orleans LA
2. To Learn From What’s Around You…
Learning the history of actual places visited gives us a better appreciation of how communities were established. What business led to their proliferation and how women and children also contributed to progress. The disparity among people and how the lesser had to cope up with such inequalities.
Tour of Harvard University – Cambridge, MA
3. To Understand Others…
Travel brings you into contact with people whose lives are vastly different from your own. But what’s amazing is amidst the differences, people learn to communicate.
Audubon Park, Oak Alley Plantation and The Garden District – NOLA
4. To Have Confidence In Themselves…
Travel gives children confidence. Whether by exploring a city on your own, to practicing your math skills as you shop, making new friends, or having a go at a fast ride for the first time, the confidence that comes with these gains lasts a lifetime.
Hershey Park, PA
5. To See The World Globally…
Every country teaches the world and its history from its own perspective. Travel opens your eyes to learning the stories of other nations and accepting that some things work out similarly, while others may need to take different paths towards a better future.
Chatham and Nantucket MA
6. To Keep A Sense of Proportion…
By witnessing how other people live, some fortunate while others less fortunate, you are grounded in your existence. And you are somehow reminded that an individual’s effort may make a good difference, but what more if people work together.
The Garden At Boston Common, Newbury Street, Duck Tours by the Charles River, Quincy and Faneuil Markets and Legal Seafoods at Boston MA
7. To Be Resilient…
Longterm travel is an amazing lifestyle, but it isn’t always easy. Whether it’s emotional challenges or physical challenges, like extreme cold or long, long walks, or frustrations like being stuck in the airport for hours, travel teaches you patience and strength.
A Week in NYC
8. To Try New Things…
From trying new dishes to holding an infant alligator or riding a Duck to explore surroundings, travel brings children new experiences to try every single day. This reduces any fear of the new and builds a bank of life experiences some adults will never acquire.
Food Escapades along Bourbon and Royal Street NOLA; Restaurant Des Familles and Airboat Adventures around the Swamps of Louisiana
Birthday Celebrations in Old Town and The Gas Lamp District – San Diego CA
9. To Be Wise…
To understand the needs and sensitivities of different people, the history and beliefs of different cultures, and the elaborate workings of a big and complex world is, I think, wisdom.
Exploring Old Town and Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego CA
“Experience, Travel…. These are as education in themselves. ”
As much as we could serve the World to you, we can only provide you with so much. Strive to be successful so you can continue to grow with travel and later on …. treat us as well. Never forget our experiences (skim through our Photo books from time to time) and let them all serve as inspirations.
Love,
Mama
Where In The World is Penny K 