ADVICE RATING |
 5.00 (Highly recommend) from 38 votes (852 Visits) |
|
|
An Argument for Adventure Travel with Kids |
 |
by jenlemen  (April 2007) (rank 20th) |
|
We've never been the kind of family to take vacations--unless you want to count that weekend here and there cooped up in your aunt's living room looking at family photos. But this past year when one of our closest and dearest friends announced she would hold her wedding in South
Africa, my husband and I both felt deep down we needed to find a way to go. Everyone assumed we would go without our kids, but we decided we needed to have this adventure together as a family. Here's a short list of values that convinced us to ultimately take out a loan so we would all be able to go.
- We wanted our kids to learn early on that the sky's the limit when it comes to adventure. With Africa stamped in your passport, your sense of possiblity grows exponentially with every year. We knew we'd made the right decision when our youngest announced he needed to see Egypt next.
- We wanted our kids to understand early on that they are not the only people on the planet who have hopes and dreams for the future. As Americans, it's part of our heritage and national identity at times to think we live in the greatest country on earth. We had so many encounters that left our kids feeling like being African was out of this world. It helped too to hear stories that reminded us all that people from all over the world have longings and dreams for a bright and prosperous future.
- We wanted our kids to have a view of Africa that goes beyond poverty and AIDS. It's all gloom and doom on the television about the future of Africa. Swimming with wild African penguins, discovering interesting beetles and amazing flora and fauna convinced that Africa is about so much more than that.
- We wanted our kids to have real word experience when it comes to math, language, social studies and culture. Nothing like a handful of Rand coins in the grocery store and a good story from an apartheid era taxi driver to teach your kids about the history and economy of South Africa. They were fascinated.
- We wanted to send our kids the message that friendship is worth a trip around the world. When we watched our friend marry under a blue African sky with her eyes shining bright, we knew we'd make the best decision--even though we'll be paying for this trip (literally!) for the next three years. Our kids understand that we take friendship seriously and that it's worth going the extra (several thousand!) miles for the ones you love.
This might be the trip of their childhoods--the only time we leave the continent--but I hope not. Even though the trip came at a great price, we decided the adventure and lifelong memories were worth the cost--especially if our children emerge as more compassionate, open-handed world citizens.
What do you think? What crazy thing are you dreaming of for the sake of your kids? Comments open below.
