Mindfully Travelling with Kids

Post pandemic travel is most definitely on the cards again for many of us. This summer we're travelling overseas again for the first time since 2019. Whilst preparing to travel with a 6 year old, it reminded me of all the wellbeing benefits that travel has to offer. I'm looking forward to showing him a bit more about the world!

When my now 13 year old daughter was young, we travelled quite extensively as well as living overseas for 6 years. I can see the positive impact these experiences had on her. She oozes wanderlust and dreams of own travel adventures that she plans to take when she is old enough. She has spent hours researching travel routes and has a wonderful thirst to see new places and experience different cultures. 

Climate issues aside, travelling mindfully as a family is a beautiful thing. Here's a few reasons why ...

• develops children's (and maybe the adults!) curiosity about the world
• provides time to slow down, be mindful of the moment you are in and relax
• gives opportunity to develop social skills and build new friendships
• gives space for family time and encourages connection through quality time, meaningful conversations and being present for each other
• builds positive memories
• encourages adaptability
• encourages flexibility
• develops independence and responsibility
• chance to learn about diversity and develop acceptance of differences
• chance to learn new facts or about the past, broadens thinking
• encourages trying new things
• develops confidence

To get the most out of your mindful travel, you might consider some planning ahead. Of course, travel can be stressful at times so being well prepared will help keep everything running smoothly and enable everyone to enjoy the journey as well as the destination. You can encourage mindfulness whilst travelling through games like 'I spy' or simply engaging your child in some people watching. I always find it an interesting experience to take a moment to step back in busy environments such as airports or train stations and just watch. 

When you've arrived at your holiday destination, consider asking your child some questions that encourage reflection and observation each day. Some ideas include learning a new word from another language, observing how the place feels different to home, closing eyes and listening to surroundings, conversations around the culture, stargazing and noting what sort of food is on the menu. Of course, if you've chosen a beach holiday, the shore line offers many mindful opportunities just because of the proximity to the water! Hmmm, the sounds of waves lapping at the shore ... Annnnd relax. 

We know how easy it can be for good intentions to drift, so we've created a printable Mindful Travel Journal for Little Explorers! It provides two weeks of structured journal entries that you and your child can fill in each day that helps them become curious travellers and nurtures global citizenship!

You can download My Travel Adventures here:

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How do you plan to incorporate mindfulness into your family travel?