Travel.
A small word with a colossal meaning.
According to linguists, the six-letter word was first used in the 14th century. Humans, however, had been travelling for years before this time as this was a period of manic exploration. Travel today is quite dissimilar of course, with most passport-stampers travelling for work, and/or leisure - but there is one similar element that we get out of travel that can be linked back to any of these reasons for worldwide trotting.
Travel makes us happy.
Travelling essentially rewires the brain with brand new experiences that are inherently more valuable to our happiness than tangible goods. In fact, according to various neuroscientific studies, the experiences that we acquire during our travels, are actually key to building brand new neural pathways in our brain. This leads to us becoming more creative, adaptable, and accepting of new ideas, which in return, makes us happy!
We are natural-born storytellers, and even if a travel experience may have been a negative one at the time, it still makes for a great story doesn’t it? The connections and relationships that we make during these memorable voyages are ones that often last a lifetime, or at least make some of the best memories.
In recent years, however, families are not only taking their children on short trips to Disney World and all-inclusive cruises but are taking their beloved offspring along on these exciting, worldwide adventures as well.
Why take your kids along? Well, there are numerous benefits of travel for children, many of which I will be outlining throughout this article.
“Individuals have a broader understanding of ‘the way things are’, rather than the myopic outlook that can develop from vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
— Mark Twain
Travel Boosts Development
The benefit of making your child a citizen of the world is one that will significantly boost their development at a staggering rate.
While travelling, children learn in such a way that educational researchers refer to as “play-based learning”. This method of education boosts a child’s creativity and imagination and also helps with their linguistic development, literacy, and social skills.
In fact, the “Travel Effect” project, recently conducted a survey of over 2,500 adults. This study revealed that those who traveled regularly as children had above-average grades, higher educational attainment, and 12% higher than average incomes!
Through travel, a child is in direct contact with different cultures providing them with an educational opportunity to pick up new languages, discover the history, try new cuisines packed with fresh and exotic ingredients, and take in the general facts about the location including customs, traditions, philosophy, and beliefs.
Creativity & Resourcefulness
When a child is exposed to more than one culture, these fresh experiences stimulating all five senses essentially become a significant tool in their creative process. Extensive multicultural experience sharpens the child’s cognitive processes that help them to create, and capturing new perspectives from different cultures helps them to expand their own ideas and mind!
“…the more a child sees, hears, and experiences, the more he knows and assimilates, the more elements of reality he will have in his experience, and the more productive will be the operation of his imagination.”
— Vygotsky
Our brains are constantly filtering and organizing information, but when we are stagnant, sticking to familiar territory, our analytical capabilities are (metaphorically speaking) on cruise control. While travelling however, both children and adults alike are kept on their toes causing our brains to participate in more complex and higher-level thinking. This opens up a child to a more intricate sense of problem solving, analytical thinking, and resourcefulness.
Social Development
Social skills are fundamentally important for a child’s success in both academics, and in life. When children travel, it excels their social intelligence giving them the ability to practice the art of making new friends. Travelling deepens their empathy, compassion, understanding, and awareness of people, dispelling stereotypes and emphasizing on inclusivity.
Through Boundless Education, we are able to give the child a sense of community through their peers, educators, families, and friends, enabling them to learn the tools for developing meaningful relationships at an early age. It is from the Boundless Community that children can more easily transition into the local community with friends who are sharing the same adventure. This can also be said for the adults as well! Travel allows children to meet individuals that will only enrich their lives even further.
Independence & Self Awareness
From the long voyage to landing on foreign ground and settling into one’s accommodations, these daunting aspects of travel often present challenges, and finding one’s way around a distant land may take some effort. For children, experiencing these pitfalls of travel - getting lost, battling a language barrier, unsure of what to order on the menu - essentially builds character. It introduces courage, self awareness, and independence into the child’s persona. Children become more adaptable and flexible, which enables them to try new things, explore on their own premise, and build a strong sense of self. Travel presents a child with opportunities to develop important life skills and confidence through independent thought and action.
Travel Teaches Responsibility
Life on the road is quite literally “miles away” from a daily routine at home. Travel is the perfect time to give your child more decision-making opportunities and responsibilities. For example, letting them pack and organize their own suitcase and being in charge of their belongings, allowing them to help navigate directions, and giving them the chance to decide what they want to eat on the menu, are all great ways to instill children with a responsible attitude while travelling. These are great development skills that will help them adapt to various other areas of life as they grow.
Quality Family Time
And of course, one of the main reasons why parents nowadays are bringing their kids along for the ride is the memories that will be made. Travelling with family provides the chance to slow down, be together, and experience new destinations and cultures, all while taking videos and pictures, and snapping mental images that will last a lifetime.
At Boundless Life we provide families with the opportunity to slow travel with their kids and provide them with a unique experience that will enable their children to grow in a significant and positive way. Though travelling with children may seem like a daunting task, with Boundless Life, this prospect is made simple and easy. Our model gives young children safety, and stability, and also eliminates the many variables that can work against parents while travelling.
With Boundless Education, not only is your child enrolled in a progressive, forward-thinking, and transformational program, but is literally in the best hands with our amazing team of experienced educators. This program ensures that while you and/or your partner are at the Co-Working Hub working, engaging in some morning yoga, exploring the town, or simply just hanging out, your child is having the time of their life at the Education Centre.
There are also weekly activities planned for both the adults and kids - whether it’s wine tasting for the grownups, a pizza and movie night for the kids, or a fun beach day for the whole family, there is more than enough to do that ensures your family spends that priceless family time together.
“Travel has the potential to create a new narrative that teaches children about the similarities with others [and] lays a strong foundation, especially in the early years... We have the potential to raise a generation that knows how to live and coexist with each other.”
— Dr. Robin Hancock
