Traveling with kids can be fun—and challenging. Here are some tips to get your children excited about your next trip, plus practical ways to keep it stress-free
Watch travel-related movies and read books set in foreign locations
Picking the right book or movie is a great way to get your kids interested in a particular location. Presenting a trip to Great Britain as a chance to explore some Harry Potter
Introduce foods by country
The dinner table is a great place to teach your kids about the rest of the world. Select at least one day a week for international or regional night. An upcoming trip to New Orleans means enjoying beignets, a vacation to Italy means pizza or their favorite pasta, and a hop over to Paris means sweet macarons. Trying different food at home will familiarize your kids’ palate with various meals, this makes it more likely that eat more than just burgers and fries abroad.
Pick the right museums
There is no reason to skip a viewing of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre or The Starry Night at MoMa, but you should also consider more interactive destinations. Excellent options include the American Museum of Natural History with its massive dinosaur collection, the National Air and Space Museum with its focus on aviation or the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, which actively encourages kids to interact with their exhibits.
Animals!
Select locations that give your kids an opportunity to interact with wildlife. For instances, you could go snorkeling off the coast of Honduras in the Bay Islands, which features crystal-blue waters and thriving aquatic life. Other great ideas include visiting towns with petting zoos or animal sanctuaries, riding an elephant in Thailand or India, or getting up close and personal with the animals at Tiger Island in Australia.
Visit natural wonders
Adults are not the only ones who are captivated by the planet’s natural beauty. Kids are just as likely to appreciate a Grand Canyon rafting tour, a safari to view lions and cheetahs at the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya, or the lava flow from Costa Rican volcanoes with howler monkeys yelling in the background as they are a big city filled art galleries and upscale restaurants.
Let your kids bring a friend
Most of your traveling will take place during school breaks. Some kids would prefer to hang out with their friends rather than travel to another country. Consider taking one of their friends along for the trip. While this can introduce new challenges, adding a friend can greatly enhance the trip.
Significant updates and edits were made from the original article.
Featured Photo © Gennaro Salamone
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Gennaro Salamone is the founder and editor of Enduring Wanderlust. Please contact him with questions regarding article or photo submissions.