The importance of travelling for children  by Nyemade Brewer
The importance of Travelling for children
Travelling is a great way for children to expand their view of the world. With more open-mindedness to different cultures and ways of life, children who travel develop a better appreciation and deeper culture ethnicity.
Travelling across the globe can be costly, however families have to plan their trips long in advance to get better prices, budget and save to make a trip.
I have lived on east coast of the United States for the past 30 years. My love for travelling has rubbed off on my children. As they have travelled over the years, they have come to appreciate where my husband and I were born, Monrovia, Liberia. Prior to that, they wanted very little to do with the culture or it’s food.
When they were in elementary and middle school, we went on vacations often. It was easy to ask the teachers for a weeks worth of homework and lesson plans. We first started taking them over North America and its surrounding territories.
To name a few:
Florida –Disneyland/Cape Canaveral- They explored cultures around the world. My oldest daughter, now a a senior in high school, did an excellent report of her first hand experience about the Kennedy Space Center in the 6th grade.
Williamsburg, Virginia-Jamestown settlement, my middle daughter, now a sophomore in high school wrote a report about her experience in the 4th grade. They had a blast at Busch Gardens. It created lots of excitement for them and allowed them to see and experience a different kind of history.
New York, New York. -Times Square& The Empire State Building which made another great report. Great Broadway shows. There is no city like New York. We still visit New York City especially around Christmas. We created a top 10 list of places to see whenever we visit.
Canada- Did you know that Montreal is Europe in North America? My kids got to practice their French speaking skills the entire time.
California- We decided to leave the Atlantic Ocean and visit the Pacific Ocean. We’ve made several trips to California. Driving from Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast Highway was breathtaking. Los Angeles was unbelievable. – Hollywood walk of fame!! Beverly Hills!! Yes, we did the celebrity house tour. San Diego was lots of fun. Best weather on the continent. We went to the San Diego Zoo-A wonderful school report derived from the Zoo. The kids liked Legoland and had fun visiting Knottsberry Farm.
San Francisco was totally awesome. Alcatraz generated another school report. We biked across the Golden Gate Bridge, from San Francisco to Sausalito. Great pictures of me driving on Lombard Street, yes it is ridiculously crooked.
Mexico- There we got to try authentic churros from a local shop while enjoying shopping in the city. Authentic Mexico was even more fun than the popular vacation spots.
One of my most favorite times was our trip to Hawaii, Not only did the girls get to write the most beautiful reports on Pearl Harbor, but they also got to experience it and visit the historical sites. Seven years later they still talk about the Polynesian Village. We saw beautiful islands, the most famous volcanic crater in the world, Diamond Head which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, and wonderful waterfalls.
The Caribbean- Bahamas, Bermuda, & Jamaica. These islands have the most beautiful and bountiful fruits-mango, & papaya, to name a few & beautiful blue water and white sands that stretch for miles on end. In the Bahamas we went jet skiing, parasailing and mixed with the locals. In Jamaica in visited the birth home of Bob Marley. These islands are also rich with history. More school reports.
In 2004, we had our 3rd child. She is 12 years younger than my oldest. This has not stopped us from travelling. At age 3, we took her to Disneyworld, and followed up with a beautiful cruise to the Bahamas. She managed to snag the “best dancer” award in the 2-3 year old group on the cruise ship. She had a blast, so did our teenage girls.
The whole family wins with a cruise. You get to pamper yourself, while the kids enjoy themselves with children in their age group. The teens get to enjoy teen safe club rooms, playing sports on deck, and a variety of all you can eat buffets. I love the formal nights. The entire family gets dressed up and we enjoy the professional photos taken. The dinner isn’t bad either. I love the various shows and my husband sometimes sneaks off to the casino or the buffet. Thank goodness most ships have full service gyms.
With the older girls in now in high school, they often participate with school and sports club planned trips. They now view life in such a different way and are open to go and try new things. They even attend school and sport sponsored trips which has taken them to Europe- London, Madrid & Paris. In London, they saw Big Ben, and rode the double decker bus. From Paris, I received a phone call from the Eiffel Tower. In Madrid, they visited the Renaissance Museum. My soccer-mad middle daughter went to Liverpool, where she competed against academy teams from the Liverpool area. She really enjoyed meeting the British opponents after the matches. She discovered that teenage girls in North England are basically the same as teenage girls in America.
Our most recent trip was to Africa, Monrovia Liberia. The country is proud to have recently elected Africa’s first female president. The girls got to experience some of this euphoria. They were invited as guest writers for a local magazine. They also learned that teenagers in West Africa are pretty much the same as teenagers in the US. They also got a chance to appreciate and embrace the local foods. They visited orphanages and distributed donated clothing and gifts they had collected over the years.
Traveling has allowed my family to experience the wonders of the world. It has prepared my children to be independent and open-minded. Traveling is not always cheap, but there are many options to make it affordable. The option I chose was to become a travel agent. This has significantly reduced my family’s costs to travel. In these difficult economic times (or any other time) being a travel agent may be the best way to significantly cut your travel expenses. It’s easy and quick. You can get multiple fringe benefits; excellent discounts for your family. I really do enjoy sharing my experiences with other parents. Your family will benefit in so many ways. If you have the time, please visit my website for more information.
About the Author
Nyemade Brewer is a mother of three girls. She chose to become a travel agent when she realized the importance of family travel. This has greatly reduced her family’s costs to travel. You can do it too. It’s easy and quick with excellent discounts for your family. She really enjoys sharing her experiences with other parents. Your family can benefit in so many ways. If you have the time, please visit my website
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