by Normand Schafer, Far and Away Adventures –
As a kid growing up in the interior of B.C., I never boarded an airplane until I was a teenager. I wasn’t entirely deprived of exploring the world – I’ll never forget family trips exploring the Rockies, going camping and especially driving our station wagon from B.C. down to La Paz, Mexico. For me these were defining moments in our time together as a family.
I ask people: “What are your favourite family memories.” Frequently the response involves an event that took them away from home, to a memorable location, for an unforgettable experience. Experiences don’t have to be extravagant or far away, but they do take preparation, planning and the sacrifice of time away from work, school or the garden.
As the father of seven children, I include my family in my world travels and have successfully infected my kids with the travel bug. I’m not sure how my wife or children would answer the question about their most memorable family experiences. For two of my kids it may be when they were 12 and 13 years old and flew by themselves to meet up with me in Iceland to join me for the second half of a business trip. Or when my 14 and 15 year old bused around Guatemala with me to volunteer in orphanages. Would it be the time we spent in our motorhome for two months driving across Canada? Or would they say the time we left school and work, bought a sailboat and sailed from California for a year-long voyage through the South Pacific Islands to Australia?
I don’t think it’s the destination that really matters; to me it is all about the time together and how we spend that time. Here are a few tips on how to make the most of family travel experiences.
Build anticipation and talk about it early. Surprising kids with a trip is cool but the anticipation of the trip is what really starts to build your family through the discussion and planning process.
Plan what you will do when you get there. While too much structure can be restrictive, too little planning can drive people to their electronic devices. Plan key games or activities that get everyone interacting with each other, such as climbing trees at a zipline elements park.
Set electronics ground rules before you leave. If you or your children spend lots of time on smartphones or gaming, decide if you want to leave the devices at home or agree together in advance when they will be used. Lead by example and realize that work will not fall apart if you turn the phone off, even if you have to pick up the pieces later.
Let down your hair and have fun. Do something a little crazy, scary and unusual. Your kids will love you for it and will never forget it. My teenage kids still delight in knowing they convinced my wife to scream as she swung from a rope and harness under a 300-foot-tall trestle bridge.
No matter what you do or where you go, create memories with your family and kids. You’ll never regret building travel memories together. I still have never heard anyone reflect on their life and say: “I wish I had spent more time at work.”
