Have you ever had a conversation with someone that has endless stories of different countries they have been to and all their unique experiences? It’s amazing when you meet someone young that has traveled to many different countries and is cultural insightful. When you ask how have they been to so many places and they respond that they traveled with their family you get a sense of envy and think that’s so awesome. You wish your family had gone on great vacations abroad and that you had those types of experiences yourself.

Traveling abroad on a family vacation is one of the greatest things a family can do. Yet it is amazing on how many parents will leave their children behind when taking vacations abroad. Many times they feel it’s too expensive, too dangerous, or just too difficult. What’s worse is when families don’t even take time to go on a vacation!

Life gets busy and we tend to get caught up in our daily routines of life. Between work, school, and all the extracurricular activities we plan for our kids we let time pass by without taking breaks to enjoy life. Family vacations are the best way to break the norm, to slow down and relax, re-energize, and take the time to spend with one another with quality time and conversation.

By getting rid of all the clutter and noise in our day to day lives the door opens to actually having the time and focus to engage with one another in quality conversations and build stronger relationships with our family members. Traveling abroad together brings shared lifelong memories that bring families closer together. Families that travel together experience a special bond and build once in a lifetime experience.

Going on a family vacation abroad can actually be affordable, safe, and done without a lot of difficulty. The benefits of a family vacation in a foreign land are plentiful. Being out of your element is the best way to break the norms and remove yourselves from distractions, giving the time to actually spend quality time with each other. Experiencing different cultures, learning the history of other parts of the world, tasting the food of another nation, and seeing the amazing geography of our planet, as a family is something no one will ever forget. No one ever is shy about showing off family photos with a backdrop of a Caribbean beach or a famous landmark.

Family travel also enhances a child’s life by expanding their view and understanding of the world and other cultures. It exposes them to new experiences and teaches them more about the world we live in. Children that experience world travel become well rounded and get to experience things outside their routine lives at home. They learn more about geography, cultures, different languages, and get to learn how other people in the world live. It can create new interests and teach them things they can’t learn in a classroom or a book. Travel breaks kids away from the use of electronics and video games and allows them to interact with interesting people from all around the world.

Some family travel myths are traveling with children is difficult, expensive, and stressful. The reality is that traveling, as a family with children, can be stress free and easy once you learn how. There are actually a lot of benefits during travel you can take advantage of that make travel more enjoyable, like special treatment by the airlines, pre-boarding, access to family lounges, many others. The earlier a child starts traveling the more it becomes second nature to them and the better travelers they become.

Taking a family on a vacation abroad can actually be just as affordable as a vacation within your own country. Many times airfare to fly to the Caribbean or Central America can be the same price as flying between major US cities. Renting a house, villa, or condo in foreign country can actually be cheaper than staying in a hotel in a major US city. Groceries and eating out can be less expensive as well. If you do your research before getting to your travel location you can find a lot of amazing deals on lodging, places to eat, and on excursions while you are there. The Internet is filled with endless resources, recommendations from other travelers and travel agencies, and discount opportunities.

Another myth is traveling with kids can be dangerous. Did you know that many of the large cities in the USA are more dangerous and have more crime than many third world countries, yet we wouldn’t even worry about taking our families to many of these locations. Tourist crime is typically less in third world countries that depend on tourism for their survival. Now there are definitely locations around the world that are not safe as a tourist, but there are thousands of locations and beautiful locations that offer a safe environment for family vacations.

A big concern of taking children out of your country of residence is what if they get ill or hurt while traveling, especially outside the country? There are typically good medical clinics that go above and beyond to take care of foreign travelers. Planning ahead by getting some inexpensive travel insurance and bringing some common medical supplies can help relieve this concern. The reality is you can get hurt anywhere and traveling abroad doesn’t add to the risk.

Couples sometimes think that taking a vacation alone will give them time to relax and spend some romantic time together. Yet while on vacation they can find themselves more stressed constantly wondering if their children are safe and all right. Added is the stress of knowing that if something were to happen it would take a long time to get back home to them.

Bringing children on family vacations and travel will provide lasting shared memories and enhance your children’s lives beyond any other experience at home you can give them! – Bring Learn Grow