A question people sometimes ask me is, Why do you like to travel so much? To be honest, it never really occurred to me that travel was a preference; I always considered it a luxury and opportunity that everyone would take if given the choice.
As it turns out, I do have a hard time staying in one place. Growing up, my family spent a lot of time traveling, whether locally or overseas, and it taught me that a big part of experiencing life to the fullest meant spending it in different communities.
Still, I understand that not everyone loves travel. In fact, my own father is a bit of a homebody, traveling only for work and rarely, nowadays, for pleasure. In his free time, he’s content strolling through a garden, working on his paintings, reading and napping. Not bad, I admit.
So I have to ask myself what, if anything, helped cultivate that desire to get out into the world. And more importantly, I’ve thought about what I learned from traveling as a child, and why I think it’s important for other children to travel too.
1) The world is bigger than I thought. Within the domain of our own homes, it is easy for children to think that the world is only as big as the street we live on. Traveling, I was forced to follow along, to be flexible, to compromise my own preferences, to do some things that scared me. I had to sleep when I wasn’t tired and get up when I was, to eat things I hadn’t eaten before. Ultimately I think that was good for me, and I don’t regret those times I spent doing what I wasn’t interested in, but staying with the group. It taught me that I couldn’t do whatever I wanted, wherever I wanted, all the time.
2) I don’t need that much stuff. Admittedly, I used to be the souvenir junkie. As a child, I adored going to open markets and buying little trinkets and cheap jewelry. But, even as I hauled those keepsakes back home and placed them in my drawers, I would realize that I already had a lot of things that I didn’t necessarily remember owning. Traveling forced me to pare down to a suitcase on a regular basis. I learned, even if only subtly at the time, that I could live with less.
3) There are a lot of different people out there. It’s almost inevitable, as a child, to think that all the world eats, sleeps, learns, speaks, dresses and works the way we and our parents do. At least, that is the assumption that I made, until I started traveling. Interacting with people of different cultures– whether it was my family overseas or strangers at a new destination– I realized that my way of life was not, by any means, a standard. It was just one way.
4) On the other hand, people share many similarities. I had the opportunity to play soccer with kids in Costa Rica, to go hiking with friends in Asia, and participate in a Japan tour with a fellow 10-year-old girl from Australia. It was so easy to play, to laugh, to chat and to enjoy our moments together. At the core, I had realized, we weren’t that different from each other after all.
5) Home really is where the heart is. On longer trips abroad, I would miss my home. I would miss my bed, my friends, my daily routine. On certain trips I definitely missed the food we ate at home, too. But more importantly, I realized that when good relationships are built, home can be anywhere. The initial discomforts of a different way of life can be overcome by the growing comfort of new friends or old family members. In a way, I learned to be less attached to a house, and more attached to the people I loved.
Did you travel as a child? What kinds of trips did you go on, and what did you learn?
(Also, that top photo is of me and my cousin on the California coast– I believe I was about 5 and he was 3!)
I will be sure to do that!
Thank you Julie! I’m so glad you have a heart for travel– there are merits to staying home and relaxing, but I do plan to take my kids abroad too!
Absolutely! Let me know when you’re headed to Boston–even years down the road– I have tons of recommendations! 🙂
Boston is well in our travel plans. I want to see old Boston, Massachusetts, I just love the east coast all together and have little experience. (:
Lovely & thoughtful post. I traveled all the time with my family as a child although it was mainly domestic (save for a cruise to the Bahamas and Canada). But now as an adult, I’ve met many adults who never went anywhere on summer vacation/never went on family trips and so I know that I was still very lucky to have two parents who believed in the importance of having their children travel to other places. The world is indeed so much richer and larger the moment you step outside of your everyday surroundings (aka your comfort zone).
Ah thanks girl! I think I actually felt the same way about Taiwan. When I was in elementary school we would go yearly– and then in college I went every year too! It wasn’t until I brought my boyfriend (now husband) that I started to see Taiwan as a destination beyond seeing family and eating good food. I’m so glad you get to go back and “re-see” China!
Thanks Irene!
Yes… travel can be exhausting, especially if it’s an obligation for work. I realize that as a child I traveled a lot but did not necessarily have to– it was always for fun, and only when I didn’t have school. Still, I’m glad that you retained a joy of traveling despite all the moving!
I love the picture of you as a child! I was born in Beijing and moved to the US when I was six. Since then, I went back to China every 4-5 years to see my family. Aside from that, my family didn’t really travel too much (aside from some local trips). Funnily enough, I never considered all the times I went to China as traveling, because I always just thought of it as obligations to see family. When my boyfriend and I started our long-term traveling, it was the first time aside from going to China that I’ve been outside of the US. Now, I just returned to China again as a traveler, and I’m seeing it from a completely new perspective, and I really appreciate it so much more now!
Yesss!! There are so many ways to take kids on fun adventures, in many cases without even having to purchase a plane ticket! So glad you had that experience too.
Thank you so much Jeannie! You are so kind. I’m so glad that you eventually found yourself traveling! It definitely is not a priority for everyone– some people prefer to spend money in other ways. And I am SO excited that you’re taking an RV to travel through the US… have you seen my posts about Utah? If you’re doing a road trip, you definitely have to go! I will be writing a round-up of all the great sites soon. you’ll love it. Here’s one of my posts in case you want to see some photos! https://simplicityrelished.com/from-concrete-to-sandstone-why-ill-be-returning-to-the-wild-west/
Yes!! Thank you so much for reading, Jo-Anne!
Ah thanks girl!! Me too– I really want my kids to come with us whether we’re traveling for pleasure, work, or ministry purposes. My mom was able to keep me very entertained, well-behaved and even enjoying myself on all of our travels, so I’m not afraid of doing it myself! It must have been interesting to move around a lot as a child; have you written a post about it?? My family only moved once, and it was just to switch homes, not to a completely new area. I did switch schools though and that came with its challenges!
And I’m going to look into Tsh Oxenreider RIGHT now! That sounds so awesome.
Thank you Joy! Wow– Southeast Asia! There are so many great adventures you’ve been on! And I’m so glad that you choose to travel with your kids. It can be a challenge and perhaps it’s harder to see every site, but it is such a great investment in their lives!
This is such a lovely article 🙂
Glad I found your super cute blog!!
xoxo
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My own father spent several years on the road for work, and we moved often when I was a child. He now hates to travel even for pleasure, I on the other hand thoroughly enjoy traveling, I’m comfortable giving up local connections to live in a new place, but I do regret not having the lifelong friendships my kids have from living in one place long enough to develop them.
Thanks Marlen! you are so kind! I know that exact feeling– stuff can keep you grounded, but sort of in a bad way. And community can keep us grounded and alive in a good way!
*your
Oh man, I totally agree with you Courtney! I studied American Intellectual History in Boston, so of course I stayed put… now I wish I studied something that would have allowed me to travel more. And I hope you bring your children along on our travels! I’m sure there are challenges with that but they’ll learn and grow so much. We need more kids with a global perspective!
Aw thanks Christina! I’m so glad you can relate to this– I believe it enriches everything in our lives, including our writing! 😉
Thanks Catherine! And yes, I think some people don’t see as much value in travel ,but I’m glad you gained a lot from doing so later with Jordan!
Thank you Gina!! I totally believe that there’s no need to venture far, distance-wise, but really just to go on an adventure and try new things! So glad you had those experiences too!
It would be lovely for you and Penny to travel together! I’m sure she will grow so much from it. And I love local travels– the East Coast has so much variety and history!
Thanks Casey! And absolutely– children who get to explore new environments seem much more open-minded, and we need more of that!
That’s awesome!! It’s a real challenge to travel with multiple children– my parents only had to deal with me! But it’s such a great experience.
I am so thankful to my parents for giving me the travel itch. We were always travelling as children, whether it was a simple trip to the family cottage, a road trip across Canada, or an all inclusive resort in the Caribbean. I can’t wait to pass the same love of travelling onto my children.
Hello sweet Daisy! Beautiful post as always! I didn’t travel much I was a childl… only twice to see my family in Chicago when I was 7th and 15th. My parents didn’t travel at all. Growing up they couldn’t afford it plus they didn’t even think about it as they didn’t do it when they were younger. And even thought we lived in a very small island (3,515 square miles) traveling wasn’t so much in their minds but not my case thought. I always dreamed about traveling a lot one day…. and then I got my job and that is when I began traveling all over the world. I still love traveling. I still do it often for work and whenever possible I try to go somewhere I have never been for leissure. Although traveling is not for everyone like you, I find it very enriching and life changing. We are in the process of getting an RV to travel the US and see everything. I am super excited. Thanks for sharing sweet girl! Sending you blessings and lots of love. XOXO, Jeannette
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Oh yeah travelling when one is young one learns so much
PS – Do you follow Tsh Oxenreider’s blog The Art of Simple and her spin-off The Art of Simple Travel? Her family is doing an around-the-world trip right now and she’s been writing so much good stuff about what it’s teaching her kids.
What a sweet throwback picture! I could not agree more — this is exactly why I’m committed to making travel a priority even after we have kids. I want them to learn all these lessons! I also think that teaching kids to travel well and including them in the decision-making process can also teach them so much independence. I didn’t travel much as a child, but I always wished we could have traveled more. We moved around a lot when I was in school, and this taught me many of the same lessons as traveling did for you. I’m not sure where along the way I was bit by wanderlust — maybe I was born with it? 🙂 Also, I love #5. I’m pretty much always ready to come home by the end of a long trip!
Great post! I love that picture of little Daisy. Yes, I traveled a lot because I had to (I was born and grew up in Southeast Asia), but I also loved it. I think my favorite memories are of India because we went there so often, the beaches in Thailand, Egypt and Jordan, and Ireland. I also loved Australia, but went there in my later teens. It’s funny because I have been working on a post about why I still travel with my kids when the general public and the travel industry seems to be getting less and less kid-friendly (last time I travleed, a woman refused to move to allow a mother to sit with her two-year-old on a 5+ hour flight, so my older kids gave up their seats), and it’s pretty much the same reasons you’ve listed! I hope more people recognize the value of traveling with kids!
That last point is lovely. Over the years I’ve been realizing more and more that I don’t have a real attachment to things or places. They’re nice to own and play with, but at the end of the day I would rather be without them then with them. It’s almost like it’s an added weight knowing that they’re there. And when I moved away from home for a year it became 100% certain that I don’t care where I live as long as my people are around me. I had a hard time being without my friends even though I really enjoyed the new area. This was a lovely read!
My biggest regret is not studying abroad while in college. The travel bug didn’t hit me until after college and I think I’ve learned and actually UNDERSTOOD more since school than I did in school. I’m now adamant about traveling with my future-children. You just don’t understand the world until you start to see it. Plus, I don’t want to stop traveling, so they better adjust 🙂
That picture of little Daisy is absolutely adorable! I completely agree with this post, there are so many valuable lessons to be learned from traveling as a child. I was fortunate that my parents took my Brother and I on many trips growing up (we usually did a big spring break trip every year), and feel that I learned a lot of these lessons through that as well.
This is so good. I didn’t travel much and when we did it was pretty controlled. My dad kind of shielded us from potential changes/uncomfortable moments — I didn’t learn flexibility! That came from traveling with Jordan. I’ve been pushed and stretched and subsequently grown a lot due to traveling as an adult.
I love this! I feel like I’ve learned all of these lessons from traveling throughout college in some way! I never did too much traveling growing up, since my family just often visited the East Coast and we didn’t go too far, but I am thankful for all the places and adventures we did have! I think it’s so important to learn these lessons as we grow up. Thanks for sharing, Daisy!!
I feel like people who have the opportunity to travel in their lifetime are such humble beings. Which is clearly true in your case. I have had a decent amount of traveling in my life. Mostly east coast, and most of it as a child. Traveling when my daughter gets a bit older would be wonderful. Have a lovely weekend Daisy! Thank you for sharing how traveling has formed you as a person. (:
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Love this. I feel the same way about many of these. I traveled a lot as a kid and when people often say to me that I travel so much, it just feels natural to me. It doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything different than I always have and I always find that interesting. I think traveling as a kid really changes your whole outlook for travel the rest of your life.
My family obviously moved around quite a bit-and I agree that I learned to place a special value on “home” because of that. I also don’t really have a true traveler’s personality–but I do really enjoy adventure, and I think the lesson that I learned most strongly from my parents is that just ’cause you have a bunch of kids doesn’t mean life has to be ‘boring’ or you have to stay in one spot. My parents went all over the place with all of us little hooligans, and I’m really impressed with them because of that.