There are hundreds of articles being published every day that stress how important travel is for growth in our careers. Yet, there’s not much out there that highlights how travel can help our children grow as people. That fact alone inspired me to write an article on what travel has done for our family, specifically our children.

Here are my top 4 reasons that travel helps our children grow as people:

1.They realize the world is bigger than the backyard.

Think back to when you were a kid. The backyard seemed like a world all it’s own, one which you were the master of. That security is part of what makes our childhood homes feel like the safest place in the world. That’s great, but it’s also what makes adjusting to adulthood so difficult. It’s hard to imagine anything beyond that backyard.

When you take your traveling, whether that throughout the States or abroad, they are given a valuable perspective: The world is bigger than the backyard. Not only does that reaffirm just how safe that backyard is, it gives them a taste of what the future has to hold: the entire world.

After all, we want our children to have a thirst for life. In my opinion, travel does just that by allowing them to explore the world around them with the comfort of their family surrounding them.

2.Their exposed to new cultures.

In today’s increasingly hateful world, it’s important to remind our children that the world is full of different skin colors, beliefs, and cultures. Travel gives us the opportunity to do that. More importantly, it allows us to show our children the merit behind difference through music, dance, and food from around the world.

The most beautiful treasure of this world is the people that inhabit it. By traveling with your children and exposing them to cultures outside of your own, it allows them to develop appreciation for all of our unique differences. I’d like to think that it not only makes my children more worldly, it teaches them to love everyone before the world tries to harden them into believing otherwise.

3.They have an opportunity to find new interests.

Who knows, that trip to Nashville may be the reason your child takes interest in the fiddle. Likewise, a trip to Ireland may inspire a new passion for Irish dancing. Perhaps the most inspiring part of traveling with your children is watching the wonder for a new passion develop in their eyes and cultivate in their hearts. After all, travel allows your children to see more and more passions that aren’t necessarily available to them in your home town.

In our case, my youngest discovered a passion for art after we visited the Hunter museum of American art. As a family with nearly zero artistic talent, it was inspiring to hear my daughter ask for art supplies and even more so to see the masterpieces she created as a result of that newfound passion. It opened my eyes to a painful, yet beautiful truth: I cannot teach my children everything, but the world can.

4.They make unforgettable memories.

Even if your children don’t remember exactly went on during that vacation to Canada, they’re going to remember that you went to Canada as a family. Perhaps more important than what travel can teach our kids are the memories made as a family on the road. For your child, that may end up being the memory that they recall as the pivotal point in their development or their career as a whole. For you, it will be a memory that will capture that moment in time with your children (and fill the scrapbook).

Conclusion

Family vacations are where some of the best memories are made. I know in our family’s case they’ve given me perspective on just how brilliant our children are, as well as fostered growth in interests my children wouldn’t otherwise have. Even if a trip abroad isn’t in the budget, I strongly encourage you and your family to travel (even if just for a day). There’s nothing more beautiful than seeing the world through a child’s eyes and traveling as a family allows you to do just that.

What did you learn about your children through travel? Share your story in the comments.