Bon Voyage: Taking School Along on Travel

TAKE A CROSS-COUNTRY TRIP!

Westward Ho! I would imagine your kids could get on board like mine did when we organized a month-long cross-country trip in 1996. In order to make the trip more affordable, we took advantage of all the free activities at national parks. Careful planning and intentional financial management paid huge dividends, especially when we needed car repairs on our second day of travel and had to take care of an abscessed tooth in a 1950’s dental office!

Some of our vivid memories in Colorado include visiting Whit’s End at Focus on the Family and see wildlife right in their own habitats and experience new modes of transportation— maybe a speed train, double-decker bus, or homemade canoe.

You might see grand architecture, gothic arches, mosaic-plastered walls, pagodas, or little mud huts. You might enjoy the sweet, earthy fragrance of newly woven baskets; the spicy smell of curries; or the woodsy aroma of incense in a church or market. Maybe you’ll stroke soft clothing made from alpaca hair or Merino wool—or maybe you’ll even rub the muzzle of a giraffe in a wildlife rescue. Dinner might be smoked fish, vegetable tempura, wildebeest steak, or sweet and sour dumplings.

How thrilling to hear the oompah-pah of accordion music, intense strumming of Flamenco guitar, or the beat of drums! Try sleeping in a hammock or under a mosquito net. You might even adapt to the “freedom” from technology due to limited access to phone and Internet. Most assuredly, you will gain a new appreciation for America!

Travel to Other Countries

Traveling abroad is eye-opening in other ways, too. It affords us the chance to learn about other faiths and how they are woven into the culture, and it gives us the opportunity to appreciate similarities and differences between ourselves and others.

For example, here we greet people with “Hello,” but in Austria I was enthusiastic about greeting every person I encountered with their traditional “Grü. Gott.” (“May God greet you.”) Language is formal in Spain, but in Mexico, our fifteen-year-old son connected with the kids on the soccer field by dropping formal Spanish. In many other countries outside the United States, people are more important than the to-do list or the schedule, and socializing occurs on the streets and in the plazas rather than the home, which is generally an apartment. Dress is typically more formal in other places than here. This was strikingly so in India, where I quickly realized that a skort was inappropriate. All first-hand observations like these create a lasting impression, whereas reading the information in a book may not.

Once back on American soil, our experiences can help us show empathy to first-generation Americans in our neighborhoods and churches, thereby building bridges for sharing Christ. It may even encourage a desire to serve internationally.

Travel and Language

As a language teacher, I place a high value on learning a second language. By visiting a foreign country instead of just learning the language in the classroom, we can observe how the language and culture mesh. When we speak their language, we can much more easily interact with the local people and learn of their joys and struggles. If your children have been studying a foreign language, perhaps their schooling could include helping to plan a trip to a corresponding country and journaling in that language while they are there.

For tips on saving money, and logistics for travel, read Have Kids — Will Travel by Dale and Michelle Bartlett. For information about each country and suggested sites to visit, get The Rick Steves guidebooks. STAY SAFE!

Of course, in these days there is the question of safety. Safety is not guaranteed even in our own neighborhoods, and when we consider security during travel as well as in our hometowns, common sense is the key. Avoid places where there is unrest or where the State Department has issued a warning. Purchase travel insurance. Stay in groups, or organize a buddy system. Stay alert.