Megan Bryant is a passionate writer and traveler who has combined her two loves to help others fulfill their traveling dreams. When she isn’t writing, she’s usually curled up with her 3 Dachshunds and a good book or planning her next adventure—wherever that may be.
Planning a family vacation can be a lot of work and stress, but taking vacations with your kids actually has tremendous benefits for both you and your little ones.
Understandably, vacations can be expensive, especially if you’re flying internationally. However, a vacation doesn’t mean you have to board a plane. If you want to keep the vacation as budget-friendly as possible, then you can even drive an hour down the road to a lake or a National Park to bond with your family out in your local nature.
If you’re debating setting off on a family vacation, here are ten incredible benefits that will make your decision much easier.
Family Vacations Create Memories That Last a Lifetime
One of the most important reasons to take a family vacation is to create new memories that you and your kids will remember for a lifetime. If you think back, many of your childhood memories will be of you on vacation with your parents, whether at the beach, at theme parks, or even skiing. So, the memories you create on vacation with your kids will be the times you look back on 30+ years in the future.
You Spend Quality Time Together
With day-to-day life, it’s hard to find the time to actually sit down and bond with your kids. Between work, school, cooking, cleaning, and homework, you really aren’t left with many hours in the week, which is why a vacation where you can dedicate 100% of your time to one another is so incredibly crucial in terms of strengthening family bonds.
The shared experiences you have on vacation, like hiking a challenging trail or kayaking as a team, will help you work together and understand one another better.
Your Children Can Experience New Things
Foreign countries, in particular, have plenty of things for kids to experience, as everywhere in the world has different cultures, cuisines, terrains, and weather conditions. But if you don’t want to travel internationally, then your kids can even experience new things by visiting another part of America. For example, if your kids have never kayaked or hiked, visiting one of America’s great lakes can let them experience that. There are so many new adventures out there, and allowing your kid to try new things will only help them excel in the future.
The Entire Family Can Disconnect From the Digital World
Kids—and adults—these days are spending more and more time glued to screens. So, heading off on a vacation can help eliminate all distractions and allow your entire family to be present, enjoying the outdoors and the various activities you’ve scheduled during your trip away.
Your Kids Can Learn Outside of the Classroom
Traveling allows your kids to learn hands-on, which is often more productive than sitting in a classroom. (This isn’t to say schools are a waste of time, however.) By immersing your kids in different cultures, ways of life, and activities, they can learn all about historical landmarks, new languages, and the environment around them.
Family Vacations Help Relieve Stress
One of the best ways to reduce stress is to take yourself away from it all and jet off on vacation. And don’t worry, even if the planning process of taking your family on vacation is stressful, once you’ve touched down, all those feelings will wash away, and you’ll forget what even stressed you out in the first place.
Vacations Help You Relax
Everyday life brings with it a whole heap of responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, and working, just to name a few. But vacationing lets you break away from all your home life responsibilities and truly unwind, relax, and clear your mind. Remember, however, that relaxing isn’t the same for everyone; some families find relaxation on the beach, whereas others find it shredding down the slopes. Whatever type of vacation helps you relax, take it, and thank yourself later.
A Vacation Can Boost Productivity
If you’ve been feeling in a slump at work—don’t worry, it happens to everyone—then a vacation could be the answer to all your productivity issues. Taking a break, refreshing your mind, and reducing stress will see you return to your workplace more motivated and ready to give it your all.
Adventures Help Grow Kids’ Self-Confidence
Your kids getting involved in new experiences and adventures also helps them build their self-confidence. Whether they tackle a huge rollercoaster, learn how to swim underwater, or try new foods that they would never have before, involving your kids in new experiences helps them build their sense of self and develop a greater self-efficiency.
Travel Encourages Independence
And finally, travel can encourage independence in your kids. From packing their own suitcase and keeping track of their own spending money to allowing them to navigate areas and partake in new experiences, travel is a great way to give your kids more freedom to become independent.
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