Summer is over and school’s back in session. You’re settling into your old routine, your kids are back to homework and after-school activities and it’s almost like summer never happened. So naturally it’s time to think about your next trip. But just because you take a vacation does not mean you have to abandon all of the learning you practice in your daily life. If you worry that when you go on vacation your kids get a little lazy, you’re not alone. But you’re also mistaken. In reality the act of traveling, experiencing new things, new cultures and engaging in free, imaginative play might make your kids smarter.
According to Dr. William Norman, associate professor in parks, recreation and tourism management at Clemson University in South Carolina, “Providing kids with the experience of travel broadens their horizons and opens up their minds to learning.”
So stop worrying that your kids won’t learn and start teaching them the joys of travel. Your next vacation will be here before you know it. To get you started, here are 10 ways to make your next family vacay a prime example of educational travel.
1. Have the kids help book the hotels.
It might not be the most exciting part of the trip, but a huge part of educational travel is the fact that kids can learn a lot from the actual planning process, especially high-school aged kids. You can give your kids a guidebook, a little direction and a budget and see what they come up with. (Just don’t give them a credit card until you approve their choice.) They will learn how to research, how to value money and spending, and they will get excited for their trip as they help plan.
Read Related: 5 Great Family Road Trips to Take This Summer
