Hmmm . . . kids . . . vacations . . . This can go either way. I know this is a non-fiction blog, but what’s life without a bit of fiction? Let me start by saying that I have no first-hand experience of planning a kids-friendly vacation, but also no reason that should stop me from writing about one.
Vacations are tricky and can go either way. You can either put on your kiddy persona and get all gung-ho about building sand castles with your kids on the beach, or you can continue to be a prude and half drag your kids around wherever you go. I know kids can be tough and I have the utmost respect for parents who become a makeshift jungle gym for their kids in public places. But then, I don’t envy eight year olds who have no clue about why they are visiting a series of temples or the coveted ‘sunset point’.
In India, whether you travel with a tour group or plan your own, most vacations turn out to be a whirlwind tour of some hills or temples in a car or a bus. While these might help you check-off a few things on your bucket list, kids need much more to make the vacation exciting and different from routine – most kids spend hours in the bus every day, after all.
Vacations can be fun and educational, but you need to make them that. For kids, visiting old forts and dilapidated buildings can be made much more than an aimless stroll. Give it a bit of a history, weave in a mystery, and turn the stroll in the fort into a treasure hunt. These little tricks can make the mundane sightseeing exciting for kids and is much better than reading any accompanying tourist material you get.
Family vacations aren’t cheap and people work really hard to afford one. Shouldn’t all this expenditure mean that the vacation is memorable for your kids and they get all the attention and time with you? Staying at a resort or at holiday clubs gives you access to game rooms and other facilities where you can spend time with the kids. Vacations and traveling is the best exposure we can give kids to people from different cultures and make them tolerant of things that are different from what they know. Exploring new places without a guide on your own can become a group activity where everyone has an opinion and contributes to the discussion. This could be a golden opportunity to bond with your kids so they come back to you and discuss their problems with you later.
Most important in all this vacation planning is to find out what your kids love to do, what is their idea of having fun. Checkout these amazing stories written by kids about their travel experiences . Who can get you the best insight into an eight year old’s mind? An eight year old, of course.
*This post is written in response to the Indiblogger and Club Mahindra’s Teddy Travelogues campaign.