Travelling with kids - what are your experiences?
I’m working on an app with the purpose of creating better travel experiences for kids (and ultimately the entire family). If you’ve been travelling with kids (age 7-12 years), I would love to hear about your experiences.
As much as cultural travel experiences and city breaks can be eye-opening, exciting and enriching experiences for the young ones in the family, just as overwhelming they can be. There are many new impressions and situations to take in and the kids find themselves outside of their comfort zones. Not only can this cause sad faces and a few tears while away but also unnecessary friction, resistance, and setbacks.
As grownups we know how to cope with new surroundings. We research, navigate cultural differences and languages, and have a toolbox of strategies and knowledge that we can apply to unfamiliar scenarios. However, for a child, none of this is necessarily an available option. With fewer reference points and less life experience, everything is new.
I’m a firm believer that these negative experiences can be mitigated to some extent by preparing and engaging the kids to make them more familiar and comfortable with the destination ahead of the holiday. But let’s be realistic, with busy schedules finding time as a family to coordinate, talk and plan doesn’t always happen…
So what if we instead hand the steering wheel to the kids to involve them and allow them to explore the destination in an interactive app on their own to make them feel more safe, confident and curious about the place they are going?
I’m in the early stages of the project and would love to get a better understanding of what your experiences are taking your kids on cultural holidays and/or city breaks.
Feel free to share as much or as little as you wish - I want to leave this entirely open-ended. If you feel anything else is relevant, by all means, please share as well or send me a private message. Your help and time is tremendously appreciated.
What are your experiences…
Ahead of the holiday
For example:- How do you as a family prepare for a holiday?
- Do you involve/engage your kids in the travel planning process? (E.g. where to go, what to do/see?)
- And in which way? (E.g. do they read guidebooks/books or watch programs/videos about the destination, do you talk to them, do you put them in charge of anything?)
- Based on previous holiday experiences, have you modified the tactics in if/how you prepare/engage/involve the kids prior to going away?
During the holiday
For example:- If your kids have ever felt overwhelmed during this kind of holiday, how did they overcome it?
- Are your kids engaged in the destination throughout the trip? (E.g. how do you engage them, do they seek out information themselves, do they show interest in the places you’re visiting?)
- Has anything in particular triggered a more active participation from your kids when visiting places throughout the trip?
- If the kids have been involved in the planning or have knowledge of the destination, do you feel a difference in their engagement with the destination? And if so, how?
- Thinking back of these kinds of holidays, which factors have been key in creating your and your family’s fondest memories while away?