They will treasure the adventure of exploring sights and sounds in a foreign culture for a long time, and it will likely serve as inspiration to study foreign language in school, as well as to return for other visits later in life. F rom personal experience, as an American child traveling in Europe with my parents long ago, the memories of our adventures abroad are still vivid. Later on, I became an enthusiastic student of French language, leading to a wonderful academic year abroad, and ultimately to the creation of the web site you're visiting now. In college, while taking a class in art appreciation, I was amazed at how many paintings, sculptures, and architectural landmarks I recognized in the textbooks, jogging my memories of countless museums we visited and excursions we took so long ago. As a bonus, kids are the world's leading 'goodwill ambassadors', and have the uncanny ability of making friends for the whole family.
T raveling en famille in a foreign country brings a family closer together.
You'll develop a cache of shared memories to enjoy for years to come. For many families with both parents working, vacations have become the most important block of time to spend together, and exploring a foreign culture can make that time more precious. Alternate big-city visits with beach, mountain, or country pursuits. Always keep your child's perspective in mind, and plan your day's activities around your youngest child's abilities. Favorite activities for many kids involve heights, depths, water, unusual forms of transportation, and animals.