Should Teens Travel?
I'm a traveler by nature. It started for me as a child. Experiences I had led to the quest for different cultures, the desire to understand a different way of life and the passion for education through experiences. There came a point a few years ago when I wanted to share these same passions with my children. In doing so my young teens have now traveled to over 25 countries in a 4 year period. For a few years it was me deciding our destination, making the plans, organizing the passports, gathering the gear — all in an effort to pull off the next adventure.
This spring I have been smacked suddenly in the face with the realization that while my children claim not to love it, I have in fact raised adventure seeking travelers. For years my now 12 and 14 yr olds have made fun of my itchy feet, my need for culture, adventure and education - and now it’s coming full circle.
The past few months opportunities have arisen that my children, individually, have embraced with full force and enthusiasm and I, in turn, have come to realize that I’ve instilled in them exactly what my parents instilled in me. I’ve been hesitant (but only slightly) of letting them venture out at their ages to travel independently but know it’s always best to take baby steps and that this, for them, is the next logical one. With that, I happily (and jealously) (and a little reluctantly) will be sending all of my children this summer on their own independent international adventures. My daughters will be traveling with a group of teens to Nicaragua while my son will be traveling to the Netherlands, staying with a friend and attending school with him while he is there. So this summer while my kids are forging their own path, discovering their own independence and cementing those same passions that I’ve past along, I will proudly remain at home seeking individual time with those left behind or planning for our next family adventure.
