FAMILY TRAVEL

Give Your Kids an Adventure They Will Always Remember

Exploring a different kind of solo travel with your kids

My husband Scott (not his real name) grew up in a house with three sisters in rural Japan in the early 70s.

It was a heady time, with the country still rebuilding and repairing its cities and economy. His dad was English, his mother was Dutch — and as a blond-haired, blue-eyed little boy in a tiny Nagano village, Scott stuck out like a sore thumb.

The family, not unlike many other families in Japan at the time, was as poor as church mice. Only in my husband’s case, this was quite literal. His dad was a missionary. And let’s just say there were not a lot of converts. Despite this, his father devoted most of his time to his faith. So, getting any meaningful time alone with him was virtually impossible.

And yet, his dad did something truly wonderful for all his kids. He fostered a sense of adventure and a love of travel in each of them by giving them the opportunity to plan their very own trip alone with him when they turned 12 years old.

It wasn’t a lavish trip. In fact, they just strapped on backpacks and took off into the wilderness. But it was one of the best things that he did for his children. Because the kids completely planned their adventure themselves. They were in charge and they led the way. And most importantly, they each got their dad all to themselves for four glorious days.

Together Scott and I have been to over 50 countries. But, if I’m honest, it is this trip from my husband’s childhood that still stands out in his mind.

What’s more, because it is such an amazing tradition, my husband and I both decided to adopt it with our kids.

And if you are looking to foster a love of travel in your kids, I can think of no better way to do it.

Here Is How It Works

Pick an age, any age

In our house, we decided that we wanted to do a mother/child and a father/child trip with the kids. I know many of you with kids probably travel as a family. But rarely do we allow the kids to go solo with just one of us.

What’s more, typically it’s the adults that make all the decisions and the kids that follow.

So, pick an age that best suits you. In our case, my husband took each of the kids on their solo trip with him when they turned 10. I took my turn with each of our kids when they turned 12.

Our only restriction? They had to limit their choice to North America.

Let them take the reins

Both of my kids chose everything about their trip — including the location. We told them they had 4 days to fill. My son Josh chose Joshua Tree National Park. Largely because it shares his namesake.

My daughter chose Maui but decided she wanted to stay in a treehouse. So we ended up in the jungle for that trip.

The point is the kids picked and planned the trip. Every detail. They spent hours researching their location. They chose where they wanted to stay to what they wanted to do each day.

Neither location would have crossed my mind. Especially not Joshua Tree. My son could have picked anywhere. But this is where he wanted to go. And it was magical.

Try this out and I guarantee you will foster an amazing sense of independence in your kids. You will bond in a new and novel way. And you will instill in them a greater curiosity to try new things and explore the world around them.

Work within your budget

You may not have a lot of excess funds for these trips. And that’s okay. You can tailor the trip they choose to meet your budget requirements. My husband went backpacking on a shoestring after all.

And it’s not a bad idea to tell your kids how much they can spend on activities each day. You’ll be amazed what they come back with.

Sure, you may have to eat McDonald’s a few times instead of at that restaurant you’ve been dying to try. But your kids may surprise you.

My son decided that rock climbing was the way to go. He chose a place to stay with no hot water. True story. And he decided we were going to dine on Mexican almost every day. So, that’s what we did.

Three years later, he still talks about this trip.

Chronicle your adventures

We asked our kids to write a short journal each day about what they had done and what they liked. We took these accounts and then we layered in photos and had books made for each of them to commemorate the adventure.

The journal accounts were hilarious. I know my son commented on the fact that the shack we stayed in was “no 4-star joint” and recounted taking “freezing cold showers” each day.

I still flip through these books from time to time for a laugh. Plus they provide a great way for the kids to remember their trip.

In the End

I was lucky enough to travel a lot when I was younger. In fact, my brother and sister and I moved to a new country every three years. But I never, in all my years, had a solo trip with one of my parents. I never had the chance to choose where I wanted to go.

And believe it or not, this stuff matters.

Because traveling solo with your child and putting them in the driver’s seat is seriously one of the best travel finds I have come across.

So, give it a go. Take the leap. Give your child the trip of a lifetime. You’ll be glad you did. And I guarantee it will be an adventure they will never forget.

© Courtney Burry 2021

Looking for more travel adventures? Be sure to check out more of Courtney’s work here:

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