The ease, speed and comforts of modern travel enable parents to take ever younger children to ever more exotic and adventurous destinations.
But is it reasonable to do so because it’s possible?
Here are some thoughts:
1. Family adventure travel is a rapidly growing segment of the travel industry. More young children are going on safari in Africa, viewing Inca ruins at 11,000 feet in Peru, and hiking at even higher altitudes in the Himalayas. One upscale adventure travel organization which operates cruises to exotic destinations, including Antarctica, has a Young Explorers Club which provides “hands-on programs to make trips both adventurous and educational.”
2. Look at adventurous travel through the eyes of young children. “Are my parents overlooking my health and safety to further their sense of adventure, boast to their friends about where they have been, celebrate a financial windfall or show me to my grandparents in Nigeria or India, or wherever? Am I just another backpack?”
3. In fact, these children have little to worry about. Parents, by good fortune or by good judgment, are choosing itineraries that rarely go beyond the boundaries of acceptable risk. Adventure travel is quite safe. Though there are no statistics, a recent survey of members of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) concluded that serious travel-related health issues occur “surprisingly rarely.”
4. What does “surprisingly rarely” mean? No travel or outdoor recreational activity is entirely safe. U.S. National Parks spend much effort, time and money to make the Parks healthy and safe. Yet each year there are several hundred deaths and thousands of injuries requiring ER visits. Victims are of all ages. Most mishaps involve motor vehicles, recreational water-related activities, and falls. Amusement park visits result in more than 8,000 ER visits. Most casualties are young children.
5. Family travel is a positive experience for school age children. Most such children make great travelers. They are inquisitive, fun and, when motivated, adaptable and inexhaustible. Adventure travel provides them with knowledge and experiences that enrich their education, build their self confidence, promote family cohesiveness, and create memories for tomorrow. (In fact, travel does not have to be particularly adventurous to be a positive experience for children.)
6. Infants/toddlers are not just backpacks. Often taking them along allows parents and older siblings to travel and allows the youngest travelers to be part of the family. Vacation time is fun time; it supersedes rigid home schedules. And years later, infants/toddlers benefit from seeing pictures of themselves as part of the family in faraway places, sometimes on a lap of a grandparent in the old country.
7. Consult a travel medicine specialist for travel to developing countries. Statistics show that immunizations, preventative medications and specific destination-oriented advice on food and water precautions, for example, reduce the incidence of illnesses. Such consultations also help children who have ongoing illnesses such as asthma and diabetes, for example. Most large hospitals have travel clinics. Or, find practitioners worldwide at the ISTM Global Travel Clinic Directory.
8. Accidents, not illnesses, cause the vast majority of serious travel-related health issues that do occur. U.S. State Department statistics show that for Americans traveling abroad motor vehicles, recreational water, and falls are the three top causes of deaths/injuries – the same as in U.S. National Parks. Advising travelers on safety is more difficult than advising on health. For common sense safety tips for children, see Kidstraveldoc: safety .
9. Adventure travel is not for every family. Flexibility and improvisation are important assets for adventure travelers. Health wise, items taken for granted at home -over-the-counter medications, disposable diapers, and infant formula, for example – may not be available, have unfamiliar names, or contain different ingredients abroad. Reading labels carefully, often in a foreign language, and checking expiration dates, is part of the excitement – or the hassle, depending on your attitude – of being in exotic places.
10. Unreasonable parental expectations spoil more family trips than obstinate children. Successful trips with children must be oriented toward the specific ages of the children. They tend to find hours in the car and long dinners “a drag.” Plan trips with a reasonable ratio between viewing ruins and swimming, and don’t be upset if the children prefer the pool to the ruins. Visiting cultural sites do leave lasting impressions on children, as can be heard when they later tell (boast to?) their friends/teachers about where they have been and what they have seen.
