Here’s why family travel is important to health and well being – even when it seems like the world has come to a screeching stop…we are still so busy with remote learning, Zoom meetings, scheduling grocery store deliveries, the list goes on and on…
Life is busy.
Busier now than it was 20… 30… 50 years ago.
Life can be stressful too, and not just on adults, but on children as well. Our kids are exposed to more academic and social stresses than ever before. Not to mention the fact that they pick up on the pressure their parents are feeling from work, deadlines, expectations, bills, and countless other sources.
It’s easy to see family vacations as a luxury of sorts… something you’ll do if you have the time and budget for it, but there is an overwhelming amount of actual scientific proof and measurable data that shows that vacations are essential to the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of our families.
Research shows that family time has a significant and powerful effect on our health.
Research conducted by The National Institute of Health shows that children and teens who spend more time together with their families demonstrate better psychological adjustment and are less likely to engage in “risky behaviors.” They also saw a positive influence on academic performance and learning. Creating a family bond through shared experiences and connections is critical to the well-being of our kids. That time with family can be something as simple as shared meals, but the extended family time you have while on vacation is invaluable!
Experiential gifts, such as vacations, create stronger emotional bonds.
The Journal of Consumer Research in Oxford conducted four separate studies on gift-giving. Their findings show that experiential gifts such as vacations or events, create stronger connections and “produce greater improvements in relationship strength than material gifts.” That emotional connection happens both at the time the gift is received, and at the time it is experienced.
The co-author of the study, Cindy Chan says, “An experiential gift elicits a strong emotional response when a recipient consumes it — like the fear and awe of a safari adventure, the excitement of a rock concert or the calmness of a spa — and is more intensely emotional than a material possession.” This is true for both adults and children.
Experiencing different cultures gives our kids an edge in the future job market.
Natalie Turner, the author of The Educational Tourist, says that “Being able to thrive in the midst of a variety of cultures is crucial to a happy and productive life in our generation and future generations.” She believes that traveling with your children and exposing them to different cultural experiences helps them to develop “increased cultural intelligence” through empathy and open-mindedness… traits that she states are likely to give them an edge in the global opportunities the future job markets will offer.
Vacations promote “active learning.”
The consulting firm Earlyarts specializes in combining the arts with neuroscience to promote more effective learning environments and enhance education has found that children learn best by “doing;” through hands-on, engaging experiences that allow them to explore with all of their senses. That should come as no surprise to parents!
Taking your kids out of their normal, everyday routine and environment combining that with the increased family time and attention that a vacation provides is the ultimate opportunity for this kind of “holistic” learning!
In an article called The Science Behind How Holidays Make Your Child Happier – and Smarter, British child psychotherapist Dr. Margot Sunderland says that family vacations provide kids with the kind of rich learning environment and enhanced experiences that encourage brain development and improve concentration. She was quoted in the London Telegraph as saying, “The enriched [vacation] environment triggers the brain fertilizers which are associated with higher IQ in kids, and exploring a new place together helps in making your child smarter.”
Families who vacation together are happier overall.
The Family Holiday Association, a charitable organization dedicated to providing short vacations to families experiencing some of life’s most difficult challenges such as domestic abuse or terminal illness, completed a study on the importance of time away with family. They reported that 49% they interviewed said that their happiest memories were from a family vacation. Furthermore, more than 33% of adults reported that memories of their family travels are more clear and vivid than “everyday memories.” They also found that both adults and children will recall these happy memories to help them get through difficult situations. The organization’s director, John McDonald says, “using these memories as an anchor to take us back to more cheerful moments, we’re often able to approach problems with a fresh sense of perspective.”
These are just a few examples of the research that shows how important and beneficial family vacations are for the health and well-being of our kids… and for us as parents. So, what are you waiting for?
