GLOBAL ADVENTURE

Allowing children to become intrepid world travellers

This Autumn has seen two new experiences opened for children to explore the astounding the world around them. The Natural History Museum opened it’s state-of-the-art Darwin Centre getting children involved in the celebration of the natural world and the science behind it and the British Museum’s exhibition on the life of the legendary Mexican ruler, Moctezuma, will perhaps trigger a desire to learn more about the history of the world. And, that’s not such a bad thing! But there really is no substitute for learning through experiences.

Being one of the first backpacker generations, our horizons were extended beyond the UK and we now want to instil in our children a spirit of global adventure and a desire to learn.

Exploring as a child is becoming more and more popular. Research carried out recently by a leading hotels website showed that: “While a child today will have visited an average of 14 different countries by the age of 16, their parents had visited an average of seven countries by the same age – a 100% increase in travel in just a generation.” The research also revealed that one in five children have travelled to Asia, whilst one in six have been to Africa. Almost every child in Britain (98%) has visited Europe. 92% of parents said that experiencing different countries and cultures was important for their child’s education. Learning another language was cited as a key reason for taking children overseas by 61% of the parents.

Whilst we want to share and pass on our love of travel and give our children the experience of different cultures, languages, sights, sounds and smells, travelling with a child means that we can no longer take the risks we might have done when we were single.

Being one of the first backpacker generations, we now want to instil in our children a spirit of global adventure

So, how do we give children the first taster of becoming intrepid travellers? One company that cleverly takes away the worries of organisation, steering you clear of potential pitfalls that make travelling with young kids dangerous is Explore, who are experts in worldwide family adventures and really seem to want to share their passion for travel with parents and kids alike.

It is scientifically proven that children assimilate knowledge better through physical experience. Mixing education with fun, tours offered by companies like Explore really allow children to see the world as it is without realising that they are actually learning at the same time!

Can you imagine the wealth of stories to tell and memories to keep, well beyond childhood, your kids would have from experiences like boarding a traditional schooner in search of Indonesia’s Komodo dragons and flying foxes, snorkelling in Bali’s balmy waters, mingling with locals in Egypt, sleeping in the wilds of the Thai jungle, getting up close to nature with the tigers of India or even bungee-jumping, kayaking and rock-climbing in the Bulgarian countryside?

What is exciting about Explore, as an example, is that they only offer unusual and pioneering adventures that really allow families to get below the skin of the different countries. Small group tours are headed by trained tour leaders and are meticulously planned so you can take your children on adventures with confidence and passion for travel is at the heart of Explore – they even have tours designed specifically for families with tottering tots and others for intrepid teens!

Explore have added 17 new tours to their Family Adventures brochure for 2010/11. They now offer 65 family tours to 39 countries!

Check Explore out on: www.explore.co.uk or call 0844 4990901.