There are so many easy, cheap, and fun ways to get the family excited for your next trip. One that we like to do is to get the kids ready for “living like locals” in the destination we are considering. Alas, this doesn’t mean 10pm dinner time as one might do in Spain, but might include some minor adjustments to the dinner routine.
We might start out living like Europeans more generally (or at least our generalized rose-colored version of Europeans) before exploring specifics to Rome, Amsterdam, Krakow, etc.. This might include serving dinner in multiple courses (“appetizers help get us in the mood to eat”) or simply including a cheese plate. True, this is not as sophisticated as it could be. Partly because our kids are 5 and 3 and partly because we are not particularly sophisticated.
Little things make a difference
Helping kids see cultural differences, albeit small ones, can actually improve how one lives. It’s one of the greatest benefits of family travel. There’s a lot of romantic travel writing about “the art of living” (such as in Italy or France) and that’s for a reason: not everyone takes the time to enjoy the wonderful life they have.
To be present and enjoy life as it happens, with family, at home and when traveling is not easy. Jobs, school, appointments, TV, chores, all get in the way. We’re often surprised at how many of our most favorite travel memories are of simple picnics in the park (Luxembourg gardens tops that list), sitting around dining table in Florence (3 yr old belting out Adele), or just having the kids pick out flowers at a stand on the way home from an activity.
Easy starters
When the weather’s nice we also like to have dessert (sliced fruit maybe) outside and eat “al fresco.” The kids love doing this. Eating outdoors is almost always more enjoyable. And for travel prep purposes, it also connects past trips and future trips to the present. Our kids like to eat al fresco or even a small picnic out in the front yard where the neighbors can see us and can trapped in long explanations about “faraway places” from these too chatty kids.
Our kids are also regular grocery shoppers with Betsy and this has recently included the purchase of flowers for the dinner table (see below, right). We’re not sure what inspired this but maybe it was Sevilla when our apartment host had fresh flowers waiting for us on that dining room table. In Italy we stopped by a flower stand leaving St Mark’s (below, left) just to make our vacation that much better and giving us a chance to engage with a kind Venetian woman.
Fresh flowers make any space more cozy and livable. Not a bad deal for under $10. And, of course, include the kids in every step of the process. Explain to them how beautiful flowers can liven up a home and smell so nice. Allow them to choose what to pick out (perhaps among choices you’ve presented them) and explain to them that maybe they will be able to o the same “for our home in ______________.”
Flowers for dining room table can quickly turn into after-dinner family walks, dessert on the front porch, and explorations into what our kids simply call “new foods!”
talk soon,
Dan & Betsy
Older kids:
- 7+ – consider giving them actual money ($5 or $10) in the grocery or department store and have them select flowers for the week
- 10+ – after flowers and family walks, head to the library and find some cookbooks of the destination cuisine. Most have great pictures and even a section explaining the role of food in that culture. They should be able to make a dressing or dessert or even an entree with some grow-up help
- 13+ – in addition to the above, big big kids can study up (and therefore share with the rest of the family) on local customs to practice living like Greeks, or Croats, or British.