Skip to Content

5 Reasons Why Travel is Good for Your Family

5 Reasons Why Travel is Good for your Family StuffedSuitcase.com #vacation #relax

Why Travel is Good for Your Family

Have you been putting off traveling with your family due to work obligations, finances, or some other reason? I’m going to show you 5 reasons why travel is good for your family. All of these reasons can apply whether you travel far or stay close to home. The point is…everyone benefits from a little getaway.

Break Away from Stress and Routine

Most families spend their days dealing with deadlines, tasks, errands, and other activities. Whether these are a result of work, school, extracurricular activities, or household duties, they often bring stress to our daily lives. WebMD.com discusses stress and has this to say, “Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation…(this) can lead to a condition called distress.” It’s been shown that chronic stress can cause health problems. So, by breaking away from your daily routine you can get relief from the continuous stress and that could be good for your health.

Model Problem Solving and Adaptability for your Kids

I think most families would agree that while on vacation (even well-planned ones) things can occur that you didn’t plan for. Kids can get sick. Flights can be delayed. Cars can break down. The weather can change. In all of these situations, parents are put on the spot and have to deal with the situation. Kids see you model real-life problem solving and situational adaptability, which helps them understand self-reliance and encourages independence and self-confidence.

Learning Experiences

Traveling can expose your kids to new places, people, cultures, and things. Most kids live in a bit of a “life bubble.” What they experience is often their perception of the world. By taking them outside of that daily bubble you are giving them new experiences that can reshape how they view the world. They can see different people, admire new natural environments, experience a variety of food – perhaps they’ll even be exposed to new languages. In addition, kids can experience firsthand things they might have learned about in school or at home.

Connect with each other

When you take a vacation together, you become a team. You’re all suddenly part of a dynamic that relies and includes each family member. Researchers have found that family vacations can improve family communication and bonding. “A team led by Purdue University Xinran Lehto concluded vacations promote what is called the “crescive bond” (in sociological parlance, a “shared experience”) by fostering growing and enduring connections. Shared family memories and time spent together isolated from ordinary everyday activities (school, work, and so on) help to promote these positive ties.” (Published on June 22, 2010 by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. in Fulfillment at Any Age).

Create Memories

Taking time together to share experiences and activities creates memories that will be recalled and reminisced about later on. For instance, my husband and I still laugh about an incident with a mountain goat during a Canada road trip (no animals were harmed in the making of this memory). It’s a classic memory that still makes me smile. My daughters often throw in vacation references during our daily lives. My oldest daughter remembers catching frogs with her papa in Missouri, and my youngest refers to stalactites she saw in the Lewis and Clark Caverns. These are memories we’ve created together and can share as the years go by.

So, plan a trip! Detach from your daily stress; teach your kids how to adapt to unplanned situations; expose your kids to new experiences; connect as a family; and create memories for the future – all accomplished with a family vacation.

Share and Save This Post:

Top 31 Best Family Vacation Spots in the US for 2022

Wednesday 6th of July 2022

[…] Taking a family vacation isn’t just about having fun, there are some great benefits to family vacations. […]

You Should Know These Things Before Traveling – IKreatePassions

Wednesday 13th of December 2017

[…] sure you’re covering everyone’s interests. Family holidays can be a generally great way to get closer as a family, as it’s the prime time for bonding; so make sure it doesn’t turn into the nightmare that many […]

April Yap

Wednesday 1st of February 2017

Nice post Kim! Living in a busy city can really be stressful and every once in a while a good vacation with the family would be great. Last week, we decided to go for a weekend trip and rent a cabin. It was such a great change of environment away from the noise and pollution. My husband and kids loved it so much that they're thinking of extending our trip but sadly we can't due to work and school. But overall it's a great experience.

Kimberly

Thursday 2nd of February 2017

Weekend getaways can be great, not too stressful to plan, but just enough to feel recharged!

Andrea

Monday 1st of July 2013

I love traveling with my family although we don't do it often enough. Great post! (following you from SITS!)

Kim

Monday 1st of July 2013

Hi Andrea :) Thanks!

Adam @ Travel Ideaz

Saturday 29th of June 2013

We went away as a family at the weekend and had an amazing time. We only went Glamping - or copout camping as I like to call it - but we had so much fun away from the stress of the daily grind. Great post Kim!

Kim

Sunday 30th of June 2013

Absolutely Adam! It's just about mixing it up a bit. :) Glad you made it happen!