It's Not Just a Family Vacation

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I think we have all known in the back of our minds, that family vacations are more than just a vacation, but now there is proof from the experts that family travel is beneficial in many ways to our children.  I recently had the pleasure of reading an article about this phenomenon published by “Smart Parenting”.  In this article titled “Family Vacations Serve as ’Happiness Anchors’ for Kids Until They Grow Up”, they site 5 ways that family vacations benefit children.  It’s not always in the ways you might think.

 

The first way that family vacations benefit children more than, say an expensive toy, is they value them.  Children value the family bonding time not just during the vacation but for a long period after as well.  The family connection and doing fun and sometimes silly things together is of more value to children than a new toy.  I don’t know about you, but that surprised me.  I know I value the time together but I didn’t stop to think about my child valuing it as much as I do.

 

Travel also helps with brain development especially in the frontal lobe where social intelligence, cognitive function, and goal based behaviors are developed.  Exploring with the family whether it be in nature, a museum, or a heritage site all stimulate and activate this part of the brain.  By activating this area of the brain it helps with growth and maturation.  Who knew that playing and seeking out adventures would be so beneficial to the brain?

 

As parents we know that we need time to de-stress from our lives.  We have lots of balls we are juggling trying to keep all areas of our lives humming along.  That’s why we love taking time off to relax and de-stress from our daily responsibilities.  Researchers have found that children, like adults, also need to de-stress.  In interviewing children they found that children also feel the need to de-stress and connect with their parents.  They report that when spending time with their parents they feel no stress and that their relationships with their parents are improved.  I have experienced this myself.  Some of the best conversations I have had with my children have been on vacation where we were sharing in the experience and bonding.

 

If all of this is not enough to convince you, the experts found in a survey that most adults can still remember very vividly family vacations together.  Not only are the memories fresh, they report that the memories of these vacations have helped them through tough times.  The experts call these “happiness anchors”.  In a survey conducted in Great Britain they found that in 49 percent of the people surveyed their happiest memories were from family vacations.  So, what do you think about when life gets to be a little too much?  In this survey, they found that many reflect back on happier times and vacations with their families.

 

The last benefit of family travel?  All the wonderful pictures!  Researchers have found that taking pictures while on vacation or enjoying family bonding time makes people happier!  The fun doesn’t end there, when they look back on the pictures the happiness that they experienced returns.  So, the next time you are out with the family feel free to snap as many pictures as you like.  Just make sure you are joining in the fun and not stuck behind the camera the entire time!

It’s clear that family travel is an important part of family life.  It helps the development of the brain of growing children, helps reduce stress, and strengthens relationships within the family unit.  What more could you possibly ask for?  Maybe a little help in planning the vacation?  We got you covered!