Mindful Travel: 10 Tips for Making Travel with Kids Fun
Travel with Kids
Traveling with kids can be so much fun with a little planning and creativity. I have been so inspired by the folks out there wandering the globe with their kiddos in tow. My husband and I have done quite a bit of traveling together and we have so enjoyed taking our kids along to show them the world…well at least a few parts of it. We have many more adventures ahead. Our local adventures include all around the Northwest and West Coast including countless adventures hiking and camping. Below are a few things that we have learned along the way. These are tips that we feel make the adventure more fun and seamless for everyone involved.
1.Kids Travel Journal
This is a fun way for kids to get excited about traveling and recording their adventures. It is also a nice way to look back on the memories made. My kids’ journals have included train ticket stubs, museum pamphlets, photos and their own drawings, a list of vocabulary words, common greetings and numbers written out in the language spoken in whichever country we are in, or simply a journal entry, if they are old enough to do some writing. Setting a side time to do some journaling while you travel is a nice way to incorporate down time in the afternoons. This is a fun item for them to bring to show and tell at school when they return. This also shows the teacher that their adventure was a learning experience.
2. Kids Help Plan
Encouraging kids to be a part of the travel planning process helps them take some ownership in the trip and gets them excited about travel. Of course, sometimes you have to do some planning without them involved but where appropriate include them. My son really loves doing the lodging and vacation rental searches, learning about the neighborhoods, reading reviews and setting the filters. It is also great fun to get maps of the places you are traveling to and help kids do some navigating and route planning. This teaches them about the lay of the land as well. Working in educational opportunities wherever possible is an awesome way to make your adventure more meaningful for your kiddos.
3. Assign a Photo Journalist
With their journals in mind, have kids take turns being the photo journalist. Help them think about what they might want to include in a photo. This is also a good opportunity to teach them about being respectful of people’s space and privacy as well.
4. Books, Books, Books
This falls in to the “down time” category. For older kids, investing in a Kindle is a great tool to bring along on any trip. While you want to make sure to balance out screen time each day, kindles also have games and the ability to watch movies. Especially helpful for long train rides or travel days. My son has the Kindle Fire and it works great! For younger kids I like a small stack of light weight, paperback books for down time and bed-time stories.
5. Easy Lightweight Games
Light, portable games important for down time and travel days. A deck of cards, a booklet of Sudoku, Spot It and memory cards are some of our favorites. My kids also like to pick out a Dot-to-dot book….(doing a dot-to-dot can be quite meditative! Check out this one). Other fun and easy games to remember are the old classics: Ro Sham Bo, Hot Hands, Eye Spy, Thumb wars, Tick Tack Toe and Hangman. Tap into your own childhood and try to remember the silly games you used to play.
6. Don’t Over Schedule!!
I can certainly be guilty of wanting to do it all!! Luckily my sweet husband gently reminds me that there is always another day or another trip. It is easy to fall into the trap of over scheduling your travel days but it is so important not to overload kids with too much. A good strategy is to get up earlier, beat the crowds and do some site seeing in the morning, enjoy a nice lunch and then have some down time in the afternoon. In many cultures, this is the norm.
In some countries, shops and restaurants close down in the afternoon for a few hours, opening back up in the late afternoon. If you are traveling to a more humid climate, this schedule also works well, as temps rise in the afternoon. It is a good time to do some journaling, read a book or have some cool down time in the pool. It is also a nice idea to have unscheduled days where you have leisurely mornings, perhaps stroll neighborhoods and let the day unfold more spontaneously.
7. Travel with Another Family
Let’s be honest, kids need other kids. It is important to set aside some time to take family trips that prioritize reconnecting with each other, taking a break from our routines and busy schedules. However, if you are planning a much longer excursion, it is great fun to meet up with extended family or good friends that have similar aged kids. You can break up longer trips into sections where you just travel as a family and then at one point meet up with some friends for a few days.
If you are planning any kind of expedition to get outside that may include some longer distance hiking, this plan works well. Some times adults can be boring and my son would correct me by saying, “Sometimes, grown-ups can be fun!”. Classic.
8. Geocaching
Do your kids like hunting for treasures? I know mine do! There is a mobile app for Geocaching that allows you to use your phone as a GPS to find hidden objects located all over the world. EVERY time we travel ANYWHERE we end up doing some geocaching at some point. We love how it takes you off the beaten path a bit, to explore neighborhoods and places you may not have otherwise checked out. No worries, as the clues give you plenty of insights as to what kind of location you are getting into. In Maui, it led us to a cliff side hidden capsule and later that same trip, into the Makawao Public Library (Makawao is like a little Hawaiian Western town in upcountry, pretty awesome). We have found geocaches located in the cobblestones walls of ancient churches in Italy and hidden neighborhoods of Puerto Vallarta. Check out the app here.
9. Getting Kids Outside and into Nature
Don’t forget to play the same games I talk about in this post. Getting outside and exploring the natural areas of the places you travel can teach you so much about the world. You often can see wildlife different from what you see in your home town. Of course plants look different in other places and then sometimes they look the same, reminding you of home and maybe even giving you a sense of connection to a new place.
10. Connect with the Locals
Attempt to get to know some locals. This creates a much more meaningful experience for the kids and for you to get the local perspective on a place and make friends abroad! You just might get invited to a meal, a local sporting event or learn of a special insight into a place. If we find a cafe or certain spot we are fond of, we will return regularly. Show your face enough and a local may want to chat and learn about where you are from. Be friendly. Step out of your comfort zone and stumble through some basic greetings, testing out your language skills. Another beautiful thought is to do a little research and see if there might be some volunteer work you could participate in for an afternoon...or longer! You may check if any local schools are in need of supplies, as one example.
Be a Mindful Traveler
What does it mean to be a mindful traveler? The practice ofmindfulness is all about being present, really living in the moment andsoaking in what is in front of you. Perhaps listening deeply to anotherin a conversation, observing how a place or a life style is bothdifferent and/or the same as your own, connecting to people and placesin a way that fills us with joy and illuminates the realization that weare all in this together. Truly at the core of all things is the pursuitof happiness.
At My Peaceful Wild we strive to share our adventures in a way thatencourages others to go out into the world and participate in a style oftravel that is mindful and connects to a place with kindness andcompassion. Of course many have a “bucket list” of travel destinations,myself included. It is a big beautiful world after all! Along with goingplaces to see beautiful landscapes, cities, architecture, let’s worktogether to spread a message of hope, kindness, environmentalstewardship, supporting and celebrating local communities and cultures.Let’s get out there and experience a place as a citizen of the earth on amission to connect to a sense of place. What does it mean to be anOregonian, a Hawaiian, an Italian, a Mexican or a Kenyan? The world isso full of beauty, mystery, language, food, traditions, history, joy andsorrow. As you get out there and experience it, do it mindfully andwith compassion. Now go!
Be well, be kind and make time to get outside and explore!
Meditation for Beginner's: A Guide to Mindfulness Meditation Practice for Newbies like Me
Tips for starting a meditation practice that can ease anxiety and enhance peace of mind
Feeling stressed, overwhelmed or struggling with insomnia? Curious about Meditation but are a newbie, like me? Meditation and mindfulness may truly give you some relief. Meditation has no doubt become a buzzword whose "new age" stigma is starting to fade. And for good reason. Scientific studies including a Harvard study, look at how meditation practice and mindfulness exercises have been proven to have profound effects on the brain, indeed helping us better cope with stress, anxiety and myriad ailments both mental and physical.
My Dad first took me to a meditation class in Santa Monica, CA in the early 90s. Besides the overwhelming smell of incense I don't remember much but one thing that did stick with me was the instruction to close my eyes and let my thoughts drift by like clouds in the sky. Simple but very helpful advice that I still use today. Since then I have taken a few meditation classes, read several books that I highly recommend and have attended a silent meditation retreat at a Buddhist monastery, which was extremely challenging for me but so very uplifting and restorative. You can read more about that experience here.
I started meditating regularly a few years ago when I was really feeling overwhelmed by motherhood. I felt tired and overwhelmed and was losing my patience easily. Now I meditate daily but admittedly it is a challenge to make the time for it. Some times I only meditate for 3 minutes!! The longest I ever do it for is 25 minutes. And finally sometimes, if I can only squeeze in a few minutes I work in some mindfulness practice and a few deep breathing exercises throughout the day. The important thing is not to be hard on yourself. BE KIND TO YOURSELF....you are doing the best you can with what you've got.
I started meditating regularly a few years ago when I was really feeling overwhelmed by motherhood. I felt tired and overwhelmed and was losing my patience easily.
So how do you do it?
I have had many a friend express interest in meditation but admitted they don't know exactly what it means or how to do it. Or they sit down and try and are immediately frustrated and bored. Sound familiar?
Basically the act of meditation involves finding a quiet spot to sit, closing your eyes and focusing on your breathe for a set amount of time. I use the timer on my phone. You will be constantly and gently reminding yourself to stay in the present moment and focus back in on your breathing, letting go of thoughts that creep in. When I first began meditating I would get easily frustrated and mad at myself as the thoughts ALWAYS invaded my focus.
That said, an important piece to remember is the whole experience of constantly bringing your breathe back into focus, is part of what meditation is. Training your mind to relax. Don't be fooled by your mind telling you that your are failing. The art of reminding yourself GENTLY, KINDLY to come back to the breathe, is what it is all about. Be kind and forgiving with yourself, stick with it, starting with just a few minutes at a time and eventually you will train your mind to relax and find your breathe. Now, I get so excited to sit down and meditate and I quickly settle into the euphoric feeling of giving myself the peaceful gift of being present. This feeling is so genuine to me, I decided to blog about it....which is something I NEVER thought I would do.
A few tips
- find a quiet spot to sit undisturbed and try to sit with your back straight. Using a chair is just fine. If you would like instruction on special meditation poses, click here.
- attempt to meditate the same time each day. Often first thing in the morning is good, perhaps after a few wake-up stretches.
- Try starting with a body scan. With your eyes closed and breathing quietly, start thinking about your toes and move up your body slowly to the top of your head. If your mind drifts, not to worry, just come back to where you left off.
- Try repeatedly counting to ten. This is my go to strategy. Breathe in on 1 and out on 2, in on 3 and out on 4, all the way up to 10 and start over again.
- When I am short on time I will squeeze in a couple of minutes right after I drop my kids off or right before I pick them or even just in my office right before I teach my class.
- You can also try a breathing exercise: Take a deep breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold it in for 5 seconds and slowly breathe out through your mouth for 6 or 7 seconds. Just remember 4, 5, 6.
- You can practice some mindfulness exercises any time. Check out some ideas here.
- There are many apps you can use for guided meditation, here are a few I have used and liked: Headspace, Insight Timer
Creating a Meditation Space
If you create a special space in your home, it may encourage you to make time for meditation each day. My spot is in my office. I have a little table with a pretty yellow scarf over it. I have a few candles and a few things that have meaning to me, including some beautiful little nature objects, like shells, acorns and stones. When I have the time for a longer practice, I make more of a ceremony out of it, I place my hands together in a prayer position, and give a little bow to both where I will sit and to my little alter, while sending out a silent prayer of gratefulness or just the phrase "thank you". I repeat this at the end of my session. The simple act of gratitude can have lasting effects on us. Read more about that here. This is certainly not necessary. As I said earlier, sometimes my practice is just a couple minutes in my car (often with sunglasses on..teehee), right before pick up. If nothing else I try to find a few moments each day to pause, take notice of and celebrate the little things with a few deep breathes. The way the light shines on a leaf, the warm sun on my face or a kind smile from a stranger. In the end all we really have is this very moment. Stay present, friends!
Tapping into the Wild : Take a Mindful Moment in your own Backyard
Let’s face it, life can be overwhelming…to the point of exhaustion. Sometimes I want to curl up in a little ball and nap my worries away. Which by the way is a lovely option, if you can afford the time. As a parent working part-time I find myself hurdling through each day, juggling schedules, pick-ups and drop offs, carpools, volunteering, my kids sporting events and performances, planning and shopping for family meals, planning the class I teach at our local University, grading tests and reviewing lecture notes, constantly bouncing between maintaining my career and my busy family life.
Then I turn the news on during one of my daily commutes around town and my world comes crumbling down as I learn about a hurricane that has devastated a community, or millions of people become refugees seeking asylum as their country unravels in war, or that soon there will be more pieces of plastic in the sea then there are fish. Sometimes it all feels like too much. Then I am jolted back to my local reality and have arrived at my kid’s school for pickup.
When we return home, my daughter tosses her backpack aside and beckons me to join her out in the yard. She insists I sit down in the grass with her, so she can show me the tiny fairy house that she has constructed with her Papa, beneath the canopy of a rhododendron. Little pebbles are pushed into the soil in a line to form stepping stones leading towards a tiny humble structure of twigs with a fern leaf roof. Bright yellow flower petals are sprinkled inside to create a soft landing for the hopeful visit of a miniature winged forest creature.
Feeling the soft cool grass between my fingers, I choose to give in to this moment. With a deep breath, I let all of my worries melt away and let the present moment soak in. I see the dappled light dancing on the leaves as a light breeze joins us. I see the elegant sculptural twist of a twig stretching from a branch and notice the deep mahogany color revealed beneath a peeling patch of bark. I watch an ant struggle to get around the uplifted bark as she makes her way down the twig, clearly on an important mission. I hear my daughter humming a quiet little tune as she continues to engineer her fragile twiggy structure. I tap into the realization that this precious little moment has me feeling completely at ease. I notice this feeling of being content, grateful and happy. I send a silent wish of love and healing out into the world and remind myself that I am doing the best I can with what I’ve got and where I have landed in this complicated life… and that it is this moment that I need to be present in. And then I let myself embrace the thought that …it will all be ok.
When I pay close attention to the tiny delicate details in nature, from watching a leaf flicker in the wind or noticing the intricate patterns of veins in a leaf, with a deep breathe a gentle peace fills me. Give it a try.
If you would like to learn more about daily mindfulness practice check out this post.
