In the old days, taking on the mental and physical challenges of farming was a means of survival. Every family member had to work as a team to tackle chores to ensure food, clothing, and shelter. They had to be able to communicate and know each other in order to be able to rely on each other for the daily struggles of life and to secure their futures.

In today’s society family life looks very different. However, just as it was important to be able to rely on one another then, it is just as important now. Since we no longer face the physical and mental challenges of farm tasks, families should consider joint projects or family adventure travel to achieve the same results.

Physical challenges are a means of encouraging teamwork. When it comes to physical strength and endurance, no one can be self-reliant. Whether mountain biking, climbing, whitewater rafting, hiking, scuba diving or exploring, it takes assistance from others to succeed. Not every person has the same skills and abilities. Every person in a team must compensate for and help build on weaknesses by drawing upon every person’s strengths.

Adventures not only bring physical challenges, but they bring mental challenges as well. Just as family members must help each other face physical aspects of tasks, they must also help one other face mental aspects of tasks. They must cheer each other onward to overcome fear, lack of self-confidence, and tiredness. They have to find ways to motivate one another to try new things and learn from the world around them.

In order for family members to help one another face the physical and mental challenges of life they must bond and grow as a family. Family adventure travel bring everyone closer together because it forces them to get to know each other. Family adventures work to repair breakdowns in communication that lack of quality time causes. Issues can surface in order to bring about healing. When families begin to communicate well they experience victory.

The lessons learned from family adventure travel can last for a lifetime. Upon arriving home and back to the daily business of today’s society, families feel the differences made by their experiences. The idea of a family unit takes on a new meaning and priorities change as members hold more value. They are able to communicate in an effective manner and rely upon one another to deal with the daily struggles of life.

Camping

One of the best ways to spend a holiday is to take your children camping. The wonderful thing about camping that there are so many different ways to do it that “camping” itself becomes an umbrella category for a host of different activities classed as family adventure travel. Whether it be finding a remote area in the middle of the woods and pitching a tent, roasting marshmallows and exploring the untouched wilderness that surrounds you, or taking a camper van or caravan across the country and stopping to camp at various sights to take in the surrounding culture, camping allows you too many options to even list. Family adventure travel is wonderful for the child because it encourages both physical and mental exercise. Whether it be traversing a river by climbing from tree to tree or just simply using your head to try and find a way out of a seemingly impossible maze of wilderness, camping clearly beats a mundane trip to a theme park in terms of enrichment for the child.

Outdoor Adventure Sports

It is also wise to consider some of the many adventure sports, such as whitewater rafting, kayaking, climbing, trekking, horse riding to introduce the family to various team or solo challenges. All these activities can be extremely exciting, and allows the child to be exposed to nature’s raw elements in ways he or she has unlikely been before. This can instill a sense of empowerment as well as a boost in confidence.

Foreign Lands

Lastly, one of the best cultural experiences you can give your children is to take them to a country that they have never been to before. For instance, if you are living in the UK, taking your children to France would likely end up being an unforgettable experience that would be more than worth the money it costs to get there. It is not until a child is actually able to experience a new country that he or she can finally get a grasp on the differences between cultures and how important they are.

Make a combination of all three

We here at S2Si can provide all the above three useful pieces of advice and put them into a purpose made individual package for you.  Why not visit a far off land, engage yourselves in exciting and adventurous activities, sleep under the stars and whilst all this is going on you will meet the local people, learn some of their language and understand their culture better.

If you would like any information on how we can provide you with the perfect family adventure, travel on over to our contact us page.

You don’t have to travel far with your family, adventure travel can be anything you are all not familiar with in outdoor surroundings, all the way up to a full blow, well organized family adventure travel vacation with a company like ours.

We are going to look at hiking.  This can be done anywhere at any time and in almost any weather.

To make hiking a family activity without the fear of unhappy or lost children, remember these six tips:

1. Wear and Bring Proper Outdoor/Hiking Clothing

Having the correct clothing on will make all of the difference while hiking. If you only plan on a half day hiking trip to the park, a comfy shirt, casual shorts/tracksuit, and sneakers will do just fine. For more serious hiking, bring coats, long and short pants, t-shirts, sweaters, rain outfits, and hiking boots. Try on your clothes before you leave home. If they don’t fit right or they’re too uncomfortable and your kids are complaining, switch outfits. Having the proper clothing can prevent you all from being too hot or cold, or dry and wet.

2. Plan Out the Route You Wish to Take Before You Get There

You definitely don’t want to roam around for hours trying to find the right path. Get a map of the location you’ll be hiking at and plan out a route beforehand by highlighting it, or at least go somewhere you are familiar with. Consider how far you’d like to walk each day if you’re camping as well, and how far you think your kids can walk before they become irritable. Allow your kids to use the map and guide you, as this is a great learning experience for them. We all know how quickly the young ones can lose interest, so involving them will help keep their mind focused.

3. Food and Water

Whether you’re hiking for an hour or three days, it’s essential to bring food and lots of water. Don’t bring foods that perish easily or contain too much sugar. The best snacks for hiking are trail mix, sandwiches, granola bars, fruit, and crackers. Keep your food safe from nature’s wildlife and teach the little ones the importance of taking home with you your waste! Don’t forget you are there first outdoor coach, they will remember what you teach them.

4. Bring or Find Hiking Sticks

Hiking sticks provide not only stability, but the feeling of being an actual explorer, which is great for kids. Hiking sticks also provide safety on more challenging trails and terrain. When buying or finding hiking sticks, be sure to pick sticks that are a good height and weight for children. Or, if in a wooded area and on a short stroll pick up a suitable stick (don’t snap one off a tree) and let them poke around the leaves with it.

5. Pack a First Aid Kid

This is very essential. Nothing ruins a day out than the start of a blister! Make sure your first aid kit has things like band-aids, anti-biotic creams or sprays, anti-itch creams, bug spray etc, and extremely important is any immediate medication they might need during their time out (inhalers, Epi-pens for severe allergies, insulin). Children are more likely to complain about a little scratch, so having the first aid kit with you at all times can prevent hours of discomfort for your kids.

6. While Hiking

Start your hiking day early and learn to be patient with your child’s hiking efforts. Smaller children may only want to walk so far, while older children don’t mind longer hikes on rougher terrain. Make the trip exciting for your children; make them find certain animals and plants. Know what the poisonous plants and animals are and keep a good eye on your kids at all times.

7. Be Prepared for the Worse

Being prepared is essential when hiking with your children. Taking simple precautions can prevent anything from a tiny scrape on the knee to missing a child. If you’re bringing young children especially, get footprints of your child’s shoes in tin foil and carry it with you, give your child a whistle or a bright plastic bag or poncho with holes to wear in case they get lost, and establish rules to keep together; like hiking buddies. Having radios and walkie talkies are great as well to keep track of everyone. Stop to rest and reconnect occasionally. If in range use mobile phones and make sure you know the right numbers to call in emergencies.

The end of part one. Remember … don’t hide your kids away from the great outdoors. Family adventure travel is an excellent way to bond, get fit and have fun.

(Thanks to Paul de Bruin of Spain for letting us use this excellent family picture)

A couple of generations ago children were everywhere. Whether they were in a city or not, they explored every inch of their surroundings. They rode bicycles around town, purchased groceries alone for their parents, went on weekend camping trips with no adult supervision, and were not afraid to go anywhere.

Modern parents would be terrified to let their children have that level of freedom. However, this attitude also keeps children from maturing as quickly and keeps the children from gaining independence. Children are statistically fatter and less capable than ever before, and this probably has something to do with it.

The danger to children is not completely imagined. There do seem to be more chances of children getting hurt than in the past. However, this does not mean that they cannot ever explore. Exploring is in the heart of most children, and the ability should be given to them whenever possible. There are several practical ways that children can be allowed to explore safely.

If you live in the country your children have the best chance for exploration. There are fewer people in the country which makes it safer for children. Start slowly. Allow your children to travel perhaps up to half a mile away. You can give them a cell phone in case they get into trouble. If these trips go successfully, then you can allow them to have more freedom. Make sure they pack appropriate supplies such as water and healthy snacks. A compass can be handy for such trips.

Living in the city makes exploration much harder, but it can still be done. Plan family vacations based around exploring and outdoor activities. Most children love such activities as biking, canoeing, hiking, and fishing. You could even plan a family exploration adventure.

At home there are ways to promote exploration in your children as well. Allow them to research different kinds of exploration and camping. Let the children plan what they want to do on their adventure and what they should bring. Parents should make sure they have all necessary supplies, but the children can plan the majority of the trip and supply list. It can be a great learning experience for everyone.

Allowing your children the freedom and independence to explore the world around them will enable them to have more maturity, responsibility, and confidence.