A Little Research… The Unique Benefits of Traveling Young

Last updated on March 9, 2024 by Shannon

As the wheels of the plane gently lifted off the runway, I glanced over at my toddler, clawing at the window for a better view of the disappearing cars below, his eyes wide with wonder.

In that moment, I was reminded of the transformative power of travel, not just for seasoned wanderers like myself, but for the young minds accompanying us on these journeys.

traveling with a toddler has its benefits
My son took his first international trip at three months old—from Spain, our home, to England. Since then, we’ve traveled through the U.S. and Europe. Even though it’s hard, I know that traveling is helping shape him into an adaptable, resilient, and compassionate human.

Travel, I’ve come to realize, is more than just a change of scenery or a break from the daily grind; it’s a rich, immersive classroom without walls, offering lessons and the opportunity for personal change far beyond what traditional education can provide.

As I’ve hiked, biked, and ridden horses across different landscapes and cultures with many children in my life, I’ve watched the world take shape in their minds. Sometimes even a seemingly mundane moment caused fissures of understanding that broadened their horizons—each one deepened their understanding of there small role among the many people who up our world. I’ve watched travel change these children (my nieces, nephews, and my son) in profound ways, just as it does adults.

Research-Backed Benefits of Traveling as a Child

traveling mexico as a child to learn independence and culture
Both of my nephews had a rough start in life, but traveling at 10- and 11-years old allowed them to look beyond our small hometown and reach higher. They are now adults and are on track to surpass what their parents have achieved.

I’ve traveled the world with all of the kids in my life, from infants on up to a 14-year-old who walked 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago with me. We’ve road tripped the Yucatan; trained across France, Spain, Switzerland, and Norway; and backpacked Southeast Asia. Each journey unfolded as a unique story, weaving together the threads of cultural understanding, adaptability, and the sheer joy of discovery.

These travels have not just been about seeing new places; they’ve been about seeing the world through new eyes—those of the children accompanying me. Whether it’s the unfiltered curiosity of my toddler or the evolving perspectives of my teenage nieces and nephews, each trip has been a revelation.

Through their eyes, the mundane becomes magical, and the familiar turns into an adventure. This is the essence of traveling with children—it’s a journey of shared discovery, where every step is an education in the art of living and learning. And it’s one that the science says can help a child immediately, and for the rest of their lives. Here’s how traveling as a child changes them.

Enhances Academic Performance

A study by the Student & Youth Travel Association suggests that children who travel tend to do better in school. Teachers involved in the study noted that travel is an extremely effective educational resource, potentially more impactful than computer-based learning—54% organize student travel primarily for its academic benefits.

These benefits to the child are attributed to the real-world experiences and diverse environments children encounter while traveling.

We took a ferry from Cancun to Isla Mujeres and my nephew Vic just loved our days on the small island, where he befriended a man who made and sold palm frond woven items.

Stimulates Creativity and Imagination

Travel itself has an incredible impact on creativity—a topic studied for decades by researchers looking at how living abroad and traveling can stimulate the same qualities needed for enhanced creativity.

For children, the power of play-based and nature-based learning when coupled with travel can significantly boost children’s creativity and imagination. These experiences can also aid in language, literacy, and social skills development.

Develops of Problem-Solving and Analytical Skills

my nephew learning about other cultures as a child at a street food stall in mexico
My nephew Vic swears that this was the best sandwich of his life. He had never eaten street food before we left for Mexico, but quickly adapted to—and loved—the immediacy of food and the more fun, companionable outside environment of eating at shared tables with others.

Alongside research that backs travel’s benefits to cognitive flexibility, research highlights that travel enhances higher-level thinking in children. It fosters problem-solving, creativity, and analytical thinking, which are crucial skills for personal and academic growth.

Leads to Higher Educational Attainment

A study commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association found that “adults who traveled regularly as children had above average grades, higher educational attainment, and 12% higher than average incomes.”

Travel fosters more intellectual curiosity in a child, which can stick with them throughout life if that skill is reinforced in travel and their life. This research shows that the benefits to the child come from the nature of the trip and not just the destination—you can travel domestically with your child and still see the educational benefits.

The trips that benefitted students “involved learning about the history or culture of the area visited, either as a school or family trip, and was at least 50 miles from home (one-way) or had an overnight stay regardless of mileage.”

Increases Generalized Trust

Psychreg highlights studies showing that travel broadens horizons and increases generalized trust. Traveling with children offers them a wide array of experiences that contribute to their overall trust and understanding of the world.

traveling in Merida mexico as a family and finding the benefits of family travel
I watched my nephews address some of the baggage they held with each other across our three-week road trip. It wasn’t a panacea for their fighting, but they learned to ban together to figure out solutions to new problems and ultimately had a grand time being super naughty together.

Builds Social and Emotional Intelligence

Traveling exposes children to diverse cultures and situations, enhancing their social and emotional intelligence, according to research. This exposure helps them develop empathy, adaptability, and cultural awareness.

The more our children are forced to adapt to new people and new cultural practices, the more they show signs of openness to new experiences. “People with high levels of openness are more likely to seek out a variety of experiences, be comfortable with the unfamiliar, and pay attention to their inner feelings more than those who are less open to novelty.”

Learns tolerance and acceptance of diversity.

Traveling the world is like school for children, teaching them tolerance, acceptance of diversity, and acquiring new experiences that shape their worldview.

Contributes to parents’ well-being.

A journal article on Science Direct examined the benefits of family tourism and found that parents’ well-being increased through memorable travel experiences, indirectly benefiting the children.

Elephant Nature Park chiang mai,
My niece and I learned a lot about animal conservation during our time in Southeast Asia, where she had a first-hand look at the devastating effects overtourism has had on elephants, as well as the many complications in finding a single solution. She also got to hang out with elephants, which was a highlight for her.

My Experiences Traveling With Children

I dove into the deep end the first time I traveled with a child: I homeschooled my then 11-year old niece from Southeast Asia for more than six months. We based ourselves in Chiang Mai, Thailand then set off to explore the region together on smaller trips from our home base.

The adventure turned out so much better than I could have hoped for when we decided to homeschool and travel. That’s not to say that there weren’t challenges—we had no idea the adjustments that were in store for both of us—but over the course of the months we grew closer as we found activities and interests that coincided and helped us explore together.

And we met new friends. Many, many new friends from all walks of life and each one with a lesson to share that went far beyond what I alone could ever teach her.

My nephew traveling in Mexico and learning about the history and food.
My nephew Eric takes a moment at Chichen Itza to pose for my photo—a break from the discussions of Maya history and gory games at the ball court.

In the years after traveling Asia with Ana, I would take my two nephews on a road trip through Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and then walk across Spain with another. Now I have a toddler son and he’s not yet two but has explored seven countries.

Here’s how I’ve watched each of these kids change and grow through travel.

Ambition and action affect real change.

Lee, Ana, and Sean ride in a pickup truck to Lee’s village in the hills around Chiang Rai, Thailand to learn about coffee production and how Lee’s village produces the coffee used at the coffee shop Ana and I loved to visit.

The friendly faces at the Akha Ama coffee shop in Chiang Mai were the very first faces we saw when I arrived in town with my niece, and they set the tone for the many new types of people she would meet over our six-and-a-half months on the road.

Lee’s inspiring story of how he worked to bring a better income and future to his community of Akha villages was a clear example of how much a single person can accomplish.

After visiting his rural village in northern Thailand, it struck Ana as remarkable that he purposefully and passionately pursued his education—and then took that education and built a business that catalyzed lasting change in his community.

Cultivating curiosity enriches your life.

In the top photo, Jodi explaining the Bangkok riots to Ana, and the rest are the two of them being goofy all over the city . . . a fact that baffled many of the people who saw us bowled over laughing on a daily basis. :)

With the responsibility for my niece’s welfare, I sometimes forgot to enjoy the simplicity of pausing for the moments of joy in our days.

My friend Jodi brought the silly, the fun, and the occasionally absurd into our lives. And she also taught my niece a lot through pay and fun. Even with serious concepts, Jodi was able to weave in threads of humor that hooked my tween-age niece.

A fun gif of Monique, Jodi, Ana and me on a street corner in Bangkok trying to simultaneously jump. We failed, but had a blast doing it (and thoroughly entertained a whole lot of passing Thais!).

Jodi always asked my niece Ana thoughtful questions about each new experience, probing her to think more deeply about what she was seeing, feeling, eating, and learning.

Education is a life-long journey to be lived outside of the classroom and she was a living example of the curiosity I hope Ana shows for learning throughout her life.

Generosity comes in all sizes.

Ana and Em were fast friends and they enjoyed taking in the sunset together in Bagan, Myanmar.

Having friends was a major concern for my niece before we left, and I had hopes that Ana and Em, a nine year-old from another expat family living in Chiang Mai, would hit it off. And they did.

Em’s vibrancy and imagination made every day trip and outing an adventure for us. I love looking back at the many imaginative ways she and my niece found to interact with the world we explored together—jumping, sliding, digging, coloring, tasting . . . you name and those two found a way to do it somewhere along the line.

We were lucky enough to spend time with this family on the road in both Thailand and Myanmar, and the family generously shared their time, culture (they were Burmese-Taiwanese), and extended family during our time together.

Learning new languages offers countless new friends.

Dani, Jess, Ana and I goofed around as we visited the baby tigers at Tiger Kingdom in just outside of Chiang Mai.

When we left the United States, Ana had a very specific framework for her dreams – her life experiences up until that point influenced who she thought she could become.

Traveling friends Dani and Jess were such a positive influence on my niece, and she looked forward to each time our paths crossed with them throughout Southeast Asia—first in Chiang Mai, then Laos, then Chiang Mai again, and we capped it off with a week in Cambodia.

traveling as a child gives you a chance to make friends and learn from them, as my nephews did in Izamal Mexico.
My nephews made a great friendship with two dutch boys their age for the few days that we spent in a small town in Mexico. They played in the pool together, ate street food together, and had a grand time exposing each other to their perspectives and cultures.

In the U.S., children are exposed mostly to Spanish as a foreign language, and occasionally French. Dani inspired Ana to learn her native language, German—even if it was just a few words for now.

And then she wanted to learn French, Spanish, Mandarin . . . well, once she discovered how great Dani was, my niece realized that learning other languages opens up the world to so many new possible friends, ideas, and opportunities.

Hands-on learning makes a new place way more interesting.

Ana used a set of chisels, and, under the instruction of a former monk, she learned how to cut out a set of stencils that monks traditionally use to decorate the temples.

Naomi was one of my earliest mentors when I embarked on traveling with kids. She offered a unique understanding of how children work, and guidance in those first few weeks of my first overseas trip with kids.

The ideas and projects she suggested on ways to engage my niece with the world were spot on. We hunted down handmade local beads for bracelet-making projects. We took arts and crafts workshops throughout our trip to keep Ana’s hands actively doing, which in turn engaged her mind every day.

My niece made traditional stencils in Laos, and learned first hand how the monks paint the intricate designs on the Buddhist temples. We learned how to dye and weave silk, we made traditional crafts to match the local holidays, we hiked, we rode bikes down bumpy roads.

When traveling with my nephews, they learned how to snorkel and how to spot hidden crocodiles, they swam in the cool waters of the Yucatan’s cenotes and climbed the high steps of ancient Maya temples.

Each activity was an adventure in its own right and learning through doing while we traveled has allowed my nieces and nephews to actively manipulate the new concepts and learnings being thrown at them on the road.

Kids can impact the world, too.

Ana and I tutored a Burmese student from the We Women foundation twice a week while we lived in Chiang Mai.

The time my niece and I spent regularly volunteering with the We Women Foundation in Chiang Mai impacted Ana in ways I am still witnessing more than a decade later.

Twice a week for several months, Ana and I taught a Burmese refugee how to speak English. Ana and I planned our lessons together, came up with games and activities and spent five hours a week teaching English to a twenty-something Shan refugee.

We didn’t change the world—I was honest with Ana and upfront about how each person can only take tiny steps to cause positive change. What Ana left with though, was the knowledge that one person in this world now has more job opportunities and the ability to perhaps earn money for her family because we started her down the road of learning the English language.

It was a small act, but a tangible way for her to effect change. In our quest to offer our children the deep benefits of travel, volunteering is another tool in the arsenal that ensures the many benefits penetrate more deeply.

People are inherently kind.

Ana and the children in Tha Suang bonded over a box of colored pencils and paper while we whiled away a six-hour wait for our tuk-tuk in rural Laos.

Our media in the United States is quick to paint the rest of the world with twin brush strokes labeled: dangerous and strange. Thailand is a wonderful country for a first-time adventure.

I chose to travel in Thailand with a kid specifically because I wanted my niece to see that warmth and kindness are traits offered freely by people all over the world. Ana laughed daily with the street vendors who patiently corrected her beginner Thai and they delighted in the fact that she was learning their language.

And in Burma we found a sweetness of nature and hospitality that belied the only stories that seem to make international headlines. Ana played games of ball with children all over Southeast Asia who shared a common love for play; a language far more important than spoken language.

Impermanence and change are part of life.

my niece changed for the better after six weeks of travel
One of my nieces spent six weeks in Spain with me walking the Camino de Santiago. She was transitioning from middle school, which had been a rough three years for her, to high school. The time on the road gave her the chance to leave those problems behind and rewrite who she was and how she presented herself to new friends.

Life on the road is a series of ever-changing circumstances, and I’d go so far as to say that’s a quality of life as well. I am not alone in a desire to cling to structure—many of us are fearful of change.

But change is a fact of life, and many experiences in our children’s lives will be impermanent. Although children thrive on structure and routine, there is a time and place for everything.

Life is messy even when you’re at home in your tried-and-true routine, and traveling allows us all to exercise the muscle of resiliency and problem solving when things don’t go according to plan.

My kids have said goodbye to good friends they met while we traveled, and many people they connect with will pass like ships in the night. All of the kids in my life have found tiny towns they loved deeply, or food stalls with the best meal of their life. And they left knowing even if they returned one day, they would never fully return to this moment in time.

I value adaptability and a life of travel offers kids the benefits of resilience, adaptability, and an acceptance of change that they learn through each person they meet, each culture they engage with, and each new experience that challenges their preconceptions.

31 thoughts on “A Little Research… The Unique Benefits of Traveling Young”

  1. That was very inspiring, along traveling surely we will meet new people that might inspire us and value friendship regardless of culture,Just like Ana and M.

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    • It’s wonderful to leave the bounds of the United States and see there are people we can connect with on levels other than a shared culture/country. Safe travels and best of luck :)

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  2. Hi Shannon. It’s been very interesting reading. It’s been such a great experience for you. I also travelled in South-East Asia this summer, currently staying in Siem Reap and I also enjoyed myself a lot and met so many amazing people. Bless you!

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    • Siem Reap is a great town and I appreciate you stopping in and reading. Enjoy the temples and small towns (and I found Battambang a delightful mid-size city … there aren’t many like it in Cambodia if you happen to head that way :)

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  3. Hi Shannon,
    I am a homeschooling mom from Malaysia. I am planning to go Chiang Mai in January 2013. Really love the stuffs you are doing with your niece. We would love to explore more than the usual tourist place. My kids’ main interests are animal, conservation, nature, art and craft. We plan to spend 2-3 weeks in Chiang Mai. I am very interested with visiting the village to see the coffee production, silk weaving and craft workshops. Is it possible for us to arrange personally? Do you mind giving me more details with the contact details if possible? Would also appreciate your suggestion for other interesting things to explore culture of the locals. Thanks in advance.

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    • Hi Linda, great to hear from a fellow homeschooler, if you’re going to be in CM in January, you may just be able to make a trip to the coffee village. Lee, the owner of Akha Ama owns it (http://www.akhaama.com/) and he only runs two (one in Dec, and one in Jan) that fill up quickly, so I recommend that you email him now! :) Silk weaving class was in Luang Prabang, Laos at Ock Pop Tok (http://www.ockpoptok.com). Chiang Mai also has cooking classes if your kids are older and interested in that. And, there are a lot of bike tours and that sort of thing in the area, my friends did one and had positive things to say ( https://globetrottergirls.com/2012/03/cycling-spiceroads-chiang-mai-thailand/. And finally, January is the Bo Sang umbrella festival just 10k outside of Chiang Mai, and your kids can see how the craftsmen paint the umbrellas and/or you might be able to find someone who you could pay to teach them for an hour or so; my post on it was here: https://alittleadrift.com/bo-sang-umbrella-festival/

      Hope that gives you some ideas! Happy travels :)

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  4. This is beautiful on so many levels, Shannon. What an amazing gift for both of you to have spent this time together, and to have connected with so many extremely awesome people in different places that could touch your lives, is just exactly the reason why we do this crazy thing we do – of living travel.

    Kudos, Shannon, and I so look forward to seeing you!

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    • Thank you Bessie, the connections made with Ana were often on such a different level than on my own, it was an education for me to meet people through that bridge, of having an inquisitive child along.

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  5. SUCH an amazing experience for the both of you! I wasn’t lucky enough to travel when I was young (got on my first plane at the age of 21!!) but want to make sure my nieces and nephews get to experience the world as much I can. She looks like she had such a great time. PS. you guys got some air in that jumping photo!! :-)

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    • Thanks Rebecca, it was such a neat trip to take with her, and see the world with a child’s eyes. Hope you are well and enjoying PNG — that is such an amazing opportunity and I love exploring it through your photos until I can get there myself! :)

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      • Thanks, loving it here, so much to see, so little time. Plus have many more photos and pics to post, just never seem to find five minutes to do it! Thanks Shannon, safe travels wherever you currently are in the world.

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  6. This was such a beautiful thing to read! I wish I’d had someone like you in my life to share experiences like this with when I was growing up.

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    • Thank you Lindsey, I am lucky to have traveled with her as well — if you have nieces, nephews, etc, I highly recommend taking them on an adventure — their ideas and observations are so very different than what we see when we travel. Good luck on your upcoming trip! :)

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  7. Anna is extremely fortunate to have someone like you in her life to give her exposure to the world at such a young age. Jodi in the shopping cart is classic, and I love the jumping GIF.

    PS – Get ready for a team chiang mai reunion in NYC :)

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  8. This is so inspiring for me. Your niece gained so much from this experience and she will be forever changed because of her time traveling with you. I am so excited to show my own children the world!

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    • Thank you Amy, on the road, it’s amazing to watch them learning and absorbing so many nuances of life that we would never think to teach them. Can’t wait to read about your own Asia adventures when you head out with your wee ones – I saw that you have amended the plan to six months on the road, and I think that’s such a valuable thing to have learned this early in your journey. Like you, I like to have a homebase and to explore from there, and I know my niece was keen and eager to relax back into her home culture for a bit before we head out again :)

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  9. I love love love that you did this! Seriously, you are truly inspirational!!! You have changed Ana’s life forever and I have no doubt that she’s going to do something incredible with her life because of this experience with you. Bravo!!!

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    • Heh heh heh, the others give me a run for their money though; Ana has gotten pretty good at doing some of her crazy jumps! :)

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  10. It is so important to be thankful and appreciate all the lessons learned. This is an incredible reflection of your time and your experiences. What a powerful way to say thank you to everybody who helped you and Ana during your adventures.

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    • Thank you Chrystal, it was on coming back here that I really looked back, as Ana and I talked about the people and experiences we were feeling nostalgic for, and realized how much the people along the way affect our travels! :)

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  11. LOVE IT! Great article – really summed up your experiences and how much Angela was affected by each one. Just FABU!!!! xoxo (oh and I did this from my ipad and somehow it won’t let me give you positive stars, so it is showing that I gave it -11 – which is not true!! You need to delete my stars! LOL!

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  12. So beautifully said. The lessons that your niece learned along the way (and for you too) are ones that will obviously never be forgotten. As a child, I was always fearful of change, and I’m sure living in Chiang Mai has taught her how to adapt! I love all of the hands on activities you did as well!! Now I want to go make stencils with the monks :)

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    • If you pass through Loas again, it’s a fun course and a neat souvenir (I am all about interesting souvenirs with a story rather than another do-hickey for a friend’s shelf). Hope you are well Laura! :)

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