Convincing kids that traveling is a good idea can feel a bit like negotiating with tiny union reps who have very specific demands. They want plentiful snacks, they don’t want to be bored, and the fun must appear every 3 to 5 minutes.Luckily, you can turn even the most reluctant little home bodies into eager adventurers. All you need to do is slip in a mention of the attractions and fun early on, smile knowingly, and prepare your pitch. The very first thing that you should start with is the illusion of control.
How to Convince Your Kids Traveling is a Good Idea! – Let Them Make Some Decisions
Kids love to feel like they’ve helped to make big decisions, so invite them to choose a few activities or destinations. Keep the choices parent approved, of course, so if you’ve done all the decision making already, you can ask them to choose from things that you’ve already decided on. That way they feel like they’ve got control. The things that you pick sound cool enough to pass the kid test, but they’re still within your limits. When children get to help to plan, they start seeing travel as something exciting rather than something being done to them.
How to Convince Your Kids Traveling is a Good Idea! – Hype Up Your Trip
From here you can start building the hype. Children are professional skeptics. Your promise of amazing views will not sway them, unless those views come with ice cream or a weird animal they’ve never seen before. Show them pictures, videos and give them a quick virtual tour. Tell them about all the odd and hilarious things that they might encounter. The goal is simple, you want to make staying home sound like the boring option and going traveling sound like the fun one. Then comes the art of the Travel teaser.
How to Convince Your Kids Traveling is a Good Idea! – Drop Travel Teasers
This is where you drop the little things into the conversation, like about the places that you want to go or the crazy adventures you’re going to go on. You’re going to be able to add momentum to your advantage because kids love the anticipation of something fun more than they love the actual travel. Kids love novelty, and travel is full of novelties, strange coins, new words, different snacks, and mysterious buttons in hotel elevators that you absolutely should not push, but they will definitely want to.
How to Convince Your Kids Traveling is a Good Idea! – Calm Their Fears
Of course, you’ll also want to address the big fear that lurks behind many children’s resistance to travel the unknown. They might be worried about missing their toys, their shows or their favorite pajamas. Children love routines, and travel pulls them out of it. You can reassure them by allowing them to pack a small comfort kit with familiar favorites, as long as you’ve got double s so that you don’t leave anything behind.
How to Convince Your Kids Traveling is a Good Idea! – Be Excited Yourself
The last thing to remember is that your own enthusiasm will set the tone for your trip. If you sell the adventure with the energy of a theme park hype man, your kids are far more likely to buy into it. Keep it playful, upbeat, and don’t panic when someone spills something in the airport.