When my 12-year old son told me that he had a “bucket list,” I was surprised by my mixed emotions. On one-hand, I was so proud that I had inspired him at such a young age to be so passionate about travel that he had his own list of “must see destinations.” However, when I think about a “bucket list” it conjures up feelings of people who almost missed out because they waited to enjoy life until it was almost too late, which is not how I want to live, not how I raise my son, and definitely the complete opposite of WHAT we should all be aiming for… Live Life Travel.

Perhaps it is just a saying and I am taking it too literally; however, I view it as a mindset that we can be changing at home starting with our own children in very engaging, fun and educational ways.

Instead of a “Bucket List,” we can make a conscious decision to start building “Life Lists” with our families from a very young age, which then creates both life and family goals.

Here are some of the awesome benefits:

• Increased sense of community within the family through shared goals
• Better communication encouraging teamwork at home
• Education – Geography (we recommend not going to any destination before all children have completed their in-classroom education)
• Budgeting – Goals
• Parents become role models for their children in terms of prioritizing family time, being able to unplug from work, taking all of their paid vacation time
• TRAVEL BENEFITS FOR KIDS: Increased independence, self-esteem and self-confidence as well as developing intellectual curiosity, better cooperation skills and adaptability and increased tolerance and respectfulness of others. Education beyond the classroom… learning about different cultures, languages, history, currencies, museums/art as well as becoming global citizens.
• Vacation Benefits for Adults: Lowers stress, Heart disease prevention, Increased productivity, Better sleep, Irreplaceable memories and Experiences with your children (set goals for before the 1st child leaves for college).

Naturally, as parents, our biggest challenges will always be:

1. Having enough time
2. Having enough money
3. Or a combination of both at the same time

We call this the “Time/Money Ratio,” and it is why planning and having goals is essential. For example, I made a commitment for my son and I to always spend February Break together when he started Kindergarten and since then, we have. However, February has become an extremely busy month for me and he’s turning 13 (new “Life Stage”) so we are re-assessing our Family Travel Goals.

Perhaps it would make more sense for him to fly alone to Florida and spend more time with his Grandparents that week. This is a perfect example of why my family needs to re-assess our own goals right now. We also only have 5 years before he graduates from High School and we both know that we have certain places that we want to travel to together before then that we will need to save and plan for.

Every family will have different obstacles, but the objective is to make a commitment, then work together towards the goal that is important to everyone. For your children, this will be the first of many “life lists.” Encourage your children – along with yourself – to seize the opportunity when it presents itself. Studying abroad or “volunteer travel” are both rewarding experiences for young travelers.

If you are not sure where to start, speak to a travel advisor for a consultation and professional planning. LiveLifeTravel.world