We love to travel as a family. It’s a wonderful way to bond, experience new things and learn all about new places. My parents did a ton of traveling with me and my siblings growing up and those experiences were priceless to us. On each and every trip I kept a journal. I chronicled everything, from the second we left till the second we arrived home. My mother has kept them all and whenever I’m home, I love to browse through them -- it always makes me laugh and smile.
With five kids of my own and travel being something we do every six months, I love having them chronicle our trips and journeys. My sons are 7, 9, 10 and 11, so they’re all old enough to create journals, take photos, shoot videos and create memory books. I love to think of each trip that we take as an adventure and we always make sure to do something new and exciting. I don’t want my kids to miss or forget anything -- I always want them to be able to look back and remember not only the big things, but the little things, too.
The next time you head out on a family vacation with your children, take the time to have them chronicle the experience. It can be done a variety of different ways, and I promise it will be something they look back at fondly years from now.
Here are five ways to chronicle family trips with your kids:
Journal
Buy a notebook or a journal before you head out on your trip. It can be something very simple like a bound lined-notebook or a beautiful journal with something inspiring on the cover. Encourage your child to write down all the adventures that take place along your trip. I always tell the boys to start from the second we leave, which is always chaotic! Last time we forget 2 pieces of luggage, so we needed to race home. William (my oldest) wrote about this in his journal and it was hilarious. While we’re away, I love having them just write down what we did at the end of each day. Since each son has a different personality and writing style, it’s always fun to see what “made” it in their journal. Journaling is such a wonderful way to make sure your child gets everything down to paper. Date each journal and store them for years to come.