5 Life Lessons My Childhood Travel Taught Me

Posted on Oct 31, 2015 | 0 comments

Some of my happiest memories as a kid are from when our family was traveling. My mother had us booked on all kinds of adventures for most weekends and vacations and we loved it!

At the time, I just enjoyed the ride – mostly!

But now, looking back, I realize that our travels had a much bigger impact on me than I thought.

Here are 5 Life Lessons My Childhood Travel Taught Me

#1 of 5 Life Lessons My Childhood Travel Taught Me

To broaden my perceptions and be more savvy. Childhood travel taught me how to identify possible bad situations and to stay away from them. It taught me to understand that there is a lot of color in this world and if we want to all get along, we have to make some effort to understand each other and to be understanding of each other. Tourists make easy targets, but by growing up as a tourist, you learn very quickly how to communicate with more than just words and how to protect yourself/things – both invaluable lessons.

#2 of 5 Life Lessons My Childhood Travel Taught Me

To handle the bumps in the road with grace and style. There is nothing like having a security checkpoint shut down because of your camera (it could have been a bomb… I guess), while you are pregnant. Then missing your flight, then the flight you are there for is delayed. Then you arrive at your destination (18 hours later) and your bags are … missing… Because I grew up trying to catch flights and figure out how to make do with lost/stolen/forgotten items, I was able to handle this with ease. This is one of many experiences that confirms to me that sometimes, there is nothing you can do. Take a breath, know it will all be over soon and just get through it with a smile – grouching and yelling will only make it worse.

#3 of 5 Life Lessons My Childhood Travel Taught Me

Kindness Counts, as does compassion. Travel showed me first hand that everyone lives differently. Even on a small state to state scale, every area has its own unique traditions and ways of life. Some areas have more, some have less, all deserve respect and kindness. Travel taught me to take the time to learn about something before labeling it, to never judge a book by its cover. That sharing a smile can be infectious and one good deed begets another. I learned to do my best to be kind, be understanding and to be helpful when traveling – all the time really.

#4 of 5 Life Lessons My Childhood Travel Taught Me

There is good in all people. While it is important to be savvy and safe while traveling, you can discover that most people have love in their hearts. I remember one mother’s day we were visiting Newport, RI. My brother and I found the perfect shirt to give our mother as a gift for the day but neither of us had brought any money – we did not think we would have time to shop, but we saw this in the window. My dad and mom were getting us a table next door at a restaurant and waiting for us to come in so there was no time for us to run back to the hotel room. The shop owner over-heard us (we did not even ask or engage her), came over, told us to take the shirt – she even wrapped it for us – and just come back after lunch and pay her then!!!!!! We were shocked. Even at the age of 14 I knew that was incredibly kind. Of course we went back after and happily paid her, I will never forget her kindness and all of the good in this strange woman’s heart to help my mother have a nice surprise and I do my best to always pay that gift forward.

#5 of 5 Life Lessons My Childhood Travel Taught Me

How to Appreciate! The art of appreciation can be a tough thing to master, however, traveling as a child makes you a pro at it!! There is nothing like coming home to a soft, warm bed and all of your own things after a week of white water rafting or enjoying a delicious meal out after having to cook for a long period of time! Not only do you learn to appreciate the things around you, but you learn to appreciate your family members as well, this is why family travel is so important. Whatever adventure your trip throws at you, you will have each other to get you through it and homes safely!

What life lessons did your travels teach you as a child?

Malibu Mama Loves Xx

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