When people find out that our family traveled for a year – with our three boys aged 3, 5, and 6 – the reaction is often the same:
“But they won’t remember anything!”
So what?
Maybe they won’t remember every exact landmark or temple. But what they’ve gained is even more important:
A deep understanding of the world’s diversity, and a lifelong traction toward curiosity.
Curiosity That Travels Further Than Memory
After just a few months on the road – seeing towering Buddha statues and jaw-dropping waterfalls – our kids started asking for something surprising.
“Can you show us the lists of the world’s biggest Buddhas?”
“Which waterfall has the highest flow rate?”
“Where are the tallest, widest, most powerful falls?”
We were opening Wikipedia together at breakfast, exploring rankings of standing, sitting, reclining Buddhas, or comparing waterfalls by size and volume.
Then came the drawings: imaginary Buddhas they invented on paper.
The hotel room play: towels turned into waterfalls, draped from chairs and beds.
That’s when we realized:
Even if they forgot the names or places – they’d already been gifted something much deeper.
The Learning Still Grows
Today, years later, their curiosity has shifted but never faded. Now it’s about:
- Tree species
- Whales and marine life
- Car models and global brands
Thus travel gave them the habit of wondering. Of noticing. Of wanting to know more.
And that, as a parent, is something I’m deeply proud of.
Travel Is an Education of the Heart and Mind
You don’t have to wait until your kids are “old enough.”
You don’t have to plan an epic year-long trip.
But you can start now – with small journeys that open their eyes and shape how they see the world.
Build your next family adventure with Meet The Road – and show your children the kind of classroom that no school can match.