One of the greatest joy of my life is traveling with my children who are from 10 to 15 years old. We regularly go to the Road Trips in the United States, and over the years were also in various places in Africa, Europe and Asia.
Although I love these travels, I often have the impression that I force my children to realize my dreams of traveling – e.g. when we spend the night, freezing in the desert or squeezing through the dark, moist pyramids in Egypt. While driving on a camel in the Sahara, my daughter reminded me that her close friend was having a great time in the luxury resort of All Inclusive in the Caribbean, where the only occupation was sunbathing.
Sometimes I think my children would prefer to return to Disney World or lie down by the pool in the ministry than to accompany me in realizing my dream list, but I was afraid to ask about the answer.
Recently, we planned with children where to go next time. We had difficulty narrowing the options. Contrary to reason, I asked them which of our travels they liked the most. Their answers surprised me.
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Jordan
Visiting Jordan has been on my dream list for years. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to survive in the waters of the Dead Sea, swim in the Red Sea and climb the ruins of Petra.
I shouldn't be so surprised when my children were not delighted, when I told them that we would spend a spring break at school, traveling to the other end of the world to wander around an ancient city abandoned for centuries and sleep in a distant Bedouin camp with a shared bathroom.
However, during our conversation about the next journey, I was amazed when I discovered that my children They unanimously recognized the nine -day trip to Jordan as their favorite journey of all time. They even admitted that they liked the spartan life in the desert – or at least they did not hate him as much as they expected. It's a success for me.
Author with children in Jordan
| Jamie Davis Smith (private archive)
I think Jordan offers an ideal mix of adventure, history, beaches and cities, making it a great goal of traveling with a bit of everything. I was glad that my children would agree with me. And the food turned out to be surprisingly tasty. My ten -year -old son is still looking for a falafel as good as the one he tried in Jordan.
Poland
Poland is not on the list of dream European goals for summer holidays. However, I and my children found myself there when we were able to get tickets for the Taylor Swift concert in Warsaw last year.
We were amazed how many attractions we had to choose from during a nine -day stay in the country. My children admitted that they particularly liked Krakow, who kept his ancient charm because it was spared from bombing during World War II.
The favorite place of my children in Poland, however, was the beautiful mountain Zakopanewhere we enjoyed great hiking and relaxing baths in hot springs. We also liked cosmopolitan Warsaw with large parks and a restored historic center.
See also: “I recommend this city to everyone.” The American delighted with “Polish Venice”
South Korea
Our visit to South Korea was a five -day addition to a longer holiday in the more popular Japan of the past summer. We stayed only in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, for a few days, because we had a change there. Since we still had to change the plane in South Korea, it seemed a good opportunity to see a new place.
South Korea turned out to be one of my children's favorite stops during our almost monthly journey. To my surprise, according to my son, the biggest attraction was a visit to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.
See also: Five minutes in North Korea. I went to the most guarded border of the world
My children said that they loved walking on the famous South Korean hanging bridges and immersed in the culture of K-pop at K-Star Road. They also liked visiting the picturesque Namsan Park, which we came across by accident, because it was right next to our hotel. I regret that we have not spent more time in South Korea to see even more of this country.
Expedition cruise around Iceland
My children were on two cruises. One took place at the Royal Caribbean – a huge, friendly children of the ship, with an unlimited amount of ice cream and a visit to a private island with a giant water park.
The second is a trip on a small National Geographic-Lindblad expedition ship, which we took around the coast of Iceland. During this cruise, they ate much less ice cream, but they learned to control the ship, listened to stories about mythical trolls allegedly inhabiting Iceland, countlessly swam nearly puffins and whales, and wandered on hard -to -reach islands.
I was pleasantly surprised when my children said that they would prefer to go to a expedition cruise again than to go by ship designed for children, where there is a constant atmosphere of the carnival.
I don't know yet where our next journey will take. However, I feel relief, knowing that my children not only tolerate, but also really like my unusual ideas – even if sometimes they would just prefer to go to the beach.
The above text is a translation with American Business Insider edition
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
