Family travel: Let love go further
During the long summer vacation, many parents are planning family trips with their children. Taking kids on the road—from familiar surroundings to unfamiliar places—beautifies the senses and nourishes the soul. “Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles” is a beautiful aspiration shared by many parents for family travel.
From the moment the destination is chosen, family trips are filled with expectations. Selecting routes, planning itineraries, finding travel guides—all are done to ensure a happy and fulfilling trip. When traveling with children, how can we make “love and freedom” go further during this companionship? This is a question worth reflecting on for all parents, and it is also the meaning and joy of family travel.
I. Family trips: Bonding happens along the way
During holidays, various travel programs launched by businesses are endless, and the promotion of family travel and variety shows often causes parents to get lost in the advertising gimmick that “children should travel.” At scenic spots both at home and abroad, it’s not hard to find many parents taking their children sightseeing in a rush to “see the world and broaden their horizons,” only to return disappointed.
If we explore and experience together with our children, approaching the journey with enthusiasm and discovering sights alongside them, we can brighten their eyes, enrich their spirits, experience life, and achieve the goal of enriching both body and mind, naturally passing on the positive energy of travel in life.
For preschool children, nature is the best destination—regardless of distance. A green mountain, a deep lake, a sandy dune, a forest… As long as parents are fully present, these are enough to foster an intimate parent-child relationship in harmony with nature. I still remember when my child Yue’er was just over a year old and saw the ocean for the first time. She lingered on the beach, playing in the waves, building sandcastle forts, and picking up seashells… A seashell she picked up on the beach is still displayed in her “Growth Treasure Cabinet.” Whenever we see her talking gleefully to that little seashell, we are reminded of that joyful beach trip. The charm of nature stays in a child’s memory just like that.
Since my husband and I both come from hometowns hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from our current city, during holidays, we often travel back and forth like migratory birds, visiting family and traveling with our child. Perhaps because of this, Yue’er has developed an infinite attachment to her grandparents’ hometowns. Whenever we return, she is always happy to invite her grandparents to join our travel plans. Over the years, near or far, we have traveled with the whole family to many big and small attractions. Family travel is not only spiritually enriching but also a deepening of familial bonds. Three generations experience the wonders of the world together in close-knit travel—it’s truly a unique experience.
Since Yue’er started elementary school, we’ve placed more emphasis on her preferences when choosing travel destinations. When she learned about “The Strange Stones of Huangshan” in her first-grade textbook and became eager to see the mountain, we fulfilled her wish and visited those majestic peaks. In second grade, after reading “Beijing Lights Up” in class, we went to the capital as she wished—to the destination in her heart. This saved us from futile planning, and she enjoyed acting as the “tour guide” at the destination.
II. Documenting travel: Preserving genuine emotions in a sketchbook
Traveling light has always been our principle for family trips. The lighter the “external” load, the richer the spiritual gains. Since childhood, Yue’er has loved simple line drawing. In the luggage she packs herself, she always likes to bring a picture book, a sketchpad, pens, and some small toys. During the trip, she draws, reads, or plays on her own, amusing herself, and her observations naturally flow out during the journey.
On a trip to Xiamen when Yue’er was six, upon hearing there might be thieves in the waiting room, she vividly made up a story called “Black Cat Detective Catches the Thief.” It roughly goes: In a train car, a thief is hiding, the police search but find nothing, so Black Cat Detective takes action. After a struggle, the thief is finally caught.
This summer, in a high-speed rail waiting room, Yue’er observed an interesting scene: a mother kept scolding her two children. While sharing what she saw, the child composed a playful poem:
There once was a mom who loved to scold,
Because her kids never did as they were told,
The kids may call her Mom,
But she’s not like a real mom—more like a stepmom...
A child’s heart is pure, yet like a mirror, it lets us see ourselves and unconsciously teaches us self-reflection.
While thinking during the trip, Yue’er also took great interest in quickly sketching her thoughts—it was quite fun.
Attachment 1: Yue’er at age four—A quick sketch from the Nankun Mountain trip: “My Cartoon Diary”
Attachment 2: Yue’er at age seven—A simple sketch from visiting a Hakka Tulou: “Characters from the Red Chamber”
III. Fun-filled travel: Beauty is everywhere
During trips, there are inevitably some disappointments. But if we set an example of seeing beauty everywhere, the value gained from travel won’t be limited to the destination. When Yue’er was just over five, we once went hiking in a forest park. Suddenly, a heavy rain poured down. The destination ahead had warnings against entry due to the rain, and we couldn’t turn back either. Sitting upright in the car, the child actually became very excited and played a game called “Rain Drawing on the Car Window,” making everyone in the car laugh. Childlike fun brings natural happiness, instantly dispelling any awkwardness—and sunny weather unexpectedly returns.
Once in Beijing, while riding the subway, we got lost due to unfamiliarity with the lines and missed our destination. So we simply took the opportunity to thoroughly explore the Beijing subway system with our child, comparing it with the subways in our home city and Hong Kong. The child, inspired, discovered some “subway secrets.” When visiting the Old Summer Palace (Yuánmíng Yuán), the child was very curious about the ancient art of “sugar-figure blowing” at the park. She stopped to observe for a long time, and eventually even tried blowing a “little pig sugar figure” herself, recording the experience in her diary and picture book...
When traveling, if you let go of fixating on the destination, your heart will find beauty everywhere. The sights and thoughts a child experiences along the way are deeply memorable. Let the child be a participant in the journey, not just a follower. Nurture their curiosity, experience and explore together, and you’ll gain the true joy of family travel.
IV. Collecting memories: Recording growth and cherishing recollections
We should encourage children to collect things that interest them during the trip. Yue’er isn’t particularly interested in tourist souvenirs, but she loves gifts from nature. What she collects during trips are mostly seashells and snails from beaches, pinecones and leaves from forests, stones from streams, and animal specimens from grassy fields.
After the trip, the child puts these small mementos into her “Growth Treasure Cabinet.” That tiny space holds all her travel memories. In our free time, we recall the trip with her, share photos, or tell stories to relive the joy.
Hellinger said: Love is the driving force behind all actions. Parent-child travel allows love to explore and experience alongside the body and mind, brightening the spirit and enriching life—for both parents and children alike.