During my recent family vacations to Europe, as we hoped in and out of plans, trains and automobiles, I took some time to reflect on what travel has meant to me and my family.
I remember a summer trip with my parents and 8 siblings from our home in Georgia to the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. In 1960’s America we traveled in our packed station wagon through southern states that had laws in place that allowed refusal of services to families like mine because we were African American. My parents carefully planned our trip to use roadside stops and parks where we could sleep in our car and use the facilities for personal needs and cooking. We carried a cook stove and toileting utensils to be prepared for all eventualities. When we arrived in DC we were able to stay with a local family who had been referred to my parents for our entire vacation. I remember the kind welcome and the amazing meals we enjoyed each day. On the way home we stopped at a local community center in an African American neighborhood in South Carolina that opened their doors and allowed us to cook a hot meal, stretch our legs and fellowship with people who understood what we faced traveling through the deep south.
I am thankful that the laws have changed in my lifetime so that when my husband and I were raising our children we did not encounter the same difficulties in accessing lodging and other travel resources that were a reality for my parents. We took our children all across the country visiting friends and family and new and wondrous destinations that fueled all of our imaginations.
We are truly a road warrior family.
More recently, I had the opportunity to watch my son and daughter-in-love make their plans and preparations to travel with us and their children across Europe and I was inspired to create a few Quick Tips that turned into small series that you can check out on the website by clicking/tapping each of the short cuts below.
Click HERE to view Quick Tip
Click HERE to view Quick Tip
It is so important to travel and to provide those opportunities and experiences to your children so that they can picture themselves as part of a larger world full of amazing sites and richness of cultures.
Getting in the car or on the bus or train or plane can open doors leading to opportunities far beyond your wildest imagination and it doesn’t have to be expensive beyond your budget. Until next week, Family!
~ Dr. Marta
Every Monday you can meet me right here and on TheWRITEaddiction where I contribute various tips and tricks for helping all you parents and early childhood educators succeed in preparing children to excel in lifelong learning. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel for plenty of free resources.
If you have any questions feel free to email me at info@AskDrMarta.com or visit my website martacollier.com.