Over the weekend, Pete and I were talking about what triggered our love of travel. For me, it was the opportunity to be an exchange student with Youth for Understanding the summer between my junior and senior years of high school. I spent a wonderful two months based in Oslo, Norway as a guest in the home of the Erickson family.
The Ericksons were kind enough to ensure that I saw a lot of their beautiful country, including the heavenly Sognefjord, and another fjord where the father had resisted the German occupiers during WWII. We spent a week at their farm on the Swedish border, feasting on fresh crawfish and lingonberry preserves in a charming farmhouse kitchen. Years before a chance encounter with a plowshare had yielded buried treasure – an intact viking ship intended to carry its departed VIP into the afterlife. All of this royal Norseman’s accoutrements had been beautifully preserved in the permafrost, and were carefully taken to the Maihaugen in Lillehammer, where I later saw them displayed.
Pete also spent some time away from home during his college years. As part of a student business delegation from St. John’s University, he traveled to Japan, China, Hong Kong and Singapore one memorable summer. Armed with a brand new camera, his interest in photography was whetted. I’m glad he paid attention to what he was eating, as well! Today his repertoire of Asian cuisine is guaranteed to make the weekly menu more interesting.
When my youngest, Robin, was 12, she and I traveled together to Europe. I joked that it would probably be the last time in a long time that she would want to be seen with me. What ensued was the trip of a lifetime. Arriving in Paris, we hit the big attractions – the Louvre, Versailles, Musee d’Orsay, Musee Rodin – rode the riverboats down the Seine, and could see the Eiffel Tower from our window. We took a sleeper car train trip overnight to Munich and hooked up with family. My brother had been an exchange student near Stuttgart and now we introduced a new generation of children to each other. We concluded our trip in Heidelberg, and then returned to Paris to catch our flight home all too soon.
I’ve encountered very few people who don’t like to travel, so that I’m surprised when I actually do. Traveling with our children has always been a pleasure for both of us, and we regret we didn’t do more of it. We think it’s good for kids to see new places, make comparisons, appreciate what they have, and appreciate others for who they are. But more importantly, we think traveling when you’re young unlocks an adventuresome spirit that you can take with you through all facets of your life. To try new things, to take a chance, to minimize the fear of risk, and to be openly curious are all attributes we hope to continuously cultivate in ourselves and in our kids.
What effect has traveling had on you? Did the travel bug bite you when you were young? What memorable trips have you taken with your children, or when you were younger? Are you planning to travel in the near future? What’s your trip of a lifetime? Tell us!
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Hi there Betsy – I enjoyed reading about your travels – especially with your daughter “Robin”! I’m not a big traveller myself – I’ve always wanted to travel as part of my “work” (perhaps “projects” is a better word), but that hasn’t happened, so far, and at the moment we wouldn’t want to leave what we are doing!
Robin´s last blog post.. Calling All Gods And Goddesses!
Ooooo, I wanna travel to Europe with my daughter! I think 12 would be a wonderful age. Maybe even take the hubby along too. 🙂
I caught the travel bug whenI was 6, my paternal grand-ma let me accompany her on a 7-hour trip to Nova Scotia by train. I knew I was a born traveller.
My trip of a lifetime would be a 4-month World Cruise. But I’d have to have a huge suite on the ship with a quiet room where I could work on music and such for a few hours a day! And I’d need highspeed internet too.
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Hi Robin – Our Robin was the only one in her high school and she loved it that way! I think we all have times in our lives where we defer traveling – whether we’re busy with family or work. Hopefully you can indulge your wish soon! I’ll be posting more about my wonderful trip with Robin – there were several adventures within it! Thanks.
Hi Jannie – Oooooh you made me think of the time when my parents pinned my name and address to my coat and put me on the Greyhound bus to visit relatives in another state – I was no more than six, I think. Nowadays you wouldn’t dream of doing that, although my kids did fly on their own to visit their dad when he lived out of state when they were quite young. Like you my dream trip is lengthy: the Orient Express. I guess it’s not as swell as it used to be back in the day. We sure enjoyed the trains in Europe, though. Thank you.
When I was in college, I spent the winter term in Japan and that experience literally changed the way I view the world. (For example, I’ll never take for granted a “western” style toilet again!)
That’s what I love about traveling… because things that I would normally “take for granted” suddenly come into sharp focus when I’m traveling. Whether it’s the reliability of my internet connection to the comfort of my own bed – traveling helps me to appreciate the comforts of home.
I love reading about your travels. Pete’s images are the next best thing to being there. Heck, they’re BETTER than being there because most of the time I wouldn’t risk life and limb to get the shots he does!!!
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Hi Betsy…..I was an exchange student myself to Turkey in the summer of 1974. Growing up in northern MN, I hadn’t traveled much…and this experience really opened my eyes to what was outside my little, secluded home. As a result, I was not opposed to more adventure and never turned down an opportunity to see some place new. We travel less now, but as Kathy said above, we appreciate home more because of all we have seen elsewhere. By the way, my Turkish sister’s husband is the Turkish Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia. We still keep in touch.
Hi Bets. My experience as a YFU exchange student to Germany in 1975 has left me with a lasting impression that I think everyone should have the opportunity to experience. There is not a day goes by that I don’t think about it. And, plus, to have the chance to do it again 2 years later, not to mention 27 years later, makes it even better. The thought of keeping in contact with my host family after all these years is nothing short of wonderful. I was glad you and Robin were able to share some of that with me. Dad told me to go back 2 years later, even though it meant spending Christmas away from them, because I might not ever get the chance again. That gesture has allowed me (us) to seek out new travel ventures with the thought of might not getting the chance to do it again. Can’t weait for our next trip abroad. John
Hi Kathy – LOL I’m laughing at the title of your cat turd post, must get there and read! You’re right, it’s a mixed feeling isn’t it, to return home and realize how wonderful life is with all we take for granted? It’s a different perspective than a stay-at-home. “Click your heels together three times…!” Thanks.
Hi Mary – I was hoping you’d weigh in, as our recent conversation about your exchange sister inspired this additional conversation and the post – and thoughts of a series to follow it up, too! What a fascinating and somewhat unusual location – Turkey must have seemed very exotic! And I’ve read so much about the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Funny how we’re drawn to water.
Sadly, I have not kept in touch with my Norwegian exchange family, but it was wonderful to be welcomed in Germany by my brother’s. The experience also introduced me to the value of being based in one location for a more extended period, getting to know a place beyond scratching the surface. Thanks.
Hi John – That’s what Dad was all about: “Never say ‘if only…’ “. No regrets, and do it now. What a leap of faith for our parents – such a long way away for young, naive kids. And such wisdom to instinctively know it would be a life-changing experience. The Sauter family is exceptional – that they would open their hearts and homes to Robin and me was overwhelming. It was so generous of you and Gwyn to share part of that trip with us, as well. Unforgettable, and can’t wait to do something similar again. Thank you.
Betsy
I have been interested in travel for as long as I can remember. As a kid we lived in various cities in both Australia and New Zealand, so were quite nomadic, while not traveling far. But the adventurous spirit was well and truly encouraged through changing towns, schools; going to music festivals, on camping trips; living on hippie communes, going to demonstrations. That combined with my family sponsoring a children from the Philippines meant I was always intrigued by what else there was out there. I wanted to see the world, and I still do. I have traveled extensively across Europe, Central America, Australasia and some of Asia and I can never wait to get back on another plane and go somewhere else. Traveling is in my blood, and I can’t wait for all the adventures I plan on having with my son. I think it’s great you went to Europe with your daughter – what a wonderful experience for you both. So far, Bunny is 5 and has been to London, Paris and traveled through Spain, so I think he’s off to a good start. This year we’re going to Western Australia. New for me – I can’t wait.
Kelly@SHE-POWER
Hi Kelly – What a gift from your parents! I’ve always admired people who’ve chosen unconventional experiences as part of raising their kids: going around the world in a sailboat, or not having a permanent address. The educational benefits seem fabulous.
Robin’s school had this crazy rule that you had to ask permission and be granted it from on high if you wanted to take more vacation time than their arbitrary schedule allowed. Otherwise the unexcused absence would lower their grade. So…they could be making straight A’s, but if they had an unexcused absence, it would instead be a B. What do you think a kid is going to remember – the week they spent in a classroom because they weren’t “allowed” as a family to plan a trip, or the week spent on the trip? Rhetorical!
You’ve been to some marvelous places, and it’s so great that you’re showing your son the world as well. The world is all we have to see! Thanks.
Oh, I have something else to add to let your readers know….recently my Turkish sister contacted me and asked to get a book for her that she couldn’t find. The book’s name? Not something exotic or hard to find as you might expect…it was “Suzanne Sommers: Eat Great, Lose Weight”. Evidently she (Suzanne) is quite popular in Macedonia and Turkey!!