3 top tips to prepare your kids for independent travel

It’s one thing to travel with your children or grandchildren and help them realise an appreciation for seeing the world. To prepare them to navigate that world on their own and to take control of their own adventures, is another thing entirely, but it’s not impossible.

Let them take the reins when you plan your next trip – With your years of experience and being a parent or guardian, it’s easy to assume that you’re better off taking care of all the planning yourself. You know what you like, you know where to look and you know how to make it cost effective – you’re the one footing the bill, after all. The chances are, though, that the only reason you are adept at the process is because you’ve done it before, so give them some first-hand experience and the opportunity to learn for themselves.

Give them a helping hand, of course, show them where to find airfares and different accommodation options. Let them browse Airbnb for holiday rentals and experiences.
Above all, keep an open mind; they’ll likely have different search criteria and priorities to you, so you never know what little gems they’ll unearth.

Give them responsibilities once you arrive – Getting the trip booked is just the beginning. You can write as detailed an itinerary as you like but the map is not the territory and the real experience is found on the ground. You’ll instinctively want to take control of organisation and logistics but getting the kids involved can be an extremely valuable experience. Let them choose the route you take and suggest that they ask for directions from a local if you get a bit lost. Get them to buy the train tickets – if you’re feeling really brave maybe even let them look after your room key! The sense of responsibility will make them feel like they’re contributing and if something doesn’t go quite to plan, that can be a learning experience too…

When things go wrong, stay calm – If everything has gone smoothly on a trip then you probably haven’t left your hotel room. More often than not you’re going to run into awkward situations at least once. Something as simple as missing a bus, particularly in warmer climes where the bus stop might be lacking in shade, can lead to frustration.

You may feel inclined to panic or shield your children from it entirely, pretending that everything is going along as expected. Your best bet really is to be honest and stay calm. Learning to ‘go with the flow’ and accepting that sometimes plans need to change is essential to successful and happy travelling.
Sometimes a spanner in the works can be a great thing; you may have missed the last bus to the museum but if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have found that local tavern with the paella you’ll never forget. Those statues have been there for hundreds of years – we’re sure they’ll wait until tomorrow.