I am sure you all know the term "Helicopter Parent." Those are the ones that are hovering over their kids, making sure that everything is ok in school, sports, homework, music lessons - to the point of overdoing it. Kids need room to breathe, and to make their own mistakes in a safe environment. Watch over them, but let them grow.

How does this apply to travel?

Well, when we travel, it's often to a place we've not yet been. We want to see everything we can - and so we pack FAR too much in our days. Trying to see everything is a recipe for disaster - crabby, tired people who won't be soaking it all in, but stressed and wishing they weren't there. Don't be a "Helicopter Traveler" - allow some time to relax, explore, and soak in the essence of where you are. Don't try to do it all (even imperfectly).

BUT! I hear you exclaim! We're spending money and time to go see a place. Shouldn't we experience it all? Shouldn't we show our kids EVERYTHING?

YES, but you need to redefine "all." It might not be all the cathedrals in Europe. It might not be all the shops at the Mall of America. It might not be every single beach in Hawaii, or all of the festivals in Thailand. For, you see, the beauty of travel comes in unexpected moments. It can arise from meeting locals, from learning about each other, and from pure joy of being away from the norm, and experiencing new things. 

Underplan! For each day of planned activities, take two days to explore on your own.

Here's what you can transform your travels into, when you take time to BE in a place, instead of seeing the top ten of a place:

Discover Paris (or wherever you're going!)

Instead of rushing to the Louvre and spending hours in line, people watch! You'll discover much about Paris from sitting in a cafe, drinking coffee. Or, poke around a market and ask the vendors what their favorite things are. Buy ingredients for a picnic there and spend the day playing and loving the outdoors, at the Tuilieries Gardens or at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

Meet Locals

Instead of visiting the big museums or attractions, find small ones. Visit the local library wherever you travel. Librarians not only are great people to talk with, but they can also give you the inside scoop on local spots, and events that might be happening while you're there. Watch an outdoor Shakespeare Theatre play in the woods. Befriend locals through social hospitality networks or friend referrals, and connect for coffee, playdates for your kids, scuba diving, boat rides, or wandering an art festival together.

Play

Whether for yourself or with your family, take time to play. Fly kites, poke around and find turtles at the beach, build fairy houses, rent bikes and discover the landscape, scope the seashore for shells, get ice cream from a stand. The Golden Gardens Beach in Seattle is a great place to take in the beauty of Puget Sound, play on the beach, watch the sun set, and picnic on sushi takeout from Uwajimaya (an excellent Asian grocery store).

Wander

You might, by wandering, happen along a festival, market, or even a great beach. These moments, the unplanned ones, often are the best. While traveling in Ireland, we rented a home on the Ring of Kerry. The moments we remember best are the unplanned (and inexpensive) ones - the horseback ride through the dunes and on the beach, the discovery of the Skelligs Chocolate Company on the Skellig Ring, playing on a local beach, and from hours upon hours spent combing the rock beach at our house for treasures the tide brought in and talking with locals about their boats, finding shrimp in the bracken, and learning the best place to find a croissant.

These moments - of walking on the beach, playing, getting up early to watch a sunrise, finding a great place to have coffee, discovering a new and delicious boulangerie, having interesting conversations with locals - are the ones you will remember, long after you're home. Travel isn't about seeing the Big Attractions, but about truly learning about a place, and digging deeply into Being There.

This article was originally published by Wandering Educators over at Technorati in 2012, and republished here in 2024. Courtesy and copyright Wandering Educators.