Keep the Travel Spirit Alive and Support Small Businesses

Keeping the travel spirit alive while at home is just as important as engaging with local culture when we’re abroad. It’s also vital to our continued efforts to raise good global citizens who feel comfortable engaging with cultures worldwide. Fortunately, we can do this while also taking steps to support small businesses struggling during these challenging times.

Let’s explore some easy ways to experience the world from home. That way, your family will feel excited and prepared for international travel when the time is right.

Explore New Locations Domestically While Supporting Small Businesses

Many of us have watched our summer and fall international travel plans dashed, and it’s been tough. That said, fantastic domestic travel options exist. When you choose your destination with care, you can find stunning locations where crowds are low. What’s more, there are a variety of small business owners, especially lodges and retreats, going the extra mile to ensure their properties’ cleanliness and safety.

Two of our favorites? Blackberry Farm is located in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The 4,200-acre property welcomes families and offers plenty of kid-friendly activities juxtaposed against a charming country atmosphere. There’s also the 37,000-acre ranch resort at Paws Up in Montana. Set against the pristine Rocky Mountains, your family will be delighted by age-appropriate activities from fishing to hiking and mountain biking.

In both locations, you’ll beat crowds while enjoying unforgettable adventures and supporting these small businesses. Learn more about both properties and other fantastic domestic destinations.

Chart Your Journeys Past, Present, and Future

It’s essential as a family to remember where you’ve been and look forward to where you’re going. A visual reminder drives home these points. One great way to do this? Purchase a beautiful world map and stick it on the wall. Then, use pushpins of one color to showcase where past family adventures have taken you. In another color, add pushpins to the places you’ve outlined on your family travel bucket list.

Or, consider these gorgeous maps, which let you scratch off the areas of the world you’ve already visited. They come in both national and international scales. Your purchase also supports Travelization, a small business based in the United States and Canada.

Keeping tabs on your journeys past, present, and future will help your kids master geography. It’ll also drill home the fact that we live in a big, beautiful world just waiting for exploration. As you and your family see this reminder of vacations yet to come, let it fuel your determination to travel when more options become available.

Read Travel-Related Materials

There are so many excellent travel-related reading materials out there. It’s time to start taking advantage of them if you’re not already. Whether we’re talking magazines, guides, books, reviews, or blogs, you can find information about global destinations while supporting the companies who print these materials. You’ll have a wide variety of travel-related themes to choose from, from sea turtle conservation to exciting Amazon rainforest facts. You can also learn more about Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and countless UNESCO sites.

When you read travel blogs, consider this a form of support for the authors and companies that create them. We write and publish these materials to entertain and educate our readers. We also craft content to take you along on virtual journeys to places all over the world. So, fuel your wanderlust with family travel blogs like:

• Travel Babbo
• Pura Vida Moms
• Kids Are a Trip
• No Back Home
• Walking on Travels
• The Globetotting Blog
• Traveling Mel
• Maroc Mama
• Hilton Mom Voyage
• We 3 Travel

And be sure to spend some extra time on the Our Whole Village blog. We’ve created many fantastic resources that delve into the nitty-gritty of travel as a family. By reading our content, you’ll keep the travel spirit alive and support small business. If you like our stories, please pass them along to your friends and relatives. That way, we continue to grow our tribe while providing families worldwide with educational parenting news and better family travel options.

Get Hands-On with International Recipes

One of the most delicious aspects of travel abroad is trying new cuisine. These forays into foods from other places let you sample the “flavor” of a new region or country. They also provide some of the most delicious memories you’ll bring home. Of course, you don’t have to wait until you’re in another country to engage with other cultures through their culinary arts. And your kids can get in on the creativity and fun, too.

We’ve just completed a series of posts on Mexican, Central American, and South American cuisine with recipes that you can check out here:

• Liven Up Your Kitchen with Denise Browning’s Healthy, Easy Brazilian Cuisine
• Pilar Hernandez Showcases Delectable Chilean Cuisine
• Crafting and Savoring Andean Food with Michelle O. Fried
• The Dish on Peruvian Food Recipes with Keith Lang of Peru Eats
• Tasty Brazilian Food Recipes with Mari Coelho From Together We Eat
• Exploring Central American Cuisine with Food Blogger Kate Ramos
• Ana Frias of Muy Delish Talks Authentic Mexican Food
• Delectable Mexican Food Recipes from the Kitchen of Isabel Orozco-Moore

What’s more, we’ve also created an exciting partnership with small business owner, Mari Coelho, of Together We Eat for children this summer. We are hosting an Around-the-World Travel and Hands-On Cooking Camp for kids 7+ ready to learn more about new destinations and cultures while improving their culinary skills. Click the link below to find out more.

Prepare for Future Travels and Support Small Businesses

The ideas above provide exciting ways to raise good global citizens eager to engage with other cultures. We’ve also added some fun ideas to stoke your wanderlust, such as the fantastic family travel blogs listed above. Of course, nothing beats the joys of learning how to cook cuisine from other countries with your kids. So, be sure to check out our virtual cooking summer camp.

Through these efforts, let’s keep our families engaged with other cultures while looking forward to future family adventures. What’s more, we can support small businesses in the process. It’s a win-win for everyone.