Mom, are we there yet?

   

Parents worldwide are reinventing the notion of family trips by logging hundreds of adventuresome days and miles across the Globe with only a backpack. Are children better off in a swinging hammock or sleeping in a cozy, predictable bed?

 

Imagine being 15 and waking up in a tent, your dad gently humming while studying a map, your mom chopping fresh bananas over peanut butter sandwiches. Mid yawn, distant elephant trumpets break the silence. Finally, your brain catches up with a shocking, yet exciting reality. You are in a South African national park, just one electric fence away from hundreds of wild animals. That’s probably what happened to Miles Maurer, a ninth grader from Flagstaff, AZ, who embarked on a 10-month trip around the world along with his adventurous parents and 12 year old sister. 

Their project is hardly unique. More and more parents are putting a spin on traditional family trips, by driving, biking and even sailing across the Globe. But the bravest thing of all is taking their kids on board. Sometimes, as many as 9 kids are along for the adventure, like in the case of this so-called "full-time RVing" family.

 

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What do these families have in common? Blogs. A large part of their journey is documented via online diaries with moms being the main storytellers. Though they are willing to share their struggles with road-schooling or a tight budget, other troubles remain private.  How long, for instance, can a child last living on the road, before home-sickness strikes? What do you do when he or she longs for a best friend? Or worse, when they’re sick and you’re camped in an Asian remote village?

Most nomad parents like to think of these as rare occurrences; nothing can diminish the importance of equipping kids with valuable lessons and physical skills.

Maurers are no exception. 

When the family was featured in this New York Times article, a couple of months ago, Miles mentioned that “it’s much more impacting to learn about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia than in class”. “It’s difficult to disagree”, writes Seth Kugel, the author.

And it sure is, especially with a bunch of studies showing kids who travel do better in life. Keith Bellows, editor in chief of National Geographic Traveler magazine, went so far as to say “the passport is the new diploma”.

 

They are all, to a great extent, right. Watching zebras on a iPad, in a regular classroom, doesn’t measure up to observing these wild animals from the window of a Land Rover, a staple activity during African safaris. But it’s a whole lot safer.

For every study out there reinforcing the importance of traveling for child development, there are also legitimate threats lurking at every step of an international expedition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mentions abduction, infectious diseases – Malaria, Yellow Fever- and let's not forget about natural catastrophes such as tornadoes or tsunamis.

                                                         

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Sailors Eric and Charlotte Kaufman learned it the hard way. They needed to be rescued earlier this year, while sailing from Mexico to New Zeeland, after their youngest daughter Lyra, age 1, became seriously ill and the boat’s power and steering malfunctioned. According to the New York Times, “the rescue involved three state and federal agencies and had California Air National Guardsmen parachuting from airplanes into open waters”.

The joy of being alive was shadowed by a major public backlash for putting daughters in danger. However, a handful of parents stood up for them.

One woman named Diane Selkirk wrote an article for Slate.com explaining how traveling offered context for better education in case of her own daughter. “At 12 years of age, Maia’s now put in more sea hours than shopping hours and is more familiar with the stars in the sky than the ones in the tabloids. She’s graceful and self-assured, in no small part because of her unconventional childhood,” describes Diane, a Canadian writer and photographer. She goes on giving examples of other fellow travel bloggers whose lives on water seem to follow a Hollywood script. However, between blissful recollections, a bitter memory slips: “One night, when Maia was 8, a weather bomb hit our Mexican anchorage”.

Is the whole “self-development” thing worth the risk then?

Every bit, says Diane. “Yes, there is risk involved in daring to show her the world—but the alternative, the one where we never share our passions with our child and never show her the value in pursuing her own, seems far more dangerous”, she concludes. 

Perhaps, this all or nothing mentality is what endangers children going on a world tour the most. A mild form of “helicopter parenting”, attempts to control a kid’s experiences come from a place of fear. Fear that by staying at home they’re missing out precious moments. Yet, at times, what children really need is some more laid back parents and a “Life of Pi” DVD to explore the world from the safety of their bedrooms.