A US Department of Education study announced that children who travel over summer break did better in reading, math and their general knowledge than those who did not.

Photo by woodleywonderworks

I have traveled since I was a child. I still do and now run a travel company. I know a few others that never traveled much at all in their lives. They still don’t.

Traveling with kids broadens their horizons and opens up their minds to learning. They appreciate other people, other cultures and the entire world more so than those who stay in the same small community their whole lives. They see firsthand at what is possible for their future. Children who visit museums, historical sites, national or state parks, zoos, beaches and similar types of places all perform better in school. A visit to the Hoover Dam could inspire a future engineer. A visit to a science museum could create a future astronaut, inventor or doctor. A visit to a zoo can inspire future biologists or wildlife lovers. What do violent video games at home inspire?

I believe it all contributes to the ignorance and lack of understanding and tolerance that we still see today. We are a sum of our childhood experiences. It is important that summer vacations continue in the old traditions. Schools should be eager to let children out for family trips instead of stifling them out of concern for their government money. It is a severe fault that education is more concerned these days with test scores and attendance than actual education and thought.

The irony is that I’m citing that children who traveled did better on “tests” while complaining that we are too tied to them.

Photo by sylvar

Get out there with your kids. It does not have to be a cross country trip to the Smithsonian. Go to your local parks, museums or whatever you have in your town. Doing something on the cheap is better than doing nothing at all.