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Ecotourism for Families:
Tips and Rewards
Ecotourism for families can not only be some of the most rewarding travel you do but some of the easiest. Traveling with children, particularly younger children, adds extra challenges in some ways. But no matter what age, the values your children will absorb as they discover new worlds and people and animals and respectful ways of interacting as they travel are invaluable and some of the best experiences you can share with them. Ecotourism for families is fantastically fun and enriching when you know the right questions to ask before you book your trip. Check out our tips below to prep for the green family adventures of your life!
Ways to Build Rewards
With Family Ecotravels
Think ecotourism is just about respecting the environment and other cultures? Hardly. Every time you travel green or talk about ecotravel, you support and spread the values of sustainability, responsibility, environmentalism, and compassion to name just a few.
When planning an ecotourism holiday with your family, every step of the process is a fertile opportunity to instill and reinforce in your children the values that you think are important... at least the ones that brought you to ecotourism.
Love of Learning. As you are planning your green getaway, talk to your children about where you are going and what makes it special. Explore the history of the place, the people, the culture and customs, the food, and the animal life there. It's fun to create mini-explorations of a destination before you begin your travels so that your children get excited about the new world they are about to see and experience.
If you are headed to Africa with your family for a safari, share photos with your children about who and what you might see there. The Masai warriors, for example, with their traditional red blankets, are a great way to entice children to learn about their culture, history, cuisine and so on.
• Make a special dinner with them featuring cuisine native to your destination.
• Play music in the car or when you're home from that country or region.
• Explore photos or art from that area and tie that in to a chat about some of the cultural highlights you all can look forward to experiencing.
• Make a contest of learning some of the key words of the language if you are going to a foreign-speaking area.
Preparedness. Find ways to get your kids involved in prepping for your trip. Not just in picking out clothes or books or cameras to bring. But in bringing some gifts for some of the local children they may meet. Picture postcards from where you live and pencils and pens are always good gifts to share with children. Stay away from bringing candy and gum... items that could be harmful to a child's nutrition or dental health. This is a great opportunity to talk with your children about sharing and appropriate sharing.
Going Green. Your children can help you get green for the trip so you can go green. They can help you remove all excess packaging from items you plan to take... if you are taking batteries or drugstore items etc. which come wrapped in plastic, it's a good idea to remove as much plastic wrap as possible and recycle it before you go. Explain to your children that sometimes in other countries, it is difficult to find ways to properly recycle or dispose of plastics and trash. This is a great launching point for a conversation with your children about how important it is to be responsible to the environment, even when you travel, and what that means.
Tips for a Jolly Green Time
With Your Family...
Ecotourism Matchmaking. The key to success when planning adventures in ecotourism for families, is to match your trip plans to your interests and capabilities so that there is something enjoyable for everyone. Depending on the age of your child or age ranges of your children, you will want to match your activities to their energy levels. If you are going with a packaged trip, check with your ecotour operator on any or all of the checklist items below to make sure that your ecotravel holiday is geared especially for families.
Checklist for Children.
• If you are planning time at a beach, ideally, your accomodations would be beachfront or within walking distance of the beach. It is better if your beach area is more of a rolling breaker area--good for snorkeling and splashing--than a riptide and whitecaps area. Inquire as to whether there is shade at the beach, either trees or some sort of manmade relief from the sun. And if there is a pool, make sure it's a good safe pool with a shallow area.
• Flexible menu options are a plus, to accommodate potentially finicky palates. Ideally, foods should be locally grown or caught, wholesome and fresh. Planning for snacks during the day's activities will be essential.
• Having a reliable and trustworthy babysitting option is a plus.
• Pacing is important, particularly when traveling with younger children. Activities and travel may need to happen at a slower pace to accommodate their energy level and napping needs. Activities will ideally be fun as well as stimulating learning opportunities. Guides who can share their knowledge of local customs and ecosystems in a way that will be fun and edifying for parents and children alike are priceless.
A good way to gauge potential family-friendliness of ecotour operators you are considering is to check out traveler reviews online.
For more ideas on and benefits of ecotourism for families, check out Ecotourism Tips.
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