As I write this, I am in Thessaloniki, Greece singing with a choir.
At breakfast I saw a couple eating with their little girl. She looked to be about three years old and was easily the center of attention of both staff and diners. She spoke in English to her parents, but people of several different languages greeted her. She seemed to know the Greek staff, who adored her response of “Kali Mira,” good morning in Greek.
This scene got me thinking about what good travelers children can be, and how rewarding it is for them and for the adults who love them to experience getting away from the ordinary of day-to-day living and experience trips—long or short—that expose them to new languages, art experiences, people, and thinking.
Invite grandparents, aunts, uncles to step up
And that got me thinking that the adult who loves them does not, and sometimes perhaps should not, be their parent.
Years ago my older sister took my two young children on a two-day adventure to Cedar Breaks, Utah. The pictures they brought back prove they had a wonderful time. My sister is now gone, but my grown children’s best memory of her is that trip. Their time together in Utah pops up whenever the subject turns to their aunt.
As I watched the small girl in Greece and thought about my own kids’ extended family travel experiences, it occurred to me how wonderful it is when aunts and uncles and grandparents are willing to put a toe into the pond of the adventure and travel with kids who are not their own.
Doing so can ignite the fire of lifelong curiosity in a child, a spark that can jump to everyone in the house. Once the first sibling returns from a special trip with Grandma, the second and third will wait with baited breath for their turn. Not to mention, from birth, kids are meant to move toward independence and that means little-by-little overcoming any fear of separation from parents. Even a one- or two-day trip with an aunt is good practice.
Fraunty and Funkel
I recently heard from a woman that she had been given the title of “Fraunty“ by nieces who considered her to be an aunt, friend, and confidant. There is a bond forged on trips together. All of my six grandchildren have, one by one, taken a week-long trip with my former wife. Their experiences have included road trips, plane rides, or train trips. Grandma consults them about where and when and off they go. I lean toward one-day solo time with my grandkids where we might head out to a street fair or for a ride on light rail to see something or have lunch with grandkids.
Last week I had lunch with a group of friends where I told the story about the fraunty. One of the guys at the table said that he was a proud “funcle.” He has nieces and nephews who saw him as the ticket to the zoo or to see the dinosaurs at the Burke. He had even taken a nephew on a troll discovery trip to see the trolls in Lincoln Park, The Nordic Museum, Issaquah, and even the troll who is eating a Volkswagen under the bridge east of Fremont.
Start with one or two day adventures
Th Pacific Northwest is rich with places to bring a niece, nephew, grandchild, godchild or best friend’s child for a one-or-more-day solo getaway. Here are a few favorites of mine:
Spend time together at Seattle’s newest attraction, the Overlook Walk that replaced the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Check out the kid’s play space and the rooftop view from the Seattle Aquarium’s New Ocean Pavilion. Along the way to get there, point out the many new murals that have been added to the city in the area. Artists have been busy making art on the sides of buildings. Much of it celebrates the beauty of the Northwest and some is loaded with humor. There is a guy sitting outside an office window taking a break for work. See if you can find him. Entrance to the aquarium is free for grandparents. All you need is a Gold Card that you can get from your Seattle public library or online. Just Google Senior Gold Card.
Seattle’s Park and Recreation has a catalog full of day trips to interesting places and Washington’s national parks are loaded with great getaway options. For example, what kid wouldn’t love a trip to Kitsap peninsula to pedal on an abandoned railroad track? Groups of four learn to pedal just like the early days of railroad repair. Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad offers the same thing on its call RailCycle.
Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park is a treasure—and it’s free. The park is built over reclaimed land that combines huge sculpture and areas that mirror Washington’s topography. There is a forest mountain range, meadowland, and a beach. Kids are drawn to Eagle by Alexander Calder and the gigantic head of Echo as she oversees Elliot Bay. Don’t miss the Neukom Vivarium that shelters a nursing tree that feeds the next generation of plant life. Instead of a museum where kids are expected to “behave” OSP invites them to run inside the art, touch things and experience nature as art.
For the more adventurous
For those with a more adventurous streak, check out Road Scholar Grandparent (or aunt or uncle) Trips. The trips–both national and international–offer all kinds of options for adults and kids to learn together. Road Scholar manages the lodging, meals, guides and itinerary. Here are some of their current examples offeringsB
- Best of Capitol, Discover DC with your grandchild.
- Rafting the Grand Canyon with your grandchild.
- Costa Rica with your grandchild.
- Land of Fire and Ice: Iceland with your grandchild.
- Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Badlands with your grandchild.
Things to keep in mind
Whether its a short trip close to home or a longer, multi-stop strip abroad, here are some guidelines for embarking on an adventure with a child of whom you are not a parent.
- Get parents to buy in. Spend time engaging and planning a trip with the child’s parents. They need to know every detail, for their child’s safety and their sanity. Include check-in times by phone or text to ensure they are doing well.
- Encourage kids to send postcards about what they see. They will probably arrive after the trip but that gives them a chance to make a report and enhance the memory.
- Keep the first experience short and easy. Short trips or stays are your chance to see how a child copes with being away from parents. Keep in mind, every little kid gets tired and crabby at Disneyland.
- Invite kids to share what they discover. Trips to natural wonders, monuments and parks, become excellent opportunities for show and tell back in school. Make it a habit to stop at signs that describe the area.
- Encourages kids to see, feel, discover—and not focus on buying things.
- Don’t expect kids to like the foods you like. Celebrate when they are willing to try the unknown that you introduce, but remember your goal is positive time together. Balance the adventure of trying new foods, with foods they love.
- Take time just to listen. Crabby sulking teenagers often become a delight when they are heard. Your biggest job with a grandkid is to be the adult who listens and only advises when asked.
A final note about point 4 above. As an aunt, uncle, grandparents or other known loving adult approved by parents, refrain from the need to buy that child’s joy. Your time and the trip itself is enough. In the long-run, like my kids and their aunt, kids will remember not what you gave them nearly as much as what you did together.
Read more:
Fall’s the time to plan that summer Eurailing trip with kids
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