EDUCATION
Five good reasons Why your children should travel
Although I know it is impossible to discover the whole of our planet in a lifetime, it bothers me to think that I will be able to travel to only a fraction of the millions of places to explore. I like to imagine the world is like a big classroom where, every time you have the chance to travel, you learn something new. At the international school where I work, travelling is a fundamental part of the curriculum. Our students have the opportunity to visit different countries in Europe and Latin America during the academic year. Every October we also celebrate Travel Week, one of the most exciting activities of the year. Our older students travel to at least nine amazing destinations in Europe for a week to explore their culture and history, and bring their curriculum to life.
I grew up in Spain, close to the Portuguese border. At the time, both countries, unfortunately, were under dictatorships and it was not easy to cross the border to visit the neighbouring country because you needed to be at least 14 years old – my first interna- tional travelling experience was a visit to Portugal at that age. I remember it at as an extraordinary adven- ture. Although the trip from my home- town to the Portuguese city of Elvas was less than 30 minutes by car, it included going through customs twice. I loved see- ing people talking in a language that was not Spanish, the different architecture and cars, the unfamiliar merchandise in the stores, and so much more. Everything was new for me.
Fortunately, travel today is much easier than when I was growing up in the early 80s. I truly think that travelling is one of the best ways of learning and that the best
24 FOCUS The Magazine March/April 2019
time to start this journey full of adventures is when you are young.
Tere are many good reasons why your children should travel,
with your family or with their school, but I would like to high- light five. When we travel:
1. We discover new places, new cultures and different ways to do things. I love to visit new countries and consider myself
a world traveller. Every country has its own charm. If we do not travel, we develop the tendency to think that everything we do or think is the best and the only way to do things. Every country we visit provides an amazing lesson in history and culture.
2. We meet wonderful people. Travelling is the best way to fight racism as we discover that people in other countries are
I truly think that travelling is one of the best ways of learning and that the best time to start this journey full of adventures is when you are young.
like us, and that the world is full of similarities as well as di- versity. Superficially, we might notice that they also like Starbucks, Zara or Burger King, for exam- ple, but interacting with people in a new place can reveal deeper and more impor- tant parallels. Te students in my interna- tional school have a great advantage. As they learn, participate in sports and activi- ties, and, in some cases, live alongside other students from many nations, differ- ences are overcome by shared experiences and diversity becomes the norm. Tey are already open-minded and do not differen- tiate people by the colour of their skin or their background. Travelling will help them to develop this personal skill even faster.
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