Third World Travel With The Kids

Traveling to a third world country with your children will get you a heap of criticism, but there are some good reasons to do it anyway. If you prepare properly, the trip can be a very educational one for kids. Choosing the right country is also an important part of making sure that your children will be safe.

In general, if your child is too young to have the vaccinations recommended for a country, you shouldn't be taking them there. It is never a good idea to head off to a third world country without proper vaccination. Instead, look for a country where you don't need one, such as Guatemala or Belize.

You should study up on the country you plan to visit ahead of time. This will give you a good idea of how safe it is. However, I don't recommend that you pay much attention to US Embassy websites because they tend to be paranoid. Instead, go to a site like Lonely Planet and hit the forums to find out what real travelers have to say about the place.

Visiting another country can be a wonderful experience for a child. Children are especially open to new cultures and languages, so if you stay in the country for a while, you shouldn't be surprised to hear your kids spouting the local language. Language lessons can be helpful for this as well and your kids will pick it up way faster than you do!

The culture in third world countries is very different from our own. It is a good idea to prepare your children for this by studying up on the country you choose ahead of time. Make a list of sights to see with your children's help. Look up websites or travel guides and learn as much as you can before you go. This will make the whole thing a little less daunting when you get there.

Try providing your children with cameras or sketchbooks and a travel journal so they can keep track of this amazing experience. Encourage them to write or draw things that they saw each day as you visit various areas and soak up the local life. It is important to remember that kids aren't good at traipsing around strange cities for an entire day. Take some time out occasionally to just sit and veg out in the hotel room or go for a leisurely swim in the pool. Finding a park that has a playground is a good idea as well, to let kids chill out for a while.

Children can be more susceptible to diseases and parasites than adults, so you will want to be extra careful when traveling in poorer countries. Stay away from street food and don't drink the tap water. Make sure your kids understand that the water could make them sick, since many children will just pour themselves a glass without thinking. Provide them with plenty of bottled water.

It is a good idea to carry a complete first aid kit, specially equipped with medicines or remedies for tummy upsets. A few packets of rehydrating powder to mix into bottled water is useful, although you can usually find things like this within local pharmacies.

With careful planning, there is no reason why you shouldn't take your kids traveling to a third world country. In fact, it might be the best thing you can do for them, as they will return home with a whole new perspective on life.