Gone are the days when family travel was just about getting out of town—away from routines—for some R&R time together. Travel has become a hugely important part of a family’s well-being on many other levels. So when discussing family trips with your clients, it’s important to convey to them that travel is no longer a “luxury” expense. Instead of seeing it as leisure activity in a family budget, see it as an investment—for education, for good health and all-around happiness. Here’s how:
- Nothing brings a family closer than travel. They are sharing experiences that they’ll never forget.
- Travel is the ultimate classroom. New cultures. New foods. New people. New landscapes. When the kids get to see the places they’re learning about in school, it makes learning easy and fun.
- Travel is good for everyone’s mental health. When your clients and their children are out in the world, going to new places and meeting new people, they can’t help but change their outlook and expand their minds.
- Travel is good for everyone’s physical health. When the family’s traveling, chances are, no one is sitting around too long with tablets and iPhones. Think of all a family does when on the road—sightseeing, hiking, kayaking…
- Slowing down speeds everyone up. In general, people relax more away from the sometimes grueling schedules at home and work. When they return, there’s often a renewed energy and commitment.
- Travel adds spice to a family’s life once back home, literally. After traveling to the Greek islands, they might add Mediterranean herbs to everything they cook. They may discover a new passion for snorkeling and plan all future trips around that. Or perhaps they’ll take on a whole new interest in fashion after seeing the elegantly dressed men and women on the streets of European capitals.
Susan Farewell is the owner of Farewell Travels LLC (FarewellTravels.com), a travel design firm in Westport, Connecticut.
