Adventures at Home

Travel the World With Your Kids (without leaving home!)

posted on : 11 February 2021 posted by : ruth_hinds 0 Comment

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I’m not sure when we will board a plane again. When the Lockdowns will end and the borders will re-open. When we will agonise over what to pack into our suitcases, rush around crowded airports, complain about aeroplane food, and disembark in a new country – filled with excitement and ready to explore. However, this doesn’t mean that, as a family, we have to stop exploring. Travel the world with your kids without leaving home.

Keep your kids busy and entertained by going on an adventurous holiday without leaving your home. All you need is a little imagination.  

Plan your ‘holiday at home’ by selecting activities from the list below to complete together. Ideally, you would select at least five activities and complete them over a weekend to immerse yourselves in your ‘holiday’ or you could turn it into a weekly afterschool activity.  

1) Explore a world map

Boy and girl looking at countries on a world map

The world is a big place, and whether you are going on a real or imaginary holiday, deciding where to go can be tricky. With so many interesting places, it’s hard to choose just one! 

As a family, decide which country you would like to explore. This should be a country the whole family is excited and curious about. Start a discussion to help you decide which country you will explore together. Use this conversation as an opportunity for the children to learn about geography, cultures, and even a little about their family history.  

Ideally, you would place a large world map on the floor that everyone can gather around. Alternatively, pull up a world map on your computer or tablet (avoid using your phone, the map would be too small to ignite a good discussion).  

Discussion guide:  

  • Talk about the different continents and countries, how many can the children name? 
  • If your map also has flags, how many flags can they recognise?
  • Talk about the countries you may have visited on previous holidays, include trips you went on before the children were born. Tell them stories about those holidays and facts about the countries you visited.
  • Do you have family living abroad, where? Talk about your family’s cultural roots.  

1) Choose your destination

Girl and boy looking at countries on a globe

Once you’ve had a general discussion, turn your attention to your holiday at home. Ask the children about their interests. Is there a country they have read about, watched a programme, or heard about that they are interested in?  

Then, narrow down your family’s interests: 

  • Ask each family member to write a list of their top three countries.
  • Compare the lists, are there any countries that overlap or stand out?
  • If there isn’t a clear winner, ask each family member to choose just one country from their list. 
  • Then, each family member takes a turn to explain why they are interested in this country and what excites them about it the most.  
  • Has a clear winner emerged? If not, get the family to vote on their favourite country by writing on a piece of paper and putting it into a bowl. The country with the most votes wins.
  • If there is a tie, select the two countries with the most votes. Ask the family to vote again, choosing one of the two top countries.

Expand the adventure: 

Use this random country generator to help you get out of your comfort zone. Keep spinning the wheel until you land on a country all family members have never heard of.

Instead of taking a “trip” to one country, turn it into a round-the-world trip. Choose a country from each continent and do this activity once a week (or once a month if easier). 

2) Design your own passport and boarding pass 

Boy and girl writing

If you are flying or travelling out of the country, then you will need a passport. Create your own passport by printing a copy of the passport template below. 

My Passport Activity – FREE Template Download

Get the children to design a cover for their passport, fill in their personal details, and draw a self-portrait.  

Once you have a passport, you will need a Boarding Pass. Create your own passport by printing a copy of the boarding pass template below. 

My Boarding Pass – FREE TemplateDownload

Once you have completed ‘holiday at home’, add a drawing to your passport to represent each country you visit.

Expand the adventure: 

Talk about the purpose of a passport and the security features that countries use to prevent fakes and fraudulent use. Can the children come up with some fun designs and security systems of their own?  

3) Learn about your destination 

Three girls looking at laptop

Use books, Google Maps, YouTube and Wikipedia to learn a few basic facts about the country you will be exploring. 

Identify the following information: 

  • Which continent is the country in? 
  • Which language (or languages) are spoken there? 
  • What is the weather like?  
  • What are the top tourist activities and sites to visit? 

4) Pack your bags!  

Smiling girl with suitcase

Packing everything you need for your trip without including the kitchen sink is a skill that takes practice to develop. Pack too light, and you will end up spending money (which could be going on your holiday!) on things you already own and have back home. Pack too much, and you will be weighed down with things that you won’t use.   

As a family, discuss the weather at this time of year in your selected destination. Is it hot, cold, or wet? What activities are popular in your holiday destination – would you need special clothes or equipment?

Get out an old suitcase and let the children pack their bags. Once done, go thought what they have packed. Did they pack too many many t-shirts, but not enough socks? Did they forget their toothbrush? Discuss which items are missing and which items they overpacked.

Ask the children to re-arrange their bags and to put back what they had too much of and get any items they might have missed. Re-pack the bag.

Expand the adventure: 

Lean folding and packing tricks by watching this YouTube video, then try them out.

4) Transform your home into your destination 

Girl relaxing on makeshift beach made with household items and seashells

Get creative and decorate your home to make it feel like your chosen destination.  

Draw pictures of: 

  • The main geographical features
  • The main tourist attractions 
  • The flag
  • The weather

Put these up and decorate the walls. Think about the items you have at home -can you use any of them to re-create some of the features of your destination? Can you create a mountain out of cushions, or create a beach with a blue blanket?   

Expand the adventure: 

Turn each room into a different part of your chosen country. Mountains, museums, beaches, parks, zoos, etc. Travel between each room to visit the ‘sights’ and use each room to complete a different activity from section 6 below.   

5) Board a plane 

Child pretending to fly

Create an imaginary aeroplane to take you to your holiday destination.  

Use chairs, cushions, cardboard, or toys to create two columns which represent aeroplane seats.  Make sure that there is enough space for ‘passengers’ to sit in your plane.

Recreate a flight. Half the family will be the passengers and the other half will be the crew. The passengers should ‘board’ the plane using the tickets and passport from Section 2.  A pilot (or pilots!) should fly the plane, and crew members should serve the passengers drinks and snack.  

When you complete Section 6, swap roles. Board the plane again, this time the passengers are crew and the crew are passengers.

6) Explore your destination! 

Happy family and their luggage

Congratulations! You have arrived at your destination. Use what you learnt from Section 3 to complete a selection of the activities below.

Cook up a storm: You can learn and discover so much about a country through their food. Explore new flavours and new ingredients. Select a recipe from your country, and cook it together as a family. Over your meal, discuss the flavours and ingredients. What do the children think, is this dish a new family favourite?    

Take a virtual tour: Many museums are now doing online virtual tours. Some require you to book and are guided by a virtual guide. 

Listen to music from your destination: Every culture has its own music with a rhythm and style that reflects the country’s culture. Pull up a compilation of music from your country on YouTube or Spotify. Discuss what you enjoy about the music. Try replicating it with some homemade instruments, such as a spoon and pan or a shaker.  

Read a book / watch a film: Learn more about your country by watching a film and/or reading a book based there. You can find a selection of world films on Amazon and Netflix, and can purchase books off eBay or Amazon.

Put on a fashion show – look into the country’s traditional clothing, get creative and use household items to recreate their style. Put on a fashion show. Once everyone has shown off their style, each family member should explain a little about their style. What kind of weather are the clothes designed for, do the colours or images have special meaning etc.

Take some photos: Take photos of your adventures exploring your destination. Do you have a green screen? If so, get creative with the backgrounds of your photos. Did you manage to take photos that look like you are actually there?   

7) All good things must come to and end – Return home

Child with toy airplane and book

Reflect and discuss: Reflect on your trip, what did you learn? Any surprises? What did you enjoy the most? Which was your favourite activity? Would you like to go on a real holiday to this country?

Repeat Section 6 and return home! Don’t forget to create a stamp for your passport to record your trip.

Enjoy travelling the world with your kids (without leaving home!) multiple times. Turn it into a challenge and visit every continent, or every country in Europe, or even a country chosen by each member of the family.