Family Travel 2023: Sustainability and Accessibility

Travel allows us to see our children blossoming in real time as they step out of their element and explore the wider world.

Grace Bastidas, Editor-in-Chief

A Note from Parents' Editor-in-Chief

Still debating whether to book that summer trip? Do it. I know it’s a hassle (the expense, the planning, the packing, the interrupted routines!). In fact, the whole thing can deplete the most adventurous among us even before we’ve started the car or boarded the plane. There’s a reason beleaguered parents everywhere joke that traveling with kids is a "trip," not a vacation. It takes effort, determination, and more than a little grit (surely you’ve seen this TikTok video).

But the rewards outweigh the stresses. Travel is a chance to break from our regularly scheduled programming and create lasting memories together. Even when my daughters, now 10 and 8, were younger and I needed a vacation from my "vacation" anytime we went away, I still collected the sweetest moments to reminisce about for years to come. I remember 4-year-old Eva shoulder-shimmying her way onto the conga line at our all-inclusive resort in Mexico. And I’ll never forget Stella, age 3, in Disney World white-knuckling her first roller coaster, the Slinky Dog. “Again!” she demanded.

On every family trip, no matter the destination, I’m always struck by how fast my girls are growing. That’s because travel allows us to see our children blossoming in real time as they step out of their element and explore the wider world. Now that my kids are older, we’re venturing further afield in an effort to expose them to different people, cultures, and languages.

Part of that learning involves immersing them in nature—both the wonderful and, yes, the worrisome. Travel has given them a front-row seat to environmental realities. I’ve seen my children run around on the beach in Santa Marta, Colombia, not far from where I’d visit family as a kid, and witnessed high-rises slowly replacing coconut palms through the years. It’s given us an opportunity to discuss how coastal construction impacts marine biodiversity. And it’s not just talk; they’re seeing it with their own eyes.

That’s why my hope is that our family vacations also inspire them to become environmental stewards. I firmly believe that raising global citizens comes with the responsibility to take care of the planet. And I want my kids—and all children—to see and appreciate everything it has to offer for years to come. Now let’s get out there!

— Grace Bastidas, Editor-in-Chief