In July 2018, Condé Nast Traveler published a piece entitled “How to Raise a Little Traveler.” They asked their young editors what they loved (and hated) about their childhood adventures: favorite memories, regrets, and rearview-mirror advice for their parents. Here’s what one wrote:
Start us young
I can clearly remember my first vacation abroad: I was five, and my parents and I were exploring the Irish countryside, driving through Co. Tipperary to see where my father’s family came from. We ate in pubs, hiked to castles, and saw a spectacularly large pig on a farm that made me question reality (seriously, this was the pig to end all pigs). Sure, I only ate chicken fingers and fries in said pubs, but I credit that trip with prompting little me to ask, constantly: Where am I going next? Curiosity was born [emphasis ours].
—Bridget Hallinan
We don’t take small children on our expeditions, but the point is well taken.