5 Ways to Inspire Wanderlust in Children

Inspire wanderlust in children! These joyful tips are brought to you by HP Pavilion x360.

Wanderlust is a state of mind, a deep feeling, a flame of desire to roam… that can be fed or extinguished.

Below are five ways to encourage curiosity and the love of travel in children.

Earlier this year my husband and I made some non-traditional financial choices and decided to embrace simplicity in order to promote one of our long term goals: FAMILY TRAVEL. We want our girls to embrace the classic Tolkien quote, “Not all those who wander are lost.” … To teach them to live well and EXPLORE.

Wanderlust Printables #travel #quotes *love these — Art Prints by Paper Canoe via Etsy

Inspire your little one…

1. SHARE STORIES OF YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES.

Bring YOUR past travel experiences into everyday conversations. I can’t tell you how many times my daughter has heard me tell the story about how I saw a tarantula while walking to the bathrooms at Zion National Park. Or how we drove through a sequoia in the Redwoods, or went whale watching in California, or how I flew to New York City the first time I traveled alone.

Share your experiences and let your little one know you can’t wait to adventure with them, too.

2. CREATE AN ADVENTURE WALL.

Get your vacation photos off your computer and into your HOME. Create a vacation gallery or adventure wall as a daily reminder of the joys of travel.

I highly recommend Easy Gallery Photo Frames. The quality is wonderful, the company is green focused, they are made in the USA, and … the pictures are unbelievably easy to update.

The last few times we put new prints in, my girls updated our adventure wall by themselves [see Instagram]. Find more travel wall inspiration or check out some of the beautiful gallery options.

Here are the images featured in our most recent adventure wall…

I am super excited about our new HP ENVY 5530e-All-in-One printer because of its ability to print lab-quality photos. The ENVY 5530 also offers an option for an Instant Ink subscription, so you’ll never have to run to the store to buy ink jets again.

A little more about the new HP Instant Ink program:

“This innovative ink delivery program is designed to save customers up to 50 percent on the cost of Original HP ink while ensuring that they never run out of ink when they need it. Subscribers are not charged by ink usage, but instead by the number of pages printed, meaning regardless of what’s being printed – black and white or color documents and high quality photos – it’s going to cost the same.”

What this means to me?!?

Easy access to beautiful vacation photos at the tips of my fingers. I love switching up our Easy Gallery Photo Frames. This makes it even easier!
The e-all-in-one produces borderless, lab-quality photos and laser-sharp everyday documents—from wherever creativity strikes. You can print from your smartphone, tablet … in other words, on the road.
It prints wirelessly. *Honestly, I am so sick of all the cords around my desk. The minimalist in me loves the wireless options.

Of course, I love the idea of mixing travel prints into our adventure wall. Here are a few of my favorites from Etsy…

I fell in love with this instant print wanderlust collection over at Paper Canoe. [swoon]

Check out these playful prints from Design Claud…

And pop over to February Lane for wonderful photo inspiration…

3. READ. READ. READ!

Read books about new places and daydream with your child. My good friend Tiffany of Peanut Blossom recently invested in the This is [City Name] Classic Kids Series.

Unfortunately, kids travel books are often dry and written in a text-book style. I highly recommend checking out this great series, along with guides from National Geographic Kids. Both are a great starting point.

4. CREATE YOUR OWN TRAVEL BOOKS.

Go through your photo library and create your own travel books. I love some of the new designs available over at Snapfish. They even have a pre-designed travel style available.

Focus on past trips or even themes. For example, if your little one loves animals, create a book showcasing animals and where they live.

If you’d like to go beyond your photo library, Flickr Creative Commons has a variety of amazing photos available for use. If you’d like more help with this option, let me know in the comments. I am happy to walk you through using this awesome resource.

5. MAKE A COMMITMENT.

If you truly want your child to experience the joys of wanderlust… travel now.

Yes, I know traveling with kids is challenging.
Yes, I know your budget is tight.

Remember…

Travel is not defined by the miles you cover. #quote *great list of family travel tips — Photo Credit: © Dawn Huczek | CC by 2.0

Here are some additional resources to inspire you:

Be sure to follow my Pinterest board Traveling Mama, as well as, this lovely collaborative Wanderlust board for future inspiration.

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anatole France

Where will you wander next?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” I wrote this review while participating in a program on behalf of HP and received an HP PC, an HP printer, an Instant Ink starter kit, a Snapfish gift card and other items as part of my participation.

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