How do you get your kids excited about travel?

Some of you will get this, here’s the title I should’ve chosen originally.

— Let me know your ideas for before, during, or after trips to get kids engaged or excited about the places we’re going.

Before a family trip, I threw a “day camp” for my nephews (ages 2, 4, & 5). We made crafts, tried regional foods, watched kid-friendly videos, and colored pictures of landmarks while talking about what makes them special.

When we actually traveled, they got it. They got excited spotting things they’d learned about and understood why what they were seeing was cool.

Here’s the thing: kids go to incredible places and have no idea why they’re special. Adults choose Italy because we know about the history, art, food, architecture. Kids just get told “we’re going somewhere” and dragged around looking at old buildings.

MY APPROACH for youngins: Give kids the same context we have. Here are some of the things we’ve seen make an impact:

• Make crafts related to the destination

• Try regional foods and talk about why they’re special there

• Watch kid-friendly videos about the culture/history

• Color pictures of landmarks and explain their significance

• Watch a movie set in that location

For example, if you’re going to Italy: make Roman helmets, try different pastas, watch Luca, color the Colosseum and talk about why a 2,000-year-old building is amazing.

By trip time, they know what they’re looking at. They know this bird doesn’t live at home. They have context. They get to be excited, look forward to things, and spot things they expected.

Does anyone else do something like this? Would love other ideas. Especially for as they get older