This time of year is full of family traditions such as when to decorate the Christmas tree, who gets to put the fairy on top, deciding on the menu for Christmas dinner, listening to Christmas carols when wrapping presents etc. Why not consider incorporating some family traditions into your travels? Chances are you probably have a few travel traditions already; you just didn’t notice that that’s what they were yet. You can even incorporate travel traditions that you used to do on your family holidays as a child. Coming up with your own travel traditions is a lot of fun and can involve the whole family. For some inspiration, check out my 5 suggestions for a travel tradition that you can start on your next holiday and your children can continue into their adulthood.

Having a local beer

Pick something that you enjoy to consume at home and is also something that can be consumed almost all over the world. When you travel, try local versions of your chosen food or drink, e.g. a beer; you can compare it to all of the other destinations you’ve had a beer in. If you’re not a fan of beer then you can choose wine or the local liquor. You can also choose a type of food. Pick something that you will likely find in most places of the world. This travel tradition also allows you to have a local experience and immerse yourself in the destination.

Letting your 13 year old pick the destination

This can be a fun and special tradition because you won’t be doing it over and over again, yet it will still be a tradition. When your children reach a certain age, let’s say 13, they get to pick the destination for your family holiday that year. It will be a fun tradition that your children will get to look forward to and it will even make that birthday extra special.

Picking up souvenirs

Collecting souvenirs is one of the easiest travel traditions to start although before you do start, give a lot of consideration to what you decide to collect. Think about how much travelling you intend to do and where you will store and display your collection. When I was younger, we used to collect plates from all of the destinations we visited. It was great because we picked up some beautiful plates and most places sold plates. However we soon ran out of room to display them. Now I collect thimbles, which are much smaller and easier to display! Pick up souvenirs that will be easy to find so you are not wasting time in your destination looking for your particular souvenir as opposed to enjoying the destination.

Taking a certain kind of photo or even a short video clip

Striking the same pose at least once in each destination will be fun while you are doing it but even more memorable when you look back on those photos and notice how each family member has changed. Taking a short video clip is another idea and you can film all of your family dancing in each destination and collect these video clips to put in a family montage video.

Try something new

I have included this suggestion because a travel tradition doesn’t have to be doing the same thing over and over again. Granted, that is what makes a tradition but trying something new on every holiday you go on is also a tradition but it looks different every single time.

Bonus tradition: I’d like to share one of my family’s own travel traditions. On family holidays where we have a lot of family members going, we keep a journal of what family members say or do that is either funny or impressive.

About the Author

Rhian Torontow is a Family Travel Consultant with Magical Family Adventures. Rhian creates travel experiences that foster connections in your family that will last a lifetime and transforms your children into open-minded, flexible, well-travelled people. During Rhian’s childhood, her father travelled for work constantly and it was always travel that brought her family back together. You can follow Rhian on Facebook at www.facebook.com/magicalfamilyadventures, Instagram @MagicalFamilyAdventures and you can also connect with her on LinkedIn ca.linkedin.com/in/rhiantorontow/