Why is it important to let your child travel alone?
children-trips
Holidays without parents allow children to gain in maturity and autonomy. How to go about avoiding worries and anxieties?
Letting your child travel alone allows them to gain independence and self-confidence. Whether the holidays take place as part of a summer camp, a language stay or a getaway with friends, these privileged moments spent away from parents contribute to the development and autonomy of the child.
Summer camp
Summer camps generally accept children from the age of 3. There is no point, however, in urging them to go to camp if they do not feel ready yet. Indeed, for these holidays without the parents to go as well as possible, it is necessary to listen to the little ones. Most of the time, the child approaches the subject when he is 5 or 6 years old. But, if he is not yet talking about going on vacation alone around the age of 8 to 10 when you think it would be beneficial for him, it is up to you to evoke him subtly and question him to find out his desires.
Thanks to summer camps, the child gradually learns to cut the cord that connects him to his parents. He washes himself, makes his bed, puts his things in order, tidies up and cleans his room, according to the organization set up within the colony. At the same time, they develop social skills, begin to open up to others, to share, to show generosity and to agree to live with others.
children-holiday-campThe summer camp is also an opportunity to practice different activities such as horse riding, sailing, swimming, paragliding, theater, music, etc. These solo vacations can be the trigger that will awaken the child to a sport, an art or a specific field. They also learn to communicate, to speak in front of others, to defend or share their ideas and experiences with their classmates. All these opportunities will forge his character, especially if he is shy.
Of course, the camp is the holidays! The child is there to have fun with his new friends and with the educators. This kind of stay carried out alone will allow him to live a new experience, in a relaxed atmosphere and under the benevolent supervision of the instructors.
Despite all these positive and attractive aspects, it is quite normal to feel some apprehension when your child leaves for summer camp. To better prepare for it, you can let him go on vacation with his grandparents or other members of your entourage from time to time.
To reduce the anxiety associated with separation, parents should find out as much as possible about the organization that manages the summer camp, the place where their child will stay, the number of participants, but also about the competence of the director of the summer camp. camp and monitors. In general, the website of the organization presents photos of the camp as well as the telephone coordinates or the email address of the persons in charge.
Parents are also advised to psychologically prepare their child for these holidays away from home. Try to let him know that it's a great experience, that he'll have lots of friends, and that he can do lots of activities to pass the time. This is why it is recommended not to send him to a summer camp where there is only one main activity with the risk that the child will not adhere to it.
In another register, it is important to organize your child's holidays well by carefully preparing their luggage. For this, you must take into account his age, the duration and place of his stay as well as the internal organization of the camp. If he's only gone for 10 days, there's no need to fill two suitcases with all his clothes. Similarly, Brittany is not Siberia, and shorts are more appropriate there than parkas in summer! The ideal is to put his things in a wheeled suitcase so that he can pull it. Avoid choosing a suitcase larger than your child, as it will take a lot of effort to move it. Do not neglect the backpack which will be useful for excursions and to carry his belongings if he goes to the beach for example. If your child is going camping, forget the suitcase and choose a backpack or sports bag, which will take up less space in the tent.
As for pocket money, you must adapt the amount to the age of the child and the situation of the camp. A 7-year-old child just needs a little money to buy sweets, cookies and postcards to send to his parents. If he is a little older, he will need a little more pocket money for his expenses.
Language stays
The adage that "travels form youth" is perfectly appropriate for au pairs for young adults and language stays for children of a certain age who wish to deepen their mastery of a foreign language such as English . for example.
These stays are a great opportunity to learn a language and travel. As your child will be obliged to speak permanently in the language of his host country, this will allow him to progress quickly. If he is staying with a family, it will be an opportunity to live an enriching holiday experience without his parents within a family structure. Apart from learning the language, he will have the time to discover the country, to mingle with its inhabitants, to open up to a new culture and to taste new flavours.
Ulanguage-stays-studentsA language stay is also an opportunity to make friends who may be from the host country or from another country like it. During these holidays without the parents, he learns at the same time to cultivate his autonomy and to deal with any problems that may arise. It should not be forgotten either that a language stay is always a plus in his young CV, when the time comes for him to find an internship or a job.
But for the language stay to be really beneficial to your child, you have to take care of certain points. At first, it is necessary to determine which language he wishes to learn: that of Shakespeare, Goethe...? The response allows you to choose the most appropriate destination country.
It is also important to carefully select the organization that will take care of the stay. Make sure of its seriousness and its notoriety. Try talking to parents who have already sent their child abroad through this centre. In the event of a problem, will there be a French-speaking interlocutor whom you can reach 24 hours a day? Take a close look at the different activities offered, the number of hours of lessons, the distance between the accommodation and the classrooms, your child's accommodation, the supervision or even the host family. All of these criteria must be taken into account when selecting a language course offer. In addition, knowing these details will allow you to reduce the anxiety inherent in any stay abroad, especially when it comes to letting your child go alone. Do not hesitate to discuss these different points with him to reassure him.
As far as luggage goes, you can let your teen choose what to pack… while supervising to remove anything superfluous and possibly add some warm clothes that they may have neglected to take.
Holidays with friends
teens-vacation-londonWhen your child grows up and becomes a teenager or young adult, it is sometimes no longer a question of going to summer camp or a language course. From the age of 15 or 16, he will generally want to go with his friends. This kind of vacation will allow him to strengthen his independence. Indeed, on the threshold of active life or before going to university, he must learn to fend for himself and solve the problems that may arise during his trip.
However, this does not preclude taking certain precautions. Specialists recommend signing a contract of trust which sets out the commitments of one to the other. Ask him to promise you to pay attention to his safety, not to be reckless and not to be left outside alone after a certain hour, for example. The main thing is that he feels responsible. On your end, you also have to guarantee not to call him every hour or text him every 5 minutes. In a word, not to smother or disturb him while he is having fun with his friends. Likewise, it is important to let him know that in the event of a problem, you can always be reached at any time and that he can count on you to help him.
For your teenager, going alone or with his friends presents the advantage and at the same time the responsibility of having to manage his expenses. If he is too spendthrift, he may not have enough money to complete his trip. This experience will be particularly beneficial to him in the future, when he will have to manage his own budget. For convenience and to avoid theft, you can offer him a credit card that he can use. As you can limit the ceiling of daily withdrawals, it will facilitate the management of his budget and you will be reassured, he will not be able to spend all his money at once! There are even bank cards with systematic balance control which do not allow any overspending of the balance. It is also possible for parents to deactivate the "payment on the Internet" function to avoid any surprises.
If he doesn't have a cell phone yet, now might be the time to get him one. This will allow him to reach you for updates and call for help if needed.
Let your child travel protected
Whether your child is going alone, with his friends, to a summer camp or a language study trip, his safety is essential. The subscription of travel insurance allows him to benefit from optimal coverage.
ACS offers Globe Partner travel insurance . It is intended for interns, students and travelers under the age of 70 who move, outside their country of origin, around the world. As a result, it offers worldwide coverage to your child who, if necessary, can contact the emergency service 7 days a week and 24 hours a day.
This travel insurance covers medical expenses, loss or theft of luggage during the round trip, civil liability and repatriation. Hospitalization costs are also covered as well as transfer costs to a medical center if necessary. Much of the anxieties associated with traveling alone will be dissipated.
There are different ways to let your child go on vacation alone. These experiences will enable him to learn to adopt social attitudes and to acquire more autonomy. For your peace of mind and that of your child, it is recommended to take out travel insurance before departure to cover any incidents that could disrupt their stay.
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