These Kids’ Hobbies Travel Well and Enrich Trips

Having a hobby or some quest to pursue as they head on vacation makes family travels more fun for kids and can even lead to lifetime interests. More important, a hobby can keep them engaged and observant of their surroundings, so they’ll get a lot more out of travel experiences.

Photography

Taking pictures to record places and experiences is a natural, and with cellphones, you don’t need to invest in expensive equipment. A quick tutorial on how to take better pictures might be a good start before the trip, and if kids are using cameras instead of phones, they’ll need some pre-trip practice on its operation. Videos of local people doing interesting things — like cracking open a coconut or peeling a pineapple — will be fun to share. Or encourage them to “collect” images of things that interest them, such as animals in building decoration, street art or close-ups of flowers.

Birding

Wherever you find gardens or flowers, even in cities, you’re likely to also find birds, and once kids begin to look for them and learn their names, they’ll be hooked. Bring a small pocket bird guide or look for bird identification charts at national parks or nature centers.

Collecting Postcards

They are everywhere and inexpensive, picturing local landmarks, festivals and scenery. If you like to spend time in antique shops or flea markets, these are perfect places for finding even cheaper, second-hand ones or views of the same places long ago.

Scrapbooking   

A natural for a travel hobby, scrapbooking is an activity all ages can enjoy and a perfect way to preserve precious memories of a trip. It also indulges the collecting instincts that make us hang onto admission tickets, brochures, tram tickets and even colorful candy wrappers. Arranging these on pages to put in albums or making them into works of art is a good activity for long car rides or for quiet down time in hotel rooms. Take along a glue stick and a small pair of scissors (but not in your carry-on bag if flying).