Written by Stephanie Mutsaerts
Photos by Jesus Caso and Stephanie Mutsaerts
One of the greatest things about travelling the Camino de Santiago with kids is the opportunity they have to interact with pilgrims from all walks of life, all the cultures and languages under the sun. Fostering chit chat along the Way and developing their international – friendly social skills is wonderful. We are social creatures and the Camino is the ideal playground for them to expand their horizons.
My children made ‘amigos’ every day. Kids ride about the same speed as a walking pilgrim, so the days’ pathway would likely end in a shared dinner with the pilgrims we met and travelled with that day. What better way for kids to speak and share moments with people they would otherwise not have the chance to meet?
It was a high priority for me that my children find joy in alternative travel, learn to appreciate a challenge, do their best to reach their goal with a smile on their face. And to find a comfort zone even when they are out of their element – broaden their horizons. It is about building their confidence through living experiences that are unique and life changing. Today their confidence reflects years of experience of, among other things, spending countless days (and nights) in the outdoors, cycling or hiking hundreds of kilometers, scaling the heights of vertical rock walls, or skiing and snow-boarding on challenging slopes.
Clearly there is a correlation between how you live your life and what your kids will choose to do and copy from it. That is to say, young kids tend to want to do what you do. So, if you spend your free time in front of the TV, in all likeliness and, given the ease in which one can fall into that routine or habit, your kids will become the next generation of couch potatoes. Make the effort to take your kids on a travel adventure and broaden their horizons, like doing the Camino de Santiago. You will have them cycling along country trails, skiing the white peaks of the Pyrenees, or climbing a ‘ferrata’ – let them be the next generation of adventurers in the family. If you yourself become enthralled in adventure they will follow in your footsteps!
We would love you and your family to join us on the Camino. Find out more about what we can do for you and your little adventurers by writing us an email or plain old whatsapp me, Stephanie Mutsaerts. Let’s get connected!
https://northernspaintravel.com/tour/camino-de-santiago-family-bike-tour/
