National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - brochure - Index

12
THE
Leader
Traveling
BY JESSICA FULLER
It’s easy to think that once kids enter the picture, the
trip you never got to do as a single or as a double is
all but completely down the tubes. Even getting the
entire family to sit down to dinner may seem like a
distant dream. But just as the little ones didn’t force
you to give up on Zeppelin and become a Raffi aficionado,
having a family does not have to mean the
end of your adventuring days. Following are some tips
from NOLS grads who have found that their kids
brought new life to their hiking boots and passport.
Trip Planning
“Just like on a NOLS course, it is important to give
your kids time to lead and engage them in planning,
otherwise it is not as valuable,” says NOLS Executive
Director John Gans, who took a four-month trip
around the world with his wife and three kids in 2007.
The whole family sat down with a map and picked
two places they each wanted to visit. This list gave
them the structure to start planning travel and lodging,
but they also left about half of their days unplanned
to take advantage of spontaneous
opportunities once they were in country.
Griff Madigan recently traveled to Kenya, site of
his 1992 NOLS semester, with his wife, sister, parents
and 4-year-old son, Patrick. They used a safari outfitter
and though the lodges, luxury tents, and hot water
may have been “the opposite of NOLS,” it made for an
easier and more enjoyable trip for the whole family.
Two-time NOLS grad Barrett Green, also a veteran
of many family paddling and skiing trips in Europe
and Latin America, suggests looking for outfitters
and trips specifically labeled family or kid friendly. Separate
families on the same trip can become a village of
playful kids and minding adults (and vice versa). “Also,
if it is labeled a family trip, no one has any right to act
indignant that kids are behaving like kids,” Barrett says.
Travel
Two words: sleep and snacks. You know from your
NOLS course that a lack of either of these can cause both
poor decisions and bad attitudes, and it is no different
with Kids
Tips for Going Remote with the Whole Family
for a child. Always be prepared to keep the calories flowing
and be flexible with activities and energy levels. John
says, “We would never arrive into a new town or country
late at night with no plan. A 7-year-old’s tolerance for
adversity is just not there at that late hour.”
Gear Essentials
“Spend the proper money on properly-sized, quality
rain gear, eyewear and cold weather gear,” says
Barrett. “A bad experience at this age can be
hard to overcome.” If at all possible, make the
kids responsible for carrying their own gear; it
will make your life easier and make you reconsider
what you really need to lug around. And
don’t forget role modeling: How can you ask your
kids to wear a whistle, pfd or helmet if you don’t?
Gear Extras
“A 4-year-old can only look quietly at elephants
for so long,” says Griff, so he and his
wife had a backpack filled with books that
went with them everywhere and kept his son
occupied on longer stretches of travel and exploration.
John says that the most valuable
thing in all of their bags was a soccer ball,
easily deflated and re-inflated with a small
traveling pump. It could be used in a remote
village or an airport terminal, and it was an
Just as the little ones didn’t force you to give
up on Zeppelin and become a Raffi aficionado,
having a family does not have to mean the
end of your adventuring days.
instant magnet for other local kids. Give your kids a
cheap digital camera or create a family journal to capture
their view of the trip, and look in museum shops
or home schooling websites for small educational
games and kits.
Health and Safety
This part of your trip is the area that may need the
most forethought, as many vaccinations need to be administered
up to two months before you depart. Griff
and his wife spent a good amount of time researching
travel medicine and insurance and found that having
previous knowledge of the country from his NOLS
course helped him to prepare for the possibilities. Call
Gans Photo Archives
This page, top to bottom: Barrett Green and his kids,
Carter and Sanders, paddling the Texas Parks Luling
Zedler Mill Paddling Trail. Duncan, Steff, and Mara Gans
taking in the dunes in the United Arab Emirates. Noah
and John Gans snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Griff
Madigan with wife Mary Beth and son Patrick on safari in
Kenya. Opposite page, top to bottom: Sanders Green exploring
the tidepools on Washington’s San Juan Islands.
The Gans family celebrating with the aboriginal Bardi
people of Sunday Island in northwestern Australia.
Janice Green
Ninian Lowis