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If you’ll be in one place more than a few days, your
kids would probably like to have a friend to buddy around with. Now, it’s
probably impractical to drag the next-door-neighbor along – but why
not let them find new friends in foreign places? |
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One easy way is a pen pal. Say you’re going to Scotland
or Greece for two weeks. You arrive, you sightsee, and on Saturday Heather
or Niko is coming over to meet your kids – tell them the cool places
to go hiking or swimming – maybe even invite your family to their homes
for cullen skink or spanakopitas (your daughter will patiently explain that
"cullen skink" is Scottish smoked haddock and your son can assure
you that "spanakopitas" is just spinach pie. Of course, knowing
what it means is no guarantee they’ll eat it...) |
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It’s best if you can give the kids a few weeks to build
a relationship so let them start as early as possible. It may take a few
tries to find a good match, and you should monitor at least the first few
rounds of correspondence. You’ll probably see your kid pulling out
maps to find their friend’s hometown and asking about that country
more than you could have hoped for. Not only will the anticipation of meeting
face-to-face with an e-mail pen pal add excitement to the trip, your kid's
pen pal will give you a real insider's feeling for a place. |
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Usually, pen pals are matched up through age, gender, and
hobbies or interests. So, your Ashley may find a Catalina in Spain who also
loves horses; your Brandon may find a Stravros in Greece who loves in-line skating.
Note that most kid pen pal sites on the web will only allow kids to divulge
their first name, town or city, and country: be wary of any site that asks
for more. It just makes sense to tell your children not to include last
names, addresses, or phone numbers in their messages. |
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Finally, when there's a good match in a good location, it’s
time for the parents to exchange notes. If everyone likes the idea of a
get-together, the best scenario might be for the parents of the local child
to bring him or her to meet the traveling family at a local cafe or even
a park. Somewhere neutral and public. You’ll know your own comfort
level from there. |
