10-year-old Zac shares his travel wisdom

Our next interviewee is 10-year-old Zac. He and his mother are currently in Bali. His interview had me laughing, and I think you’ll enjoy not only his sense of humor but his frankness. Props to his mom who after reading his responses said “I’m not going to censor him.”  Zac’s best friend lives in London. He is also a self-described hardcore videogamer.  Zac writes for his own blog at Kidventurer, and you can follow along on their continued adventures at EscapeArtistes.

I normally would have asked some followup questions to some of his responses, but they were so authentically Zac, I decided to take them as he gave ‘em.

How old were you when you began traveling with your family? Was your first experience of international travel before you began doing it long-term?

I was nine. As for international travel, I went to Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Australia, Kenya, Guatemala, Andorra, Finland, Switzerland, Wales and Israel before our big trip.

Whose idea was it to do long-term travel in your family?

Mum (mom)’s idea.

Please do a brief explanation of the trip your family undertook.

Ridiculously long, badly planned, but fun.

When your family began planning the long trip, what were you excited about?

Going away from school. Visiting new places. Lotsa stuff.

What were your concerns or fears?

Homesickness. Spending Christmas in Venezuela.

Do you see the world differently now that you’ve visited other countries? How do you think travel will change your life as an adult?

Make me not want to live in Indonesia.

When you’re an adult, do you plan to continue long-term international travel?

Dunno.

If you become a parent, do you see yourself doing this with your own family?

Perhaps.

If you could go back in time, would you change anything about your family’s decision to do this?

Bring mosquito ointment.

What is your favorite part of travel? What is your favorite memory so far?

Whitewater rafting, xorbing, and also zipwiring.

What would you like parents to know who are considering doing a trip like this with their children?

Suitable for ages 8-70

Would you recommend this type of travel to other families? What would your advice be to parents so that they can make travel more enjoyable and meaningful for their kids?

See number 10. [“Bring mosquito ointment.”]

What would you say to other kids who are about to go on a similar journey as your family?

Never expect home comforts.

What would you suggest to other kids to bring on their trip and what to leave behind.

Don’t take anything too big, fragile or heavy.

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46 Comments

  1. I love the perspective of a 10 year old. Adds some real world context to the life of traveling. Uncensored and real.

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    • Definitely! I’ve enjoyed all the kids & young adults, but Zac is hilarious &
      so blunt. Gets me laughing every time. And he had some great advice on top
      of it!

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    • Me too. I couldn’t bring myself to ask him for expanded answers even though
      part of me wanted to know more about certain areas. Gotta love a shoot from
      the hip kind of kid. Lol

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    • He is! Some of his posts on his blog get me in stitches. Make sure to check both his blogs. The 10-year-old one is newer and doesn’t have as much there.

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  2. Hilarious! I love the succinct replies. When do adults become so verbose?
    “Ridiculously long, badly planned, but fun.” – A brilliant Haiku.

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    • And best advice? Bring mosquito ointment.

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  3. Awesome. I love the concept of interviewing long-term travel kids. Fascinating insights…

    “badly planned,” lol.

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    • Thanks! I thought it would be an interesting perspective to hear their
      views.

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  4. What an amazing opportunity to travel as kid!

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    • He is very fortunate indeed!

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  5. That was pretty awesome. I think I need a lesson from Zac on how to be more succinct and to-the-point in my writing. 🙂

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    • Lol! Seems to be common among his age, but most don’t seem to have his
      unique style. 🙂 I laugh ever time I read his answers.

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    • I’m thinking he’d be thrilled! Lol

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  6. I second Zac’s recommendation to bring mosquito ointment! A bitten up child is no fun for the parents either. I find it reassuring he didn’t mention anything negative about toilets, which after some unpleasant experiences for our family has sometimes waned the travel enthusiasm.

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    • Amen to toilets. I’m surprised he didn’t think to mention squat toilets, actually, which are sufficiently a bete noire to feature on his Skype profile.

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      • That would’ve only made it funnier I’m sure! Lol

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  7. If Z is taking questions, I wonder if he could explain his “suitable for ages 8-70” comment. Why don’t you think long-term travel is suitable for the under-8s? Didn’t you enjoy traveling until you were eight?

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    • Yeah, Z! Get your lazy butt over here and answer some questions…

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    • Well, I would say that before going on a long term holiday, you should be responsible enough not to get lost. At least that’s what I think.

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      • I am an eminently sensible and practical parent. I just suffer from directional dyslexia. Which is, like vertigo, a recognised condition. Ahem.

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        • Ah! So you mean a *child* should be responsible enough not to get lost by wandering off alone? Is that what you meant?

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  8. What an incredible opportunity for Zac (and his mother, of course). So interesting that before his “big trip” he had already been to so many places. Great interview. Hope other kids will read this and be inspired to travel!

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    • Seriously! I was so envious when I read his list!

      I’m hoping these interviews inspire both parents & kids! We have some more
      coming up including young adults, teens, and someone even younger

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      • It’s interesting you guys point that out. We did travel backpacker style from when he was very little, which is one of the reasons a) I wanted to do this and b) was more confident getting off the beaten track.

        European travel is pretty standard for most British families. But getting out of Europe is a bit more unusual. We have a small country! And a rainy one.

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  9. Seriously one of the best interviews I have ever read. I love his answer to “What would you like parents to know who are considering doing a trip like this with their children?”

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    • Wasn’t that awesome? He is such a character, but really some good advice.

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      • I doubt he will deign to reply to the comments. But I’m so glad you like his style. I am going to force him to do a guest post for me once we start unschooling again…

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        • Tigger will have the same assignment. 🙂

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  10. He’s got his mom’s (mum’s) sharp wit! Love it! Such a funny kid.

    Miro said, “Hey! Those are the same questions I got. At least he didn’t give the same answers!!”

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    • Lol! Thought it would be helpful to give same questions based on age group.

      I bet Zach & Miro would get along famously!

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      • I bet you are right! We have to meet up with Theodora and Z at some point, I’ve promised her some juicy stories over some wine and the boys both have a special liking for zombies. There will be a problem though, if Z likes vampires better than werewolfs.. That’s a deal breaker.

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        • I want wine & juicy stories when we meet up too!

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          • Amen to wine! And stories.

        • I don’t know where Z stands on vampires. He was very pleased when he got an eye infection in Sulawesi, though, as it enabled him to do a really serious zombie impersonation.

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    • Every time I read it I’m laughing again. Just hilarious.

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  11. “…mosquito ointment…”, “…too big, fragile or HEAVY…” Ah, out of the mouths of babes! (emphasis mine) 😉

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  1. Sunday Travel Reads for April 3, 2011 | |: Travel Via Words :| - [...] over at 1 Dad, 1 Kid, 1 Crazy Adventure, 10-year-old Zac shares his travel wisdom. So go read [...]

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