US airports aren’t kid friendly: Why do families get priority abroad but not here at home?
In the world of travel, the word “family” has become a symbol for the most precious people who make a journey together: the parents, the children and the grandparents who are gathered all in one house for a week or a month or a lifetime. It’s an expression of our deepest need to be a family. For parents, a family abroad is far more exciting than an airport family, because of the chance to share travel experiences with their kids. While many parents think about connecting with their kids every time they travel, an airport family is still a very special thing.
This week, we were struck with the feeling that airports are too cold, and not family-friendly. It seems as if in the world of travel, the word “family” has become a symbol for the most precious people who make a journey together: the parents, the children and the grandparents who are gathered all in one house for a week or a month or a lifetime. It’s an expression of our deepest need to be a family.
For parents, a family abroad is far more exciting than an airport family, because of the chance to share travel experiences with their kids
We’ve visited the Grand Trianon in Saint-Tropez, France, only to be disappointed by the inescapable airport smell. Not only was the view of the ocean in a state of permanent “high tide” (except when it was high tide), but it was a place we didn’t know at all.
We’ve visited all around Italy, from the Italian Riviera to the mountains of the Abruzzi, only to be disappointed by the almost-constant smell of paint remover, carpet shampoo, and hair spray. There was no wonder at the sight of the sea or the beach, as it was the same everywhere we went.
But, if we look at the people we know, there’s nothing more exciting than a good group of children and their moms on a beach. The idea of a beach is fun, because it’s not just a place where you can sit on an empty beach and watch children running around like crazy. No, the beach is a place where you can do things — play soccer, jump off a cliff, find shells on the beach — and that is what defines family vacations for most families.
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