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Global leisure travel is on the rise,
especially among families wanting their children exposed to other cultures. The trend is receiving topnotch reviews from many child-rearing experts who say that education through travel can help abolish long-standing ethnic biases and make us more understanding of others.
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Consider taking a family vacation to an area that offers a different cultural experience. For visitors to New Zealand, the Maori culture presents a unique opportunity to view a country's indigenous people. The Maori were first to land on New Zealand's shores many generations ago in their ancient ancestral canoes.
Children will enjoy touring a Maori tribe to better understand how this culture helped carve the culture of New Zealand. Although we are becoming adept at learning multiple languages for global communication, travel offers an up-close look at this phenomenon. In places like Hawaii and New Zealand, children are exposed to languages that help explain many local traditions and, certainly, the array of complex signage that appears on storefronts, menus, and maps.
Travel can help teach children that everyone does not look the same. For instance, membership in a Maori tribe is based on whakapapa–or tracing ancestry–to verify tribal roots. Proud of their heritage, some Maori wear their whakapapa on their faces in the form of a tattoo called a Moko, particularly during tribal ceremonies, complete with costumes and songs sung in their native language. Travel opens up a new dietary experience for most children.
In New Zealand the Hangi–the method of Maori cooking that slowly steams food under the ground–is becoming a major tourist attraction for visitors wanting to feast on "true" New Zealand cuisine. Children will enjoy watching as meat, fish, and vegetables are placed in baskets on heated stones and then covered for many hours with special matting that allows the steam and smoky flavors to permeate the food. Ask us about arranging your next cultural family vacation.
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