We’ve all seen the popular travel quote that says collect moments, not things. Well, that’s become the motto of our family. A few years ago I learned a valuable lesson in this when I gave my son scuba classes for his birthday. He had begged me for years to get certified until he found out it was pretty expensive to do it. After that it just became a dream to him. We certified together as dive buddies for his fourteenth birthday, and to this day I do not regret it for a moment.

That present turned out to be one of the best gifts I have ever given him. Not only did I give him the gift of the certification. I gave him the opportunity to see new places and things for the rest of his life- with or without me. Those are memories that he will treasure forever. Long after that video game has been played and a new system has come out.

He will remember seeing skulls in Mexico while diving deep in the cenotes, or swimming with sharks and stingrays. He will remember seeing things that most people won’t get to discover in Cuba. And mostly, he will remember that his mother was there with him on all his crazy adventures, sharing moments of his life. At least, that’s what I hope, and I tell myself.

Because of our adventures over the years, I’m proud to say my son focuses less on material things and more on experiences. There’s been a number of times he has opted to save our money for an adventure instead of ordering pizza, getting a video game or going to a movie. In a world where society only places the value of a person by how many material possessions they own, it makes me proud to see my son not following the rest of his peers.

Remember, the gift of adventure doesn’t have to be expensive. Its about what your family wants to experience and what you can afford to do. It’s not about what you spend; it’s about the memories you will make from the experience. You could try a rappelling class, swimming under a waterfall, a camping trip or a day hike; a scuba dive- or a trip to climb the Mayan ruins with family in Mexico. These are all gifts of adventures you can give to your children. Memories you can make with them that will last forever.

So I guess the point I’m working towards with this post is this..

Kids will grow out of new Jordan’s; they will get tired of that video game,  Xbox, or that iPad. But when they are older in life, they will look back on the memories they made traveling to a new place or having a new adventure with their parents with fondness.

There is no better gift you can give your child than the gift of travel and adventure. I hope that as 2018 approaches anyone that reads this will consider giving the gift of adventure to their children next year.