Adventuring With Children: An Inspirational Guide to World Travel and the Outdoors (Avalon House Travel Series) (Paperback)

~ Nan Jeffrey (Author) "Kevin and I have been adventuring with our children for many years, yet each new times still involves the same series of preparatory steps: making..." (more)
Key Phrases: adventuring children, adventuring family, adventuring families, North America, Nova Scotia, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nan Jeffrey's classic guide to adventure travel is not to be missed by any family interested in--or even curious about--traveling off the beaten path. Jeffrey, who has traveled with twin boys and a baby, covers every possible aspect of adventure travel: hiking, biking, sailing, canoeing, and basic world roaming. You'll get down-and-dirty tips (ways to calculate how many diapers to take to a tropical island--and how to wash them), good preparation advice (learn to live in small places, study another language, take practice hikes, turn off the television), and suggestions for great family destinations. No, Jeffrey doesn't mean Club Med or Disneyland--she suggests instead Nepal, the Alps, Alaska, Guatemala, or Turkey. Adventuring with Children is not only fascinating and informative, as its subtitle promises, it's inspirational as well. Whether you're off to Bali, Chile, or Morocco, you can now be sure to have a bon voyage! --Ericka Lutz

Review

"If the book could be summed up in two words, they would be ‘DO IT’ " -- The Boston Globe

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Avalon House; 3 edition (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962756245
• ISBN-13: 978-0962756245
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #421,478 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars World class book for world class adventures...with children, June 23, 2000

By	N. C. Derham "MacBeth Derham" (Floral Park, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are many travel books on the market, and there are many travel books for those who have children. This books stands out because the author actually took her kids on wonderful, real "adventures," not just tame camping trips in the U.S. She and her husband traveled to remote places (Morocco, Spain, Bali, Nepal, New Zealand...), kids in tow, and share the experience with us through text and photos. They sailed, biked, hiked, and drove about, and lived for several weeks in different countries.

While most books of this sort will list things to bring along, the author gives us real explanations for each of the things she brings--and she doesn't bring much--and tells us how to make do with less. Invaluable are her personal stories of medical needs, literary needs (her boys brought a few books and exchanged books with other travelers), laundry and social needs. There is even a terrific discussion of diapering while traveling!

Perhaps my favorite section, as a homeschooling mom, is her chapter on education while on the road. The author truly sees the educational value of travel. No doubt her boys were very well educated by their many adventures. They learned foreign languages and the differences between many cultures. Thinking of adventuring?Buy it, and you'll want to try it!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and also very practical, March 6, 2004

By	Sideshow Bob - See all my reviews

I still haven't had a chance to use the tips from this book, since our trip to Greece with our one-year-old is planned for a few months from now. I can say that reading so many real-life, much more complicated examples of Ms. Jeffrey's family's own travels have made planning a few weeks in Greece seem like no big deal, though.

I was also pleasantly surprised to read so much about the things her children learned through travel at different ages, as well as through the homeschooling done on the road. (Ms. Jeffries also provides very useful homeschooling references.) Our daughter is much too young for a lot of this, but I found it all inspirational. It's amazing how much more children can learn from travel, plus reading, rather than from reading alone.

I started reading just to find the basics of how to travel with a child (what to take, how to keep entertained, etc.), but ended knowing so much about how traveling with a child will actually be more beneficial to the whole family than I ever imagined.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I needed, July 26, 2007

By	Mama Rose (Fort Bliss, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Based on the reviews of this book, I was excited to check it out in preparation for our European and Tunisian adventure this fall. I was sadly disappointed when it arrived and I flipped through and read parts of it - granted not all, but I was not sufficiently "inspired" to read more. For one, and its a big one, this book is OLD. I thought a third edition would mean updated, and I neglected to look at the publishing date. My fault. It is pre 9-11, and I bet a lot of things have changed out there that this book does not address in re air travel and border crossings.

There was a lot of the book dedicated to camping, which if that is what you are doing, definately get it. It addresses very extended vacations, and I personally don't know a single sole who goes on a 6 month camping/biking trip to a distant locale. I read through the education part, since I want our trip to be educational for my preschooler, but was disappointed by that as well, as there was not much of use to me there.

The only things that I saw as useful were pretty common knowledge if you have traveled before. I am glad for others to have been inspired by this book, but personally, it does not help me one bit.

So, please enjoy if it sounds right for you, but as for me, I will be sending it back. Maybe you'll get my copy.