100 Places That Can Change Your Child's Life: From Your Backyard to the Ends of the Earth

by Keith Bellows, Natalie Morales (Foreword)

Kids who learn to travel will travel to learn.  National Geographic Traveler  Editor Keith Bellows sends you and your children globetrotting for life-changing vacations that will expand their horizons and shape their perspectives. What you  won’t  find predictable itineraries and lists of landmarks and events. Instead, you’ll get evocative, slice-of-life experiences and age-appropriate ideas that illuminate place and culture.

Each chapter of  100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life  plumbs the heart of a special place—from the Acropolis to Machu Picchu to the Grand Canyon—all from the perspective of insiders who see destinations through a child’s eyes. You’ll meet actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy, who tours the suqs of Marrakech with his seven-year-old son; photographer Annie Griffiths, who shares the miraculous migration to Mexico of the monarch butterflies; Tom Ritchie, who has guided countless children and parents to Antarctica for more than 30 years; the waterman who knows where to see the ponies of Assateague in the true wild; and countless others who are cultural treasures, great storytellers, and keepers of a sense of place.

Packed with ideas to supplement the travel experience—foods, music, films, and carefully curated lists of kid-friendly activities and places to eat and stay—this inspiring book is the perfect trip planner to excite children about culture and the unique magic the world has to offer.

Genres: Travel, Parenting, Nonfiction, Childrens

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2012

About the author

National Geographic Society Editor-in-Chief

Reviews

[Gjacobsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

You'd think that a NatGeo publication would come with gorgeous pictures. Not so. Here is a book about 100 places to take your kids to and there is not one single photograph. It provides interesting but brief narratives on discrete places across the globe. Really discrete - like Gion in Kyoto. The text does provide adequate description of these places but an actual snapshot to go along with the text snapshots would have been ideal.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super easy and interesting review for 100 places to take your kids. However, I feel like it’s a bit restricted because the world has so much to offer and the 100 places they suggest, most aren’t even on my radar. I’m curious as to why the author chose these 100 places over others. it did add a few places to my very extensive bucket list, and those sections I read Enthusiastically. The others I merely skimmed and placed on hold.I feel like the title makes you feel like you need your children experience these places, not just a suggestion. I liked the forward and intro about how giving your children the experience of travel and culture is so important. It’s not just about where you go. You can travel within your own community to discover the world around you. Also, the end with the dirty dozen of travel... things to consider when traveling with children are good tips.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the places listed are already on my list of places to go. I did, however, like how the author related activities to try in these places. In some of these places the activities for the kids seemed extreme, but I guess it all depends on your kid.
I wish the book would have had pictures, I'm a visual learner and it would have made the book more uplifting for me.
I know many of these destinations I may never get to see, but I know others will be able to if they live closer to these places.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book and found the info about each location helpful and unique from other tour books and TripAdvisor type sites. Each place on the list comes with book recommendations for further reading for each age group, which I thought was great.

[Jacob Resnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is as plain as a rice cake and is bore to read if you are not looking for a place to travel. But if you are looking for advice on where to take your kids than this book is for you because this book talks about so many places to visit with your kids and family in this book.

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like books like this are unnecessary now that we have the Internet. However, the title made me curious. The list of places is fabulous and presented well. However, more uptodate information on the Internet.

[Rosina Dimech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice, although I only read the sections on the places we will visit.

[Ashley Tovar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting suggestions & neat to have on hand for ideas but a lot of the suggestions are outdated or impractical for a normal family.

[John Orman · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Kids who learn to travel will travel to learn."
That is the stated message of this interesting book.

A trip planner written by a national Geographic Traveler editor, these 100 places are chosen to expand childrens' horizons and change their viewpoints.

Also loaded with kid-friendly activities, and places to stay and eat, I found this book to be very interesting even for people without young children or grandchildren.

Highlighted in the book are the Great Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde in CO, the Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon in AZ, and Arches in UT. Also Yellowstone, Rushmore, and Gettysburg. There are several CA locations: Muir Woods, Sierra Nevada, and Big Sur. Locations in South America include Machu Picchu, Galapagos, and Rio. In Asia, kid's should see the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall, and Tokyo.

A lot of great locations are detailed here, but unfortunately, I see no entries for OR, WA, or New Mexico!

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't super life-changing, and I just skimmed it, but I found it useful for a couple of things:

1) Getting ideas for how to expand my children's experiences when we take them places
2) Getting an idea of what our trips in the future might look like, when our kids are older and can understand more
3) Seeing what other people think are the most valuable places/things to experience in our area.

I was happy to see two trip spots that are local for us (Cape Cod, Nantucket), several we have already done (Grand Canyon, Iceland's Ring Road, others that I'm forgetting), and one that we were already planning for this year's vacation (Nova Scotian coastal lighthouses)!

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful resource for a parent who loves to travel and wants to bring the children along. The benefit of this book is that one does not even need to leave his/her zip code to experience the world -- try an ethnic restaurant or area in your area (i.e. Little Italy, Indian Buffet, etc.). This book was usefu for our upcoming trip to Iceland, and providing a forever tip on packing a medical kit for travel: bandages, antibiotic cream, OTC for allergy, pain, diarrhea, etc. This was a library loan, and one I'll borrow again in the future.

[Christina Potter Bieloh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. I checked it out from the library and I think I am going to have to buy a copy to keep. I am learning about great places that we'd love to take Davey someday, but there are great further reading ideas for each section called "know before you go." Neat book!

[Francie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you buy into the premise that travel will change your child's life (and I do), although I don't believe that the particular destinations chosen are life-changing, this book has some pretty good tips on kid-friendly activities in the cited locations. Definitely worth a look.

[Kendra Westerberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not everything would be impact full to every kid of every age, and it's not broken down by age grouping at all. But the idea is great and much of what is included is a good idea for expanding POV. Se things I disagreed with, but most I appreciated.

[Sharla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most of the places are outside of the US. The places in the US - only two pages per place such was Washington DC.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it focused on what kids get out of traveling from other families who have done it before. It will definately be referenced again and read many times.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of neat ideas.

[Jill Weiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

With 1-2 pages on each location there wasn't enough information to make it really useful in trip planning and with no pictures it wasn't fun for browsing either. Also, no age recommendations or mention of age restrictions at some attractions.