Create Your Own Family Bucket List -

Thanks to FamilyTravel.com and  Lynn O'Rourke Hayes

Family travel can play a strong role in the education you offer your children and grandchildren. Make the most of it. Here are six concepts to consider:

1. Reflect your values.
The travel choices you make can send a strong message to your loved ones about what matters most to you. Consider the bucket list as a thoughtful and deliberate reflection of your own values, hopes and dreams. So before you begin listing desired destinations, ask yourself what aspects of the world - geographically, spiritually and culturally - you want to share with your children, grandchildren and perhaps other friends and family members.

2. Identify Priorities and Passions.
Are you a nature, history or art lover? Do you want your children or grandchildren to learn how to ski, photograph or scuba dive? Do you hope to share your love of baseball or botany with the next generation? Will volunteer vacations or heritage tours be an important part of your mix? Take time to consider these ideas that will expand your family's horizons and weave them into your travel plan.

3. Identify places.
Americans get low marks for knowledge of geography. Begin with a good map or atlas and consider studying the globe an important part of your family travel education. While your list will most certainly change over the years, think about which destinations you hope to visit while your children are in the nest and beyond? And, when it comes time to involve the children in creating the bucket list, remember that kids don't know what they don't know. Certain theme parks and resorts will likely be on their radar screens. But they may not be aware of the glories of Yellowstone or Yosemite or the historical significance of Gettysburg or Bunker Hill.

4. About the money.
Choosing to make travel a priority is a decision that may require foregoing other luxuries or experiences. But the quality bonding time and lifelong memories are sure to be worth it. Consider creating a travel savings account. Opt for travel related gifts for birthdays, graduations and holidays. Encourage the children to establish their own travel fund. Does someone in your clan long to explore the Costa Rican rainforest? Who wants to hike deep into the Grand Canyon or cruise through Alaska's Inside Passage? Saving for a specific trip can be an important part of the overall experience.

5. About the time.
Whether you begin by tossing up a tent in the backyard or strategizing to experience a safari in Africa, there is no time like the present to begin planning family travel. As children get older, their schedules become increasingly complicated by their own commitments. Take advantage of school breaks. Consider off-season adventures when fewer crowds and lower prices can enrich your experience, even if it means missing a few days of class. Is a month, summer or year abroad on your family wish list? If, so, begin the research now.

6. Get going!
You've planned and prioritized. Now, have fun. Take pictures.