July 1, 2020

Table Topics to Spark Curiosity

So you have a big trip planned.  Wonderful!  And everyone is beginning to get excited! Wonderful again!  Has talk about the trip totally taken over your life --- what to pack, how to make the phone work in a different country, how to convert dollars to all sorts of other currencies?  Not so wonderful!

Whew! So much to do to get ready for your trip!  

How about taking a break from focusing on these never-ending travel logistics? They can definitely be overwhelming at times. Give yourselves a break!! 

How about revving-up your family’s curiosity for the trip a bit?  Help them think just a little differently about the world they’re getting ready to explore?? Create a bit of mystery?

Here’s what we have in mind --- 

We have some slightly different topics related to how the world looks that we suggest you and your family discuss over breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are guaranteed to help everyone move past the mundane, how-to pack headaches. Discussing these and other topics like them (that you will be able to conjure up once you get the hang of it) will definitely move your family on to some expanded thinking about the exciting adventures you’re about to have at your destination(s).

Some of our suggested topics are light hearted and funny while others have more depth and require more thought from everyone. Some can be made to be specifically about your destination(s) but others will make you think more globally. Everyone’s opinion counts! If need be, you might decide to research some of the questions. Or, you could just wait and discover what your destinations have to say for themselves. 

HAVE “A GO” AT THESE (NOT ALL AT ONCE, PLEASE!) AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS:

Feel free to insert the names of the places you’ll be exploring.

  • What is the proper way to greet a kid living in Morocco? Do you bow? Shake hands? Throw kisses? Wave? Circle? What? Demonstrate please! 
  • Do girls in India wear long pants?
  • Do boys in India wear skirts?
  • Are there stinkbugs in Alaska?
  • How can it be midnight in New York and 6:00am in Paris --- at the very same moment?
  • Do kids in Rome ride school buses to and from school?
  • How old must you be to drive a car in South Africa?
  • Do they eat pizza in Kanazawa Japan?  
  • Quick! Name 3 things you absolutely do not want to do when you get to __________. Now name 3 things you really, really do want to do when you get to __________.
  • Is Iceland more ice or more land?  Are you sure?
  • In what direction must you travel to get from London, England to Athens, Greece? 
  • Are pillows the same all around the world?
  • Do you have to hold on when you cross the Equator?
  • Is there chocolate pudding everywhere in the world?
  • What do you think the word “lagom” means? Hint: Think Scandinavia.
  • What three objects would tell a kid from Jordon the most about you? 
  • Is there mud everywhere in the world? 
  • What do sand and snowflakes have in common?
  • What do you consider to be “trash”? Does everyone around the world consider the same items to be trash?
  • What family recipe would you like to share with a kid in China? Why this particular recipe? Do you think you could find all the ingredients needed to prepare the recipe in China? 
  • Want to take a chance? What if we do not take toothpaste with us on the trip and use what the locals use?
  • Is all water, everywhere around the world, the same? 
  • Have you ever met a “yold”?  Well, you should try to meet one on your travels!
  • Think of mountain ranges around the world. Which mountain ranges run North and South? Which mountain ranges run East and West? Which will you encounter or come the closest to on your trip?

Hint: Don’t forget to think about what’s underneath our ocean waters!

Enjoy!