5 Tips For Telling Your Parents About a RTW Trip

Posted by Dave on 31 July 2007.

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If you’ve hatched the idea to take an extended period of time off after school, or quit your job to travel the world, though are nervous to tell your parents or loved ones, than this is the post for you.

1. Pick a Public Place – Your parents will be much more likely to respond in a dignified manner if you’re sharing the news in a public setting. I let the news slip out at a delicious dinner with my parents at L’Auberge Chez Francois, a popular French restaurant in Great Falls, VA.

2. Share Your Plans During a Celebration – You are excited about your news. You may have been living with the dream for several years already, however your parents may not have a clue. By choosing a celebratory time, such as during a holiday get-together, you are automatically countering a certain degree of anxiety which will naturally arise. After all, your news may be against the backdrop of love, laughter, wine drinking, and presents. The aforementioned dinner with my parents at Chez Francois was to celebrate my 27th birthday.

3. Test the News on a Supportive Relative or Friend – Unless your parents are life long hippies, they’ll likely find the idea of their son or daughter leaving the perceived safety of the homeland for the dangers of the world a bit scary. During my new age Aunt’s visit to VA, I mentioned my travel plans over a Greek dinner. Her immediate reaction was positive and supportive. Hearing her encouragement gave me the added confidence to share the plans with my parents.

4. Emphasize the Positive – Parents fundamentally want what is best for their children, and more specifically, for them to be happy (at least that is the ideal). Chances are that if you’re passionate about the idea of a backpacking trip around the world, this tip won’t require extra effort. Ensure you have a few counterpoints to the typical concerns of cost, safety, and difficulty finding work upon return home.

5. Do It Sooner Rather Than Later - The sooner you share your plans with your parents, the more time they will have to absorb it all before you leave. While not a parent myself, I’m sure they would appreciate the time to let it sink in. Involve them in the planning, and you may find they quickly become your most ardent, proud supporters! This will come in handy when you line up their home as your de-facto residence upon return.

Good luck!

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This post was written by:

Dave - who has written 994 posts on Go Backpacking.

Dave Lee (Editor-in-Chief) blogged his way around the world from 2007-2009, and then started Travel Blog Success to teach others how to do the same. When not writing, he can be found salsa dancing, and lamenting his untimely departure from Medellin. Follow him on Twitter @rtwdave

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Brooke

Yeah I agree to telling them sooner than later. When I first told my mom it was like "oh its so far away, she's not really going." But during that time I was able to really show her that it can be done and lots of people do it, etc. It was probably a lot easier process to slowly ease into the idea than to call up and say "hey I'm leaving in a mont to go RTW!" hehe.

Dave

My plans to travel the world suddenly seemed like no big deal after my brother told my parents he joined the Marines (before talking to them about it). I thanked him for that one!

He's probably going to Iraq in the Fall, and I think it might be easier for me to deal with it by traveling abroad myself, then sitting at home worrying.

Michael

Nice post Dave. It is always challenging to reveal to your loved ones that your to where they consider a crazy and most dangerous place. I think this is actually what shackles many people within their own lives even though they want to break free and travel.

Unfortunatly, some families can be much more reluctant and difficult then others and for those people my heart goes out to them.

Write On!
Michael @ http://www.traveling-stories-magazine.com

Chris

Funny post! Thank god most parents are now more understanding about traveling than maybe a generation back. After all it will give you a broader view of the world and usually once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Okay, it surely depends what country or culture you are from.
And maybe easier if you are a guy than a female and older than younger. Hmmm, the more I think about it, it's maybe not so easy at all. I'm happy, I'm beyond that stage... ;-)

Cheers from Bali,

Chris

Life is what you make it!
http://www.nomad4ever.com

Dave

Good to hear from you Chris. I'm going back and forth on whether to travel from Australia to Bali/Indonesia, and then on to Nepal, or whether to just go straight from Australia to Thailand for a month, before heading to the Himalaya.

Decisions, decisions!