I’m about to embark on a 4 month journey with my teens...

….and frankly, I’m a nervous wreck.

In less than a week, I embark on a journey through Europe and Asia, with my 17 year old son and 16 year old daughter while working in exchange for room and board. They will be home schooled while working on farms, and/or engaged in cultural exchanges.

I started thinking about how I wanted my kids to head into young adulthood with a really unique experience and extra tools for life over a year ago. I always wanted them to grow in a way that would allow them to be able to get outside their comfort zone without resistance. Today’s world is so full of uncertainty that it can be nerve wracking for a young person to figure out one’s present, let alone what the formula for living a happy life in the future might be. Things move so incredibly fast, how do you keep up?

I’ve always believed that adaptability and being nimble in life lies partly in exposing oneself to different environments. Not by being an outsider looking in, but by full immersion.

How is a child supposed to create a foundation within themselves that allows for understanding the world at large if they have never set foot outside their bubble, and never immerse themselves in a completely different culture or environment?

Yes, there are many paths to emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth. I think travel is one of the least adopted.

The unfortunate reality is that there are millions of children in the United States the will never have the opportunity to know other cultures, because poverty prevents them from accessing what is considered by many to be a luxury.

I would love to see a different paradigm for future generations, and I’m hoping this journey will inspire me to find an avenue to help others.

Ambra Schettini