FAMILY FARM VACATIONS
Anne's Blog: Can the concept of “wellness travel” stem the rise of child obesity?
A couple of days ago, I received the Road & Travel Magazine with a story on the growing problem of child obesity. “As much as America hates to admit it,” it read, “obesity has become a major life-threatening issue. And it's not only affecting adults, the number of obese children is ever growing……”
The newsletter went on to talk about a new book – authored by Dr. Paul Ehrmann and offering a new community-centered approach to the problem.
That got me thinking about the concept of “wellness travel” (defined as travel to promote, maintain or kick-start a healthier more balanced life) and how it could become the next big travel option for families.
As if someone was monitoring the salad of thoughts being tossed around my mind, another e-mail hit my InBox – this one titled: Farm to Fork, Italian Cuisine Trip for Sustainable Families. Since food is the root of health and wellbeing – this certainly fits into the category of “wellness travel.”
Operated by Philadelphia-based Context Travel, Farm To Fork, Roman Food Culture for Families is a 6-day sustainable trip designed to introduce families to Roman food and how it is grown, harvested, prepared, and eaten.
It makes ultimate sense that if children raised in cities began to learn about the origin of food and respect how food is grown and raised – and that would include experiencing working farms - that could certainly help improve their eating habits.
Farm vacations are nothing new – but maybe it’s time that some of the major tour operators and travel agencies begin offering this option to individuals looking to use vacation time to kick-start a healthier lifestyle.
Here are a few other places to look for farm vacations:
Pennsylvania Farm Vacations
Main Farm Vacations
Family Travel Network
Have you ever taken a farm vacation? Any suggestions on where else families should look for info on farm vacations? Please send comments to editor@traveltowellness.com
