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Author: George Pitiranggon

Travel Geography for Kids

Travel Geography for Kids

Traveling is a great way to expand your experiences and learn about the world. Kids around the world live in completely different ways, eating different things, going to different schools, and playing different games. When you travel, you can learn all about these differences and learn to appreciate what you have and respect the cultures of others. Of course, even people in other parts of the United States have different lives than you do, and there’s lots to see and learn about in all 50 states. If you travel around the country, the things you learn can help you interact with potential new friends and people you meet throughout your life.

Traveling isn’t just about meeting new people, though. It’s also about seeing new things. In the United States, for example, the national parks are common tourist destinations because they’re so exciting and unique. Understanding the geography of the place you’re going can help you figure out what to see, since often, the most interesting geography is worth seeing for yourself. This can include parks in the United States, canals in Italy, or mountains in Switzerland. You might also want to see some amazing man-made destinations, such as the Seven Wonders of the World.

Even if you don’t plan on any travel anytime soon, learning about your country and your world is a good idea. When you see something on the news happening in a far-off land, can you find that place on a map? Do you know what its weather is like or how its people live? All of that information helps you paint a mental picture of the country and better understand what’s going on in the world.

Geography is not just knowing the capitals of countries or what a mountain is but also knowing about the relationship between a person and their environment. If you ever want to travel somewhere, understanding the people and where they come from is essential. For example, if a country is known for growing rice because of where it’s located and what grows well in that location, you can guess that you might be eating a lot of rice when you travel to that country. A country that grows much more wheat than rice might feed you bread or pasta with every meal instead.

To get started on learning about the geography of the United States and the world, try out some fun games and quizzes online. You can learn all about countries, flags, capital cities, and how people live. You might even become a true master of geography and learn how to place states and countries on a map even when there aren’t any outlines to help you!

U.S. Geography

World Geography

Tour the World: Germany

Tour the World: Germany

Germany is a country in Europe that borders Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. A tour of Germany could take you through 16 different states, and stops in Berlin and Frankfurt could be both educational and fun. About 83 million people live in Germany, making it the second most populated country in central Europe, just behind Russia.

The German Language

If you plan to visit Germany, it’s helpful to learn a few basic words and phrases in German so you can communicate more easily while you’re there. Even if you don’t plan to visit Germany, you might want to learn how to speak German just because it’s interesting. The German language has a reputation for being hard to learn, and some parts of the language can be challenging. People with English as their native language might pick up on German more easily than others, though, because some elements of the two languages are similar. That’s because English and German are both Germanic languages: They both evolved from one common language a long, long time ago. Sometimes, you can look at a German word and make a good guess about what it means in English because the words sound or look similar. German pronunciation can feel new for English speakers because a few sounds in the German language don’t exist in English. But if you practice speaking German, you should find the new sounds coming more easily to you.

Geography and Landmarks

Berlin is the largest city in Germany, and it’s also the capital of the country. When visiting Berlin, plan to spend part of a day in Tiergarten, Berlin’s most famous park. You can walk or bike along the paved trails, find famous monuments, and enjoy delicious food. You’ll also want to visit the Brandenburg Gate, a monument that stands today as a symbol of the unification of East and West Berlin. The Berlin TV Tower will give you a panoramic view of the city, and there’s also a restaurant in the building that revolves. Germany has more than 25,000 castles located throughout the country, and many are open for guests to visit and tour. Don’t miss Neuschwanstein Castle, which inspired Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland. Visitors also like to plan stops in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which is a small, medieval town with lots of shops. If you like science and art museums, Munich has many great places that you can tour. Anyone who enjoys outdoor activities such as skiing and hiking will enjoy a vacation in the German Alps, and you can also find a few castles nestled in the mountains. The highest peak in the German Alps is slightly more than 9,700 feet tall. The Black Forest is another must-see area for outdoor enthusiasts.

German Cuisine

German cuisine focuses on meats such as fish, veal, beef, and pork. Germans also like pasta, including a dumpling-like egg pasta called spaetzle. Because most Germans have a strong love for bread, you’ll usually find breads and rolls with meals. German bread recipes usually mix wheat and rye flour, so the breads are darker with hard outer crusts. Bakeries in Germany often feature sweet pastries and pretzels, too. Stollen and lebkuchen are baked treats that Germans eat at Christmas. Sauerkraut might be one of the most famous ingredients of German cuisine, and it’s often served with meat and potatoes. Germans are also known for making high-quality beers and wines.

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Travel the Seas by Sailing

Travel the Seas by Sailing

Many sailors agree that the sights and sounds of the wind and water make sailing an unforgettable experience. Learning how to make a boat move effortlessly through the water can give you great satisfaction. By starting small and learning from professionals, you can soon get to a point where you are guiding your own craft through the water. Even if you don’t live near the ocean, you can still enjoy sailing on smaller bodies of water. You can also prepare to tour the world in a sailboat.

Professional Instruction

There’s a lot to know about sailing, including the terminology, safety practices, rules of the water, and the basics of how to operate the craft. That’s why it’s a good idea to take a course or two in sailing taught by professionals. Many packages include in-depth instruction that spans a day or two. If you intend to focus on more advanced goals such as sailboat racing, you’ll need advanced instruction; otherwise, an introductory class should suffice.

The Science of Sailing

Wind is responsible for a sailboat’s movement through the water. Sails full of wind form what’s called an airfoil, which moves the boat across the water with lift that’s similar to the lift of an airplane’s wing. When sailing, your job is to trim the sails, or move them into position to maximize this lift. Raise the sails using the halyards, or lines, then trim them using the sheets, lines that attach to the bottom corners of the sails, to move the boom, which is the pole along the bottom of the sails. Steering is managed by moving the rudder using the tiller. When sailing into the wind, you’ll need to steer in a zig-zag motion known as tacking.

Sailing Jargon

Knowing sailing jargon will help you cruise like a pro. For instance, the keel is the heavy wing on the underside of the boat that helps balance it. The front of the boat is the bow, and the back of the boat is the stern. The port is the left side of the boat, and the starboard side is the right side. Sailors say an object is aft of another object if it is behind it. Something in front of another object is forward of it. The cockpit of a boat is the space in the stern where the steering wheel sits. The anchor and chain locker are stored at the bow of the boat. The jib sail is the sail located at the bow.

Equipment

The right sailing equipment is a necessity for safety and navigation. Aside from the boat and its gear, including life jackets, you’ll want to make sure to pay some attention to your own personal gear. Always dress for the occasion by wearing layers. Good deck shoes will help you grip the deck and have non-marking soles. Polarized sunglasses will help you be vigilant about the water and wind conditions. Sailing gloves should offer heavy-duty grip on the palms, and some have exposed fingertips for added dexterity. A windbreaker can serve as a barrier for wind and water and also help to keep you warm. It’s not a bad idea to bring a logbook, too, where you can record the number of hours you spend sailing and the places you travel.

Knots to Learn

Sailors need to know many knots, which are used for different purposes. Securing lines to cleats is a common necessity when sailing, and a cleat hitch is the best knot to tie in this situation. The cleat hitch involves wrapping the line around both horns once, making two figure-eight turns around the cleat, and tucking the free end of the line to secure it. The bowline knot is used to tie a loop in the rope that you can quickly untie by taking tension off the rope. Make a small loop in the rope by making a half twist, then pass the end of the rope through the loop and back around the longer length of rope.

Buying a Boat

Anyone who has taken a few sailing courses, tried out the sport, and decided it’s a good fit can definitely benefit by buying a boat. Owning a boat can be surprisingly affordable, especially if you start small. Choose a simple sailboat, possibly a used one in good shape, for your first boat. Some people with the skills might also consider building their own sailboat.

Common Questions

  • Will a sudden gust of wind capsize a sailboat? When this happens, just maneuver the boat into the wind. The sailboat might lean, but it shouldn’t capsize.
  • What about seasickness? When learning how to sail, some people do get seasick. Staying close to shore so you can see the land often helps with seasickness.
  • What happens if someone falls overboard? Throw the person in the water a flotation device, if necessary. Then, maneuver the sailboat to turn around and pull the person back on board.
  • Is it hard to work the sails? Sailors need upper-body strength to manage wind-filled sails, so it can be a bit of a workout, but pulleys and winches can make the job a little easier.

Resources

Review: Fire & Ice With Contiki- The Best Way For Young People To Vacation

Fire & Ice with Contiki
By: George Pitiranggon, Director of Marketing & Web Strategies

#NOREGRETS has been Contiki’s main hashtag for the past few years and I recently had the opportunity to learn what they mean. It’s easy to overlook the simple, innocuous call-out while laying in bed browsing the ‘gram and finding pictures of beautiful people in beautiful places. It’s a different meaning entirely when you’re in one of those beautiful places being your beautiful self and put outside your comfort zone. Traveling with #noregrets with Contiki is to realize you can still surprise even yourself, as you discover the larger world around you.

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