When UAE-resident Sarah Derbas sets her mind to something, she is a bit of an unstoppable force. In a mere six months, Sarah was able to get her book, My Travel Journal, on the shelves of book shops around the Emirates. ‘I started in June and then it was in stores in January,’ she tells us. ‘I got it in my mind and then I wanted to do it, I was convinced of the concept and just worked hard.’
It’s a solid concept. My Travel Journal is an activity book to keep kids aged six to 12 engaged before, during and after a particular holiday or trip. It is an extended project for kids and their parents all wrapped up in a slim, hardback, spiral bound package. ‘It’s something I always do myself with my kids and we really enjoy it,’ says Sarah. ‘Every time we travel I get them to collect tickets, leaflets and take pictures. We write about them during the trip and when we come back. It’s so much fun!’ But more than that, it’s also a way to encourage kids to write more about something that is fun. Sarah explains that children don’t seem to write or read enough these days, they are all so busy with their gadgets and phones that they don’t spend any time writing. My Travel Journal is an interactive project that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a computer for hours on end, and it is something that they can do with their family as well.
The journal is used for a single trip, holiday or vacation. It all begins with a More About Me section, where the intrepid traveller can write about themselves before the trip and even draw a self portrait. Then it is time to start preparing for the holiday, and there is a section in which kids can make lists of what they need to pack, any tasks they need to accomplish before they leave (such as getting a haircut, or buying a gift for someone they’re going to visit or stay with) and then they can write their thoughts about what is to come – things they’d like to do, what they want to learn about the country. In Translation Time, journalers have a list of useful words and phrases to know in the language of the country they’re visiting, things such as ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘do you speak English?’ and ‘I don’t understand.’
Once the holiday is underway, the real fun starts with a section about the journey the kids are actually taking – they can talk about where they’re going, how long it will take to get there, how they will get there and there is a dedicated space to attach a travel ticket or stub as a memento. Next up is about where they are staying, whether it’s a hotel or in someone’s house, and there is a space for a picture of the accommodation followed by a whole heap of pages dedicated to writing a daily diary of what they got up to. These are largely unstructured, allowing kids to participate in free writing about whatever they want.
Towards the end of the book are summary pages. ‘So they write about their favourite parts,’ Sarah explains. ‘The funniest moment they had on the trip, people they met, food that they ate and enjoyed, souvenirs they bought.’ There is a section on geography in which kids can talk about where they are in the world, the continent they are on, the city, language and what the weather is like. Kids are encouraged to research the cities and countries around where they are staying and there is a space for them to draw and colour in the nation’s flag. Our favourite section is about landmarks – kids can describe and draw the landmarks they have seen. At the very back is a pull-out map of the world, so they can circle where they were on the map, and some empty pages for a collage of the trip.
My Travel Journal is a fun way to get kids excited about their forthcoming vacation, keep them engaged and creative throughout the trip and makes for a great reminder and keepsake of the holiday.
My Travel Journal is available at Virgin Megastores, Little Thinkers in Al Wahda Mall and online at www.souq.com and www.mumzworld.com.
Other travel fun
Scavenger Hunt For Kids Cards by Universal Games Great for car journeys where kids can look for things out the windows. Dhs25.
Clue Express by Hasbro A mini travel edition of the classic game. Dhs110.
Hangman by Melissa and Doug More fun than pen and paper, this has flippable tiles and a whiteboard and pen. Dhs44.
All games are available from www.amazon.com.
