Coming to Egypt this Saturday?

With a passport, boarding pass and a travel kit in tow, your little one can actually go globe tripping — to as many as four different countries every season. And the good news is that they might just come back knowing everything there is to know about each of those countries. This little journey has been made possible by a Bangalore-based group called Globe Trippers. 

“It’s a two-and-a-half-hour trip on a Saturday, where we take a maximum of 30 children to another country. We rent out spaces like Peek-a-boo or Hop Scotch Activity Centre, and introduce the kids to a variety of activities that is specific to the country they are visiting,” informs Muthamma Nanjappa, who runs Globe Trippers — a travel club — along with her partner Miriam Nammen. After Hrs chatted up with the founder to find out what really happens in those two and a half hours…

The idea
Like most great ideas, this one too began with a small trigger. “Miriam had this interactive globe, which when touched at a particular point will give you information about the place — such as the currency used or the population etc. It was in March last  year, when we thought we must do something to take this experience to the next level. We set about with a logo, and our first such interactive session with kids took place in June last year,” reveals Muthamma.

The preparation
The group tries not to take children in the middle of the season, only to help introduce the child to the idea of travelling around the globe. “So when you’ve enrolled for a season, you will be discovering four countries, as opposed to tagging along with other children who have already been to a few,” explains Muthamma.

What happens there…
Each child gets herself a passport, which she is required to bring along if she wants her boarding pass. She also gets a password, which sort of introduces her to the next destination with the help of a few games.

“This is followed by an interactive session filled with games, art, audio visuals clips from the actual place itself. We even have people from the destination coming over to interact with the children. For instance, our destination last Saturday was Canada, and we had a guest from there, who not only chatted up with the children but also brought along her husband’s ice hockey equipment, which introduced them to a sport from the country too. At one of our sessions, we had someone come over to teach the children belly dancing, which even the boys enjoyed just as much. As for the food, we have the chef at Olive Beach who makes an effort to put together snacks that are from the country that we are visiting. It makes the entire exercise a lot more fun for the kids,” she says.

Fun or education?
Interestingly, this visit proves to interlink fun and learning. “We were not sure if what we are doing would register with the children. So we decided to open the club to children between the ages 6 and 12, as it does require a certain level of maturity to absorb all that they see and experience. We also send out a capsule that lets parents know what their kids have been exposed to during that time. However, we have received great feedback. It is nice when parents tell us which word or culture or practice from which country has stayed on with the child, enough for them to relate to the same when they see it in their lives right here,” says Muthamma.

Stepping it up
This season of globe trotting will see a step up of sorts, wherein the last destination could actually involve real travel. “We have sent out a proposal to the parents of the children who are participating in the current season. Our fourth destination for the season is Thailand and we hope to actually take the children there. Of course we are insisting on having one parent travel along too,” says Muthamma.

Get in touch
The next season for Globe Trippers begins in April with a 5-day back-to-back session, visiting five different countries. “It’s more like a summer travel programme,” says Muthamma. You can get across to Globe Trippers at globetrippers@ymail.com