5 Ways to Travel with Grandkids and Plant Seeds of Faith Along the Way

Nature is inherently awe-inspiring, because every part of creation reveals something about God, the Creator. When you take your grandkids on trips to natural settings, they’ll naturally be inspired to talk with you about the God who designed it so well. So, plan to travel to natural places with your grandchildren as often as possible.

You can take day trips together to local or state parks in your area, or longer trips to national parks and other natural destinations, like mountains or a beach. These experiences will give you many opportunities to discuss God’s power, creativity, and faithfulness as you discover evidence of God’s wonderful work outdoors.

You can stand with your grandkids at the rim of the Grand Canyon and reflect on how rocks point to God’s incredible strength. As Psalm 18:1-2 points out: “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

You can walk with your grandchildren through the redwood and sequoia tree forests of California – or among any trees that are massively tall and wide – and talk about how you each can be like trees by rooting yourselves in your relationships with God and trusting him to help you grow. Psalm 52:8 says: “But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever.”

You and your grandkids can travel one clear night to a place that’s far enough away from city lights to see a lot of stars. While you’re there, you can talk about Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Encourage your grandchildren to use all their senses – seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and even tasting – when you’re exploring a natural place together. Doing so can strengthen their connection to creation and to its Creator. During these nature adventures, schedule some quiet time together to relax and reflect on what you are experiencing and what that’s teaching you about God.

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History is the story of how God has worked in people’s lives throughout time. Traveling to historical sites can help your grandkids understand the past, appreciate the present, and get excited about how God will work in the future. Deuteronomy 4:9 mentions the importance of paying attention to history and learning from it: “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

Show your grandchildren that you value lifelong learning, and tell them that you want them to do so too. Consider visiting places that help you immerse yourselves completely in an historical environment, like Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, where you can step back in time to 18th-century America and interact with interpreters in the historic buildings; you could even ask them about their faith and how they expressed it during their time in history.

You can visit many places that help you all explore together how biblical values influenced history, such as sites related to the birth of the United States (Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the Freedom Trail in Boston, Massachusetts,) or important historical movements (the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, New York; the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta, Georgia). You can also visit places where God inspired people to invent something new or explore creation in new ways (Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey; Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas.)

If you can travel internationally together, you can choose from all sorts of worldwide historical sites to visit – including places where you and your grandchildren can see where your ancestors lived in other countries long ago. Encourage your grandkids to ask questions, imagine themselves in the past, and consider how they can apply what they’ve learned to their lives right now.

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Traveling specifically to serve people in need together is a powerful way to teach your grandkids about the compassion God calls them to have as they live out their faith. Philippians 2:4 encourages: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” You can take a mission trip organized by your church or a Christian charity, either to another country, or to somewhere closer to home; there are people all over who need what you and your grandchildren can contribute.

Think and pray about what interests and talents you all have, and ask God to show you how you can best connect those with an opportunity to serve somewhere together. There are countless possible opportunities.

You can spend a week volunteering with your grandkids at a local food bank in your community. You can join a disaster relief effort with an organization like the Salvation Army to help people who have gone through a crisis like a hurricane or a wildfire. You can help build homes for people in need together at a Habitat for Humanity site. Or you can travel to another country or state on a mission trip to help install a well for fresh water, deliver medical supplies, teach Bible school to children, and much more.

As you serve people in need together, talk about the importance of using our God-given talents and resources to bless others, just as Jesus served humanity. Point out how love is more than a feeling; it’s an action that God wants you all to regularly take by serving other people he created and loves.

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Traveling to places with different cultures expands your grandchildren’s perspectives so they can appreciate God’s global family – which they are a part of. Acts 17:26 says: “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” So, visit as many diverse cultural places as you can together.

In your own community, you can eat at different ethnic restaurants and talk about God’s work in each culture as you enjoy the meal. You can also enjoy cultural festivals in your area and visit cultural museums in your state to learn about the traditions of various cultures. You can visit places throughout the United States that feature interesting cultural environments, such as New York City, New York (which has different neighborhoods that reflect different cultures) and New Orleans, Louisiana (where various cultures blend together). During your trips, talk about God’s wonderful creative work making such diverse people.

If you can travel internationally, enjoy participating in worship services around the world together and discuss how your Christian brothers and sisters in each place express their faith. These experiences can lead to conversations about how God delights in diversity and how God calls us to love all people – even those who seem very different from us. Teach your grandchildren that our differences are part of God’s beautiful design, and encourage them to be curious, respectful, and open-minded, so they can learn all that God wants them to from meeting God’s global family members with you.

If you’re able to travel with your grandkids, use those opportunities to invest in their spiritual growth. Give them experiences they couldn’t get at home that teach them about God and help them encounter God’s presence in new and exciting ways. The seeds of faith you plant on trips where you share your faith with your grandchildren can grow in wonderful ways that lead them to closer relationships with Jesus!

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