The Beginnings Of A New Journey

Dear Advisor Partners,

As the father of a high school freshman, graduation week takes on a whole new meaning. It takes me back to my own graduation, high school and university (being the first in my immediate family to attend university was an added bonus), and how special that week is. As a parent though, the conversation is very different, rather than a sense of achievement your child has, you have a sense of urgency, counting the number of summers and holidays left with your child before they head off to graduate studies, and their own life. While my son is an incoming freshman, I essentially have four more summers, four more festive holidays, and 208 more weekends before he heads off on his own road. I remember even now, as if it was yesterday, holding him in one arm, his head in my palm and his body resting on my forearm. I went from massaging his ankles as a baby, to him frankly breaking my ankles in a game of 1-on-1 basketball.

You see these are the memories all of us have as we proudly watch our children reach the lofty aspirations we set for them at an early age. It is in these memories that we realize, that our children actually set goals for themselves even loftier then the ones we set, which explains why our expectations are exceeded so often. The other part as parents that we think about often, is family adventures, creating memories in the time you have left together. Now this is not to say future travels won’t be together, however there is a moment, before children head off to further their studies, where they get one last hurrah. They get the adventure they will use later on to shape their own journeys around the world. It was from this concept, that Precious Journeys® College Edition was born a few years ago.

Just think of all your fellow travelers young and old and ask them where their love of travel began. Almost every answer starts with an experience with their family or friends, doing something they never thought they could or would do, or a memory so powerful that all the years cannot water it down. You see, the College Edition is just that, a collection of programs meant for children heading to adulthood, ready to carve their own path in life, ready to take on the world and inspired to change it. It’s equal parts ultimate adventure, unique experiences, and family memories all blended together in the perfect balance. This could mean hiking in the Sechura Desert in Northern Peru, getting off the beaten track in the salt flats of Botswana, immersing in the graffiti scene in Guatemala, Argentina and Colombia, or hiking through one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world in Australia.

We put together a video of some of these experiences, with more being designed all the time. These journeys don’t have do overs, and neither do you.

To fellow parents – well done, celebrate your hard work in raising such fine leaders.

To the high school graduating class of 2021 and 2022 – we need your help, your ideas, and your leadership. Congratulations on achievement. The journey isn’t over, it’s just beginning.

See our collection of Precious Journeys® College Edition.