Summer travel can come in various forms—going to see relatives and friends or going somewhere new; flying or taking road trips; just for the day or for a couple of weeks. Whether your summer travel plans include going internationally or going only as far as the market, travel is yet another opportunity to talk about faith. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the way, when you lie down and when you get up.” Talking about faith is the “how” God lays out for us in learning to love Him with our whole heart, soul and strength.

So, we should probably get talking…

• Suitcases-Packing is a necessary part of any travel. Some welcome the challenge to fit everything in a small space and others dread getting organized before they go. As you pack, talk about the things we take on trips and the things we take with us everyday (even if we don’t carry them in suitcases or duffle bags). What is important to carry with us wherever we go? Why? Talk about how God promises to go with us wherever we go and why that’s important.
• Quality Time­-A big part of vacation and travel with your family is quality time together. Whatever that looks like for your family, it’s important to make sure this is built in to your travels. A great way to have quality time is to ask each family member to share their high and low of the day before bed at night. It gives you a glimpse into what excites, frustrates, saddens, and gives joy to your family members. It also gives you a great jumping off point for prayers of praise for the highs and asking God to intervene in the challenges of the lows. (And this is one that easily transfers back home when you’re not traveling!)
• Rest-God created a whole day every week for us to rest. He actually designed it so that 1/7 of our time is spent resting. We are so bad at this. But we have the opportunity to rest when we’re traveling. Build in some down-time to your traveling and be sure to talk to your kids about the gift of rest that God gave us. When we rest each night, our bodies grow, and the same is true when we rest our minds as we travel.
• Travel Games-Ever played travel bingo? You keep your eyes open for certain things to cross off in hopes of getting a whole row of items. No bingo board would be complete without a “free” space. Even if you don’t play travel bingo, it is common to take note of things and people and places you see as you travel. Use this time to point out things you want your children to watch for. Point out examples of the fruits of the Spirit that you see as you go—love, joy, peace, patience (a travel time challenge), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How can we show this fruit while we travel?

Just because you’re on vacation from your daily life, doesn’t mean you need to take a vacation from talking about faith. God is still at work when you’re on vacation and He still wants your hearts.