Travel often brings to mind images of solo expeditions clouded with good food, serendipitous encounters and late nights that turn into early mornings. For Emma Swinscoe and her team at the The New Voyager, travel is being redefined by finding ways to include kids. In a conversation with Kilometre, Swinscoe relayed her passion for travel and exploration no matter what age you are.
Swinscoe, who believes that children’s curiosity is one of the best leads to discover a new place, creates special maps with comprehensive travel guides and illustrations created by an artist in the city the map features. Designed and written with children in mind, these maps let kids take the lead in deciding on activities suggested on the map.
“It is all about engaging them in a city they are about to discover. We pick places that kids love but where grown ups can also have a great time: a beautiful cafe, an art gallery with lots of space, a yoga studio with mum & kid classes, a carrousel that’s also a piece of art,” said Swinscoe. “If engaged well, kids are way more open and less judgmental than us to what’s around.”
A former foreign correspondent in New York for French Elle, Swinscoe was primarily inspired to start The New Voyager after travelling with her two daughters.
“It is literally by observing them fascinated by maps and wanting their own that the idea came to me,” said Swinscoe.
The New Voyager has so far released guides for Brooklyn, Paris and Los Angeles, all cities where Swinscoe and her family have lived, and the team is currently working on guides for two more cities.
And for the times you want to feel like you’re on holiday but aren’t able to leave home, Swinscoe recommends taking the time on a Saturday morning to stop by your local café for hot drink before meandering over to the local market for fresh produce and flowers. And if all else fails, watching the sunset from your house or even the street will transport you to somewhere else, if even for a few moments.