The unspoiled beauty of Panama

My husband and I decided we needed to flip the script on travel last summer when our daughter told us she wanted to go to Bora Bora for her birthday — she was turning 8. I’m sure when I was her age, I couldn’t point out Bora Bora on a map, let alone think going for my birthday was a reasonable request. But not only can my daughter find the beautiful country on the globe, she believes going there isn’t remotely out of her reach. 

According to social scientist and demographer Mark McCrindle, Generation Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024 and the first to grow up surrounded by technology, are the most “materially endowed generation ever” and “the most technologically savvy.” They have unprecedented access to the internet, which means they have more information about the world at a younger age. They’re curious to visit new places as well as specific hot spots highlighted on YouTube or TikTok. According to Madden Media, now more than ever kids are determining where families take vacations and what they do when they get there.

But we weren’t taking our 8-year-old to Bora Bora for her birthday. She can wait to go like we did — for our honeymoon. As an only child, she already travels in a style that her parents didn’t experience when we were her age. We struggle with the idea that she is growing up expecting travel to be about luxury and comfort, but at the same time, we want a higher quality vacation experience at this stage of our lives.

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