Kids can have a hard time understanding what happens when loved ones travel. Where are they? When will they be back? How do I cope with missing them? We were impressed with the way one of our Mommy Blogger friends, Jeanna from the blog www.mommasbacon.com, handled the topic. She sent her daughter’s stuffed animal on a trip to Japan. Yes, she sent a stuffed animal to Japan! Read on to find out more. 

Travel Tour in Japan for Stuffed Animals and Little Passports

by: Blogger, Momma’s Bacon (and Little Passports Enthusiast!)

Even with a Stay at Home Dad, my oldest daughter, Brooke, has known a lot of goodbyes in her short preschooler life. In her first two years, I traveled extensively for work. We also live far from immediate family. I want to broaden her horizons globally, and my hope is for her to one day have the ability to travel around the world as she chooses. For now, she is beginning to understand global exploration through the travel of others.

Using Little Passports’ Japan kit to help us follow Zombie Monkey’s travels!

Companies like Little Passports and Unagi travel have helped me educate my daughter in the comfort (*ahem* cost-effectiveness) of my own home. We recently had a fantastic experience saying goodbye to one of her beloved stuffed animals, Zombie Monkey, whom she bought right here in Austin as a child. She sent him off to a special vacation in Japan.  Yes, you read that right!  Our stuffed animal, Zombie Monkey, went to Tokyo without us – on purpose. Yes, there’s a company in Tokyo that will accept your stuffed animal via mail, show them the town, document the fun, and then ship them home.

Visit my blog to read my complete review of the Unagi Travel experience, and how we used Little Passports to help us follow the journey!

Zombie Monkey sees the sights of Tokyo! 

Tips from mommasbacon.com on how to help your child cope with loved ones traveling!

•  Learn more about the country your friend is exploring! Brooke and I dined on items like miso soup, green tea and sushi during Zombie Monkey’s Tokyo tour. I also used Little Passports materials to talk about Japan, including interesting facts about daily life in Tokyo.

• Teach your child about the emotional side to missing a friend. Zombie Monkey’s trip was a great opportunity to teach that travel is an adventure worth celebrating! We had a Going Away and a Welcome Back party for Brooke’s toy, and enjoyed a daily Japanese treat to honor our missed friend.

• Stay Connected! We live in the technology age and it is easier than ever to stay in touch even across the world! We would sometimes see pictures of Zombie Monkey in real time through Unagi Travel’s Facebook page picture updates.

•  Keep it going! Zombie Monkey has been home for some time, and while the level of excitement about his trip has died down, our discussions about Japan have not. Brooke still talks about the time difference and all of Zombie Monkey’s adventures.

About Momma’s Bacon: Austinite, Analyst during the work week, Mother full-time of two girls, Occasional Blogger who writes at www.mommasbacon.com.