tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/summer-vacation-39380/articlesSummer vacation – The Conversation2022-07-19T12:24:56Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1864372022-07-19T12:24:56Z2022-07-19T12:24:56Z6 ways to keep kids’ school skills sharp over the summer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474193/original/file-20220714-32176-obmnpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C33%2C7315%2C4869&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Family outings and journal-writing can help keep kids' academic skills sharp during the summer.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/daughter-study-with-the-brother-royalty-free-image/869921970?adppopup=true">franckreporter / Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Worried your kids will forget what they learned in school over the summer? Scholars have been studying the problem for over a century.</p>
<p>When William White, a New York state mathematics professor, set out in the early 1900s to study how much math students remembered over summer vacation, he checked to see how well they would do at the start of school on a test like the one they had taken at the end of the previous school year.</p>
<p>Whereas second graders on average got nine out of 70 questions wrong in June, after the summer break on average they got 25 out of 70 wrong on the same test. But after two weeks of drills, the number of answers the students got wrong dropped to 15.</p>
<p>White’s study – titled “<a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.a0001490416&view=1up&seq=163&skin=2021">Reviews Before and After Vacation</a>” and published in 1906 – concluded that “that which is least vital is first to be lost.”</p>
<p>White’s study is also one of the first to identify what educators today refer to as “<a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1134242.pdf">summer learning loss</a>” – which is the negative effect that a long summer break has on students’ ability to remember facts and skills they had learned the previous school year.</p>
<h2>Effects on student achievement</h2>
<p>Studies of summer loss <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066003227">increased</a> in the 1990s as Congress began to place a bigger emphasis on <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/103/hr1804">holding schools accountable</a> for the achievement of all students.</p>
<p>Over the summer, students typically lose the equivalent of about a month’s worth of learning, mostly in the areas of <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED475391.pdf">math facts and spelling</a>. Research has also found that summer learning loss is more severe among <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED475391.pdf">students with disabilities</a>, English language learners and students living in poverty.</p>
<p>But researchers’ understanding of summer loss is continually evolving. For instance, one study found that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0031721719871560">students who experienced the biggest losses</a> were the ones who had shown the biggest gains just before the test at the end of the school year. This raises questions about whether their gains were true gains or just the result of special preparation for the test.</p>
<h2>A longer school year?</h2>
<p>Some people have argued that summer loss wouldn’t occur if the U.S. had a <a href="https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/some-schools-consider-longer-school-years-for-students">longer school year or year-round school</a>. For instance, they point to countries like China, where the school year is <a href="https://theconversation.com/copying-the-long-chinese-school-day-could-have-unintended-consequences-23398">245 days</a>, as opposed to the traditional 180-day school year in the U.S. China is ranked first in the top 20 nations in terms of student scores in math, science and reading. The U.S. is ranked No. 25 out of 77 countries and is several points behind Australia, Switzerland, Norway and the Czech Republic, which are ranked 21 to 24, respectively.</p>
<p>But shorter school years don’t always result in lower test scores. For instance, students in Ireland outscore American students on math, science and reading <a href="https://factsmaps.com/pisa-2018-worldwide-ranking-average-score-of-mathematics-science-reading/">by an average of 10 points</a>, according to the Program for International Student Assessment, better known as PISA, yet attend school for only <a href="https://www.insider.com/school-days-how-does-the-us-compare-2018-8#in-russia-students-get-out-at-1-or-2-pm-1">167 days</a>, or 13 days fewer than in the U.S.</p>
<h2>How parents and caregivers can limit summer loss</h2>
<p>Some parents take advantage of school-based programs that can help students keep up their academic skills during the summer. But there are still ways that parents and other caregivers can stave off summer loss that do not involve school. Here are six:</p>
<p><strong>1. Model what you want to see:</strong> First and foremost, never forget that you are a role model. Children will do what they see the adults around them do. Summer is the perfect time for you to reduce screen time and increase time reading, writing, taking walks, playing games or having conversations. </p>
<p><strong>2. Visit the library:</strong> Children love independence. One of the best ways to allow children to demonstrate independence is to have them browse the shelves of the local library and select books that they can read independently or for you to read aloud to them. Participate in story hours if your local library offers the activity. Establish a habit of visiting the library on a weekly basis or at least several times a month. These library visits will <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2019.1627968">strengthen a child’s reading skills</a>. </p>
<p><strong>3. Play games during trips:</strong> When traveling by car, bus or train, there are games – both word and number – that you can engage in with your children. For instance, you can play “I Spy with My Little Eye,” estimate the number of fast-food restaurants you’ll pass or even look for all the words that begin with a certain letter. These activities not only keep children engaged but also incrementally <a href="https://www.moto-way.com/2019/09/let-the-kids-make-the-most-of-the-benefits-of-play-even-when-youre-travelling/">sharpen their skills</a> in a wide range of academic areas such as literacy, numeracy and communication.</p>
<p><strong>4. Encourage your children to keep a summer journal:</strong> To get them started, suggest one journal entry of “10 Things I Want to Do Before Summer is Over.” The list can include activities like watching the sunrise, going an entire day without wearing shoes or seeing how far they can spit a watermelon seed. To make the journal more interesting, encourage children to <a href="https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/how-journaling-benefits-your-child.html">fill it with both writing and drawing</a>.</p>
<p><strong>5. Visit landmarks:</strong> Plan visits to acquaint you and your children with local landmarks. Document the visit with a journal entry, drawings or photographs and some research on the history of the site. The excursions can become even more meaningful if you have children do a little research into the landmarks you visit.</p>
<p><strong>6. Plan weekly family picnics:</strong> <a href="https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/the-benefits-of-eating-meals-as-a-family/#:%7E:text=Kids%20and%20teens%20who%20eat,develop%20language%20and%20social%20skills">Vary the meals</a> to include breakfast, lunch, dinner or even dessert. Let your children plan the menu and cook with you, as well as select the site for the picnics. Research has found that involving children in the preparation of meals by doing things such as making grocery lists can help <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-getting-kids-to-make-grocery-lists-and-set-the-table-can-improve-their-vocabulary-and-willingness-to-learn-170851">improve their reading, writing and math skills</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186437/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Suzanne McLeod does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research has shown for more than a century that students fall behind during the summer break. An expert offers six tips on ways to help children keep up their academic skills during the summer.Suzanne McLeod, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Binghamton University, State University of New YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1851922022-06-29T15:27:09Z2022-06-29T15:27:09ZThe St. Lawrence River tourism industry: Caught between fantasy and reality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470051/original/file-20220621-15-cf0hg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C2%2C1000%2C663&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A spectacular sunset, near Rimouski.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When tourists think of Québec, the St. Lawrence River is one of the main things that come to mind, especially the wide, eastern part of the river’s estuary, with its spectacular sunsets that give visitors the feeling they’re on the seaside.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/fleuve-aux-grandes-eaux/dp/2890378667"><em>Le fleuve aux grandes eaux</em> (The river of great waters), Québec filmmaker Frédéric Bach</a> portrays a province divided by the St. Lawrence River into the north and south shores. The river, itself is shown as a highway in the age of schooners and coastal shipping, a playground for boaters and kayakers and a backdrop for visitors to contemplate on an after-dinner stroll in the summer.</p>
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<img alt="Rocks broken up on the edge of a body of water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459373/original/file-20220422-12-y9euyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459373/original/file-20220422-12-y9euyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=211&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459373/original/file-20220422-12-y9euyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=211&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459373/original/file-20220422-12-y9euyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=211&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459373/original/file-20220422-12-y9euyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=265&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459373/original/file-20220422-12-y9euyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=265&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459373/original/file-20220422-12-y9euyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=265&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Panoramic view of Rocky Bay and the islands of the St. Lawrence Estuary in Rivière-au-Tonnerre, on Québec’s North Shore.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>But how did the river develop as a tourist destination? And for whom?</p>
<p>As a professor at Université du Québec à Montréal, where I’m the research chair on the dynamics of tourism and socio-territorial relations, I am interested in the development of tourism trajectories in non-metropolitan communities. This angle led me to work more specifically in eastern Québec.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469058/original/file-20220615-9549-jj1phn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469058/original/file-20220615-9549-jj1phn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469058/original/file-20220615-9549-jj1phn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469058/original/file-20220615-9549-jj1phn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469058/original/file-20220615-9549-jj1phn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469058/original/file-20220615-9549-jj1phn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469058/original/file-20220615-9549-jj1phn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>This article is part of our series, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca-fr/topics/fleuve-saint-laurent-116908">The St. Lawrence River: In depth</a>.
Don’t miss new articles on this mythical river of remarkable beauty. Our experts look at its fauna, flora and history, and the issues it faces. This series is brought to you by <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca-fr">La Conversation</a>.</em></p>
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<h2>From ‘white boats’ to cars: The river remains central</h2>
<p>Touristic ideas about the St. Lawrence River date to the beginning of the cruise industry in the 19th century. A veritable empire of passenger transport was created with the formation of Canada Steamship Lines in 1913, which administered the famous “<a href="http://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/article-701/Cruises_on_the_Saint_Lawrence_River.html">white boats</a>” cruise circuit of steamboats. These boats brought the industrial aristocracy of the time to the eastern part of the province, creating summer hotspots in Cacouna, St-Patrice, Métis-sur-Mer, Murray-Bay (La Malbaie) and Tadoussac.</p>
<p>The democratization of automobile transport at the beginning of the 20th century <a href="https://www.puq.ca/catalogue/livres/echiquier-touristique-quebecois-152.html">changed the hierarchy of tourist destinations</a>, while maintaining the centrality of the St. Lawrence as an attraction. Vacationing gave way to practices associated with tours, which, among other things, would transform the Gaspé Penninsula into a new destination. The visitor travelling by car creates an image of freedom.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A road along the sea" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463400/original/file-20220516-12-q5f0sx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463400/original/file-20220516-12-q5f0sx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463400/original/file-20220516-12-q5f0sx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463400/original/file-20220516-12-q5f0sx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463400/original/file-20220516-12-q5f0sx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463400/original/file-20220516-12-q5f0sx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463400/original/file-20220516-12-q5f0sx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A road along the sea, in the Gaspé Penninsula. The democratization of the car in the 20th century brought about the creation of new circuits around the river.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This new image was also constructed in an institutional manner. The St. Lawrence became associated with ideas that fit the objectives of local elected officials and civil servants, such as economic development, service delivery and leisure activities.</p>
<p>This group had its own ideas about what tourists wanted. Regional tourism associations produced photographic advertising representations of the St. Lawrence. Economic development agencies justified investments in road infrastructures. Cultural organizations played on representations of the St. Lawrence in their programming in order to justify upgrading their facilities to meet the needs of peak season tourist traffic.</p>
<p>A perfect example of this situation is the concerted effort that led to the Québec government’s 2014 <a href="https://www.quebec.ca/gouvernement/ministere/tourisme/publications/strategie-saint-laurent">St. Lawrence Tourism Development Strategy</a>, which explicitly recognized the importance of the St. Lawrence River to Québec’s tourism industry and proposed measures to develop and manage tourism activity around the river.</p>
<p>It this way, the strategy reinforces the value of the St. Lawrence to Québec’s identity, while magnifying it as a <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/16575?lang=en">fantasy destination for tourists</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A sun sets low on the horizon over a body of water." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470052/original/file-20220621-11-zfn7hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470052/original/file-20220621-11-zfn7hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470052/original/file-20220621-11-zfn7hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470052/original/file-20220621-11-zfn7hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470052/original/file-20220621-11-zfn7hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470052/original/file-20220621-11-zfn7hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470052/original/file-20220621-11-zfn7hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sunset, near Rimouski.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<h2>Diverging representations of the same spaces</h2>
<p>However, these conceptions are at odds with other forms of representation and institutionalization of the place. The Québec government’s <a href="https://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/changements/plan_action/stategie-adaptation2013-2020-en.pdf">Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation 2013-2020</a> reveals a very different view of the same place, one that is now shaped by risks and constraints and the need to adapt to climate change. </p>
<p>We were able to observe this in two different case studies. On the one hand, the high tourist value of the coastal space of Notre-Dame-du-Portage (on the south shore of the river) and Tadoussac (on the north shore of the river) pushes people to want to preserve the status quo in the face of risks of erosion and submersion. They want to avoid a decrease in its value <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jtr.2332">in case climate risk clashes with tourists’ ideals</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A whale tail emerges from the sea, next to a boat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459370/original/file-20220422-22-ekk7d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459370/original/file-20220422-22-ekk7d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459370/original/file-20220422-22-ekk7d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459370/original/file-20220422-22-ekk7d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459370/original/file-20220422-22-ekk7d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459370/original/file-20220422-22-ekk7d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459370/original/file-20220422-22-ekk7d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A humpback whale next to a tourist boat, during a whale-watching excursion in Tadoussac.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In this view, short-term land value will remain the priority rather than questioning how the riverside should be used. Concrete protective structures will continue to be favoured to the detriment of approaches aimed at preserving the ecosystem. Walls will remain and grow while coastal ecosystems decline.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in the Magdalen Islands, increasing visits to the historic site La Grave and tourist revenue are being used to <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/17/2410">justify a major investment by the Québec government to refill the beach and limit erosion</a>.</p>
<h2>Tourist perceptions</h2>
<p>Tourists’ perceptions of a place may appear relatively stable in space and time, with the sunsets of the lower St. Lawrence, the whales of Tadoussac and the monoliths of Mingan remaining icons. However, as observed during the pandemic summer of 2020, these notions can also collide like tectonic plates.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman stands among rocks, on a river" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459371/original/file-20220422-23-x18a28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459371/original/file-20220422-23-x18a28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459371/original/file-20220422-23-x18a28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459371/original/file-20220422-23-x18a28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459371/original/file-20220422-23-x18a28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459371/original/file-20220422-23-x18a28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459371/original/file-20220422-23-x18a28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman stands in front of the limestone outcrops on Île de Nue, in the Mingan Archipelago National Park, on the North Shore, in August 2020. Many Quebecers discovered or rediscovered the river during the COVID-19 pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Eastern Québec has seen a strong influx of visitors to its beaches and natural areas. Certain behaviours like <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/gaspe-bans-camping-cars-from-beaches-after-last-years-pandemic-pandemonium">unauthorized camping on beaches</a> made headlines. Yet a finer analysis allowed us to show that tourist mobility, truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has created different, even divergent, ideas and practices among tourists <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/tourisme/3930">in the same places</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463398/original/file-20220516-15-c8b2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463398/original/file-20220516-15-c8b2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463398/original/file-20220516-15-c8b2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463398/original/file-20220516-15-c8b2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463398/original/file-20220516-15-c8b2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463398/original/file-20220516-15-c8b2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463398/original/file-20220516-15-c8b2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Campers at Rocher Percé, in the Gaspé Penninsula. The influx of tourists in the Gaspé Penninsula, in the summer of 2020, created tensions between summer visitors accustomed to southern resorts and those who prefer wild, undeveloped beaches.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Vacationers used to the resorts of New England and the Maritimes, as well as those who frequent the sun destinations in summer, have fallen back on the beaches of eastern Québec, mainly those of the Gaspé Penninsula, as an alternative. These beaches have little or no beach-type activities. The Gaspé beaches are wild and not very developed, a place where residents and visitors meet at random, while walking. The cold temperature of the sea does not encourage swimming, except among the bravest.</p>
<p>So, tourist expectations clashed, a conflict that extended to the physical spaces because the infrastructure could not meet the expectations of all travellers.</p>
<h2>What kind of tourism?</h2>
<p>Including a community in the development of riverside tourism, which is highly seasonal and associated with a mobility of the workforce and businesses, can lead to success. But development is not always viable for the resident population.</p>
<p>This is because tourism creates places that are separated from the social, political or cultural practices of their host environment to meet the needs and fantasies of visitors <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/teoros/4768">who invest in these places</a>.</p>
<p>This trend towards disconnected tourist spaces <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1762115">has long been documented</a>, most notably in the production of consumer space for the purpose of capital accumulation. Tourism becomes a source of enrichment for a minority, sometimes at the expense of the quality of life for the majority of residents.</p>
<p>The mayor of Percé, Cathy Poirier, <a href="https://www.lesoleil.com/2021/03/04/perce-compte-interdire-les-flips-touristiques-sur-son-territoire-528ca7278d71a1fea4753a8906ab6449">has denounced this trend</a>: “We want to see lights on in winter.” In 2021, Percé adopted a law prohibiting the transformation of family homes into seasonal tourist accommodations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Percé Rock and the small town, under the snow" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463401/original/file-20220516-17-9jgy1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463401/original/file-20220516-17-9jgy1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463401/original/file-20220516-17-9jgy1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463401/original/file-20220516-17-9jgy1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463401/original/file-20220516-17-9jgy1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463401/original/file-20220516-17-9jgy1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463401/original/file-20220516-17-9jgy1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The small town of Percé and its rock, in winter. The city has banned the conversion of family homes into seasonal tourist accommodations so that residents can live there year-round.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As residents watch visitors pass through, taking their tourism dollars with them, they are left with the distinct feeling of expropriation. <a href="https://cadrebati.org/Episode-8-La-carte-postale-et-le-territoire-avec-Dominic-Lapointe">Visitors buy postcards</a> but don’t become part of the territory, while seasonal peaks take up space and cause other necessary services to disappear during the winter slumps.</p>
<p>Despite its permanence as a resource and tourist attraction, the St. Lawrence River remains in a dynamic relationship that includes social and environmental tensions. These tensions go beyond tourism and call for the dynamics of the tourist industry to be placed at the heart of reflections about the development and aspirations of riverside communities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185192/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Over the years, Dominic Lapointe has received funding from SSHRC, FRQ-SC, CRDT and UQAM.</span></em></p>The tourist appeal of the St. Lawrence River dates to the 19th century. Residents and summer visitors have rubbed shoulders ever since, but not necessarily shared the same ideas about its attractions.Dominic Lapointe, Professor in the Department of Urban and Tourism Studies, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1857502022-06-26T12:11:54Z2022-06-26T12:11:54ZAir Canada flight reductions: FAQs about the chaos in the airline industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471893/original/file-20220630-26-ydiymv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=25%2C269%2C5583%2C3750&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A passenger looks for his luggage among a pile of unclaimed baggage at Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport in Montreal, on June 29. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>People around the world are anxious to travel again as pandemic restrictions are being lifted. But those planning to jump on a plane for a vacation have been frustrated by chaos in the airline industry. In both North America and Europe, thousands of flights have been cancelled and hundreds of thousands of passengers have had their trips disrupted. </p>
<p>Things will get worse before they get better. Air Canada has announced it will eliminate more than 150 daily flights for July and August. “Regrettably, things are not business as usual in our industry globally, and this is affecting our operations,” Air Canada president Michael Rousseau <a href="https://milled.com/air-canada/a-message-from-air-canadas-president-gQLU1OsSJMb4j5Fl">said in an email to customers when announcing the flight cutbacks</a>. </p>
<p>So why is this happening? Here are answers to some key questions about the current problems with air travel.</p>
<h2>Why are so many flights being cancelled or delayed?</h2>
<p>The principal cause of the disruptions has been a shortage of qualified personnel at airports to handle the recent surge in passenger traffic. </p>
<p>Airlines have been taking advantage of recent demand for air travel by returning aircraft and flight schedules to close to <a href="https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/news/21271750/air-passengers-to-reach-83-of-2019-levels-this-year-iata">80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels</a>, with the resulting volume of flights putting significant stress on the capability of the supporting infrastructure — <a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/06/easyjet-to-scrap-more-summer-flights-from-schiphol-klm-limits-sales/">airports, air traffic control and labour conditions</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470792/original/file-20220624-26-1uu9fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The graph shows a major dip in 2020 and a steady climb since 2021" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470792/original/file-20220624-26-1uu9fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470792/original/file-20220624-26-1uu9fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470792/original/file-20220624-26-1uu9fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470792/original/file-20220624-26-1uu9fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470792/original/file-20220624-26-1uu9fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470792/original/file-20220624-26-1uu9fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470792/original/file-20220624-26-1uu9fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Air travel, as measured by the number of kilometres travelled by paying passengers, has started to rebound as pandemic restrictions have been lifted.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(International Air Transport Association)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Are the problems only happening in certain airports or is this a worldwide issue?</h2>
<p>The congestion phenomenon in the summer 2022 travel season is rapidly spreading across a number of European and North American airports. The reason behind this concentration of congestion is quite simple: these are the air travel markets that have experienced the highest volumes of air travellers in recent months.</p>
<p>The rapid elimination of COVID-19 protocols in these markets since March have generated a significant increase in the demand for air travel, with volumes of passengers that haven’t been seen in more than two years. This increase in volume has been highly evidenced in major airline hub airports such as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/schiphol-airport-amsterdam-photos-security-staff-shortages-europe-flight-2022-6">Amsterdam</a>, <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/airport-chaos-european-travel-runs-into-pandemic-cutbacks-1.5959561">London</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/19/us-travelers-flight-cancellations-chaos">New York</a> and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/video/8905320/frustrations-mount-over-ongoing-delays-at-toronto-pearson-airport">Toronto</a>, where tens of thousands of passengers are processed every day.</p>
<h2>Are all the problems related to the pandemic?</h2>
<p>When the global air travel market collapsed in March 2020 with the introduction of travel restrictions and border closures, the commercial aviation industry took steps to conserve cash and maintain a minimal workforce. </p>
<p>Hundreds of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/02/01/airlines-lost-over-40000-workers-united-airlines-announced-another-14000-jobs-may-be-lost/?sh=6fa3ff1324b3">thousands of aviation workers were laid off or terminated</a>, with years of experience and technical expertise removed from the ranks of the commercial aviation communities. </p>
<p>With the assistance of governments throughout the world, over US$200 billion of financial support was provided by governments to help the commercial aviation industry maintain minimal service and prevent financial collapse. </p>
<p>When demand for air travel returned this March, the hiring frenzy began, but in a very different labour environment. The people who left in 2020 had, for the most part, moved on to other career opportunities and no longer had much interest in returning to an industry characterized by lower compensation and a higher employment risk. So the staff shortages have their genesis in the pandemic, and will continue to impact employment levels as travel returns.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A line of people waiting behind a railing in an airport" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470657/original/file-20220623-56660-dwxs79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470657/original/file-20220623-56660-dwxs79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470657/original/file-20220623-56660-dwxs79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470657/original/file-20220623-56660-dwxs79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470657/original/file-20220623-56660-dwxs79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470657/original/file-20220623-56660-dwxs79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470657/original/file-20220623-56660-dwxs79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Travelers wait in long lines to check in and board flights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, on June 21.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How many more people are travelling these days compared to a year ago – and compared to pre-pandemic levels?</h2>
<p>The International Air Transport Association publishes <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2022-releases/2022-06-09-01/">air travel statistics</a> relating to the volume of air travel throughout various world markets. It has noted that there is a significant difference in the volume of air travel, when compared to both 2021 and pre-pandemic levels. </p>
<p>The air travel market that has demonstrated the highest rebound has been domestic North America — travel for April 2022 has increased more than 280 per cent compared to April 2021 traffic levels, but remains at slightly more than 30 per cent lower than April 2019 levels. </p>
<p>In the Chinese domestic market, continuing pandemic-related travel restrictions and occasional city lockdowns have resulted in <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/air-passenger-monthly-analysis---april-2022/">traffic levels down by close to 80 per cent</a> in April 2022, compared to April 2021 and 2019.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1540670764269023233"}"></div></p>
<h2>What can be done to prevent delays?</h2>
<p>There are a number of perspectives that can be applied to a resolution of the current level of delays.</p>
<p>European authorities have announced <a href="https://nltimes.nl/2022/06/16/schiphol-press-conference-many-flights-will-slashed-limit-passengers-ceo-wont-quit">specific reductions in flights</a>, while the U.S. government is <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/flight-cancellations-surge-buttigieg-demands-airlines-hire-staff-1717188">threatening to impose flight reductions</a> as a means of minimizing flight cancellations. </p>
<p>The Canadian government has facilitated a meeting with the major aviation organizations in Canada to discuss <a href="https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/06/21/transport-minister-airlines-airports-delays/">a concerted and effective resolution </a> and <a href="https://investors.aircanada.com/2022-06-23-Air-Canada-Comments-on-Aviation-Industry-Summit-with-Federal-Transport-Minister">Air Canada announced measures</a> it was intending to implement to ease congestion at both Toronto Pearson and Montreal Trudeau airports. </p>
<p>Canadian government officials have also announced <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/2022/05/25/airport-delays-are-here-to-stay-for-the-long-term-due-to-a-shortage-of-workers-in-airport-security-union-says.html">plans to hire close to 2,000 additional border security and screening personnel</a> to deal with specific congestion issues. Labour groups are not certain that the problems of congestion will be addressed by such actions. </p>
<p>The main issue is the volume of air travellers that are being drawn into the airport environment by the volume of flights operated by the airlines. Airlines have decided to grow their capacity to meet surging air travel demand, but the airport infrastructure is not equipped to handle such volumes. </p>
<p>While such enthusiasm by the airline industry is laudable in times where adequate and experienced staff are available at airports, that is not the case now — and will not be the case for the foreseeable future.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A blurred photo of people walking back and forth in an airport" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470656/original/file-20220623-52339-p46ocy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C10%2C7174%2C4754&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470656/original/file-20220623-52339-p46ocy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470656/original/file-20220623-52339-p46ocy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470656/original/file-20220623-52339-p46ocy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470656/original/file-20220623-52339-p46ocy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470656/original/file-20220623-52339-p46ocy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470656/original/file-20220623-52339-p46ocy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Travellers queue at security at Heathrow Airport in London on June 22. People are likely to face travel disruptions until at least September.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How long will this last?</h2>
<p>The summer travel season is in full flight in the northern hemisphere. Additional airline capacity and greater demand for air service by a travel-starved population will continue through at least September. </p>
<p>Unless actions being contemplated by American, European and Canadian carriers results in a reduction of peak loading of aircraft movements across major airline hubs, in North America and Western Europe primarily, the congestion and delays will continue – and possibly worsen. </p>
<p>Relief will most likely come in the fall, as demand for air travel is reduced with the arrival of the school season. Staffing will also reach required levels by the fall, with the arrival of normal commercial air operating conditions. </p>
<p>Other issues that may reduce demand include <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2022/05/13/airfare-inflation-cool-demand-summer/?sh=42ae089032c3">higher airfares due to inflation and higher oil prices</a>, which may impact the survival of some airlines. </p>
<h2>What advice would you give to air travellers over the next few months?</h2>
<p>Airport authorities have been providing <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/travelling-this-summer-toronto-pearson-and-its-airport-partners-offer-travel-advice-for-passengers-822689624.html">guidance to travellers</a> on how best to prepare themselves for summer travel, including tips on how to avoid delays at security checks.</p>
<p>In this coming summer of disruption, I would recommend travellers embark on their air journey with patience, ensure they are well-rested prior to departing for the airport and remember that airline staff are also experiencing stressful moments during their day. </p>
<p>A smile, a thank you and, above all, a caring attitude for fellow travellers and staff is called for. The air travel experience will get better!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185750/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Gradek does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What’s behind the chaos at airports across Europe and North America? An airline industry expert explains the problems that have resulted in delays and cancelled flights.John Gradek, Faculty Lecturer and Program Co-ordinator, Supply Chain, Logistics and Operations Management, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1620742021-07-05T20:03:19Z2021-07-05T20:03:19ZWhy vacations feel like they’re over before they even start<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408434/original/file-20210625-15-14kihrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=38%2C7%2C5074%2C3395&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People tend to reflexively assume that fun events will go by really quickly.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/dropped-ice-cream-cone-royalty-free-image/1217995927?adppopup=true">Chris Clor/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When a vacation approaches, do you ever get the feeling that it’s almost over before it starts?</p>
<p>If so, you’re not alone. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1247">In studies</a> <a href="https://www.business.rutgers.edu/faculty/gabriela-tonietto">Gabriela Tonietto</a>, <a href="https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/Faculty/FacultyBios/Maglio.aspx">Sam Maglio</a>, <a href="https://eccles.utah.edu/team/eric-vanepps/">Eric VanEpps</a> and I conducted, we found that about half of the people we surveyed indicated that their upcoming weekend trip felt like it would end as soon as it started. </p>
<p>This feeling can have a ripple effect. It can change the way trips are planned – you might, for example, be less likely to schedule extra activities. At the same time, you might be more likely to splurge on an expensive dinner because you want to make the best of the little time you think you have. </p>
<p>Where does this tendency come from? And can it be avoided?</p>
<h2>Not all events are created equal</h2>
<p>When people look forward to something, they usually want it to happen as soon as possible and last as long as possible.</p>
<p>We first explored the effect of this attitude in the context of Thanksgiving. </p>
<p>We chose Thanksgiving because almost everyone in the U.S. celebrates it, but not everyone looks forward to it. Some people love the annual family get-together. Others – whether it’s <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/psychologists-thanksgiving-dinner-stress_n_59ee86b1e4b03535fa937e9c">the stress of cooking</a>, <a href="https://thetakeout.com/survey-americans-hate-doing-dishes-on-thanksgiving-1845653105">the tedium of cleaning</a> or <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/dreading-thanksgiving-with-the-family-follow-this-advice-1542118843">the anxiety of dealing with family drama</a> – dread it.</p>
<p>So on the Monday before Thanksgiving in 2019, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1247">surveyed 510 people online</a> and asked them to tell us whether they were looking forward to the holiday. Then we asked them how far away it seemed, and how long they felt it would last. We had them move a 100-point slider – 0 meaning very short and 100 meaning very long – to a location that reflected their feelings.</p>
<p>As we suspected, the more participants looked forward to their Thanksgiving festivities, the farther away it seemed and shorter it felt. Ironically, longing for something seems to shrink its duration in the mind’s eye.</p>
<h2>Winding the mind’s clock</h2>
<p>Most people believe the idiom “time flies when you’re having fun,” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797609354832">and research</a> has, indeed, shown that when time seems to pass by quickly, people assume the task must have been engaging and enjoyable. </p>
<p>We reasoned that people might be over-applying their assumption about the relationship between time and fun when judging the duration of events yet to happen. </p>
<p>As a result, people tend to reflexively assume that fun events – like vacations – will go by really quickly. Meanwhile, pining for something can make the time leading up to the event seem to drag. The combination of its beginning pushed farther away in their minds – with its end pulled closer – resulted in our participants’ anticipating that something they looked forward would feel as if it had almost no duration at all.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An empty beer bottle on a sandy beach." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408435/original/file-20210625-26-1w5e2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408435/original/file-20210625-26-1w5e2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408435/original/file-20210625-26-1w5e2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408435/original/file-20210625-26-1w5e2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408435/original/file-20210625-26-1w5e2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408435/original/file-20210625-26-1w5e2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408435/original/file-20210625-26-1w5e2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vacations are fleeting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/bottle-on-beach-royalty-free-image/122276040">LSaloni/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1247">In another study</a>, we asked participants to imagine going on a weekend trip that they either expected to be fun or terrible. We then asked them how far away the start and end of this trip felt like using a similar 0 to 100 scale. 46% of participants evaluated the positive weekend as feeling like it had no duration at all: They marked the beginning and the end of the vacation virtually at the same location when using the slider scale.</p>
<h2>Thinking in hours and days</h2>
<p>Our goal was to show how these two judgments of an event – the fact that it simultaneously seems farther away and is assumed to last for less time – can nearly eliminate the event’s duration in the mind’s eye.</p>
<p>We reasoned that if we didn’t explicitly highlight these two separate pieces – and instead directly asked them about the duration of the event – a smaller portion of people would indicate virtually no duration for something they looked forward to.</p>
<p>We tested this theory in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1247">another study</a>, in which we told participants that they would watch two five-minute-long videos back-to-back. We described the second video as either humorous or boring, and then asked them how long they thought each video would feel like it lasted. </p>
<p>We found that the participants predicted that the funny video would still feel shorter and was farther away than the boring one. But we also found that participants believed it would last a bit longer than the responses we received in the earlier studies. </p>
<p>This finding gives us a way to overcome this biased perception: focus on the actual duration. Because in this study, participants directly reported how long the funny video would last – and not the perceived distance of its beginning and its end – they were far less likely to assume it would be over just as it started.</p>
<p>While it sounds trivial and obvious, we often rely on our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucy043">subjective feelings – not objective measures of time</a> – when deciding how long a period of time will feel and how to best use it.</p>
<p>So when looking forward to much-anticipated events like vacations, it’s important to remind yourself just how many days it will last. </p>
<p>You’ll get more out of the experience – and, hopefully, put yourself in a better position to take advantage of the time you do have.</p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162074/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Selin Malkoc does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new study finds that the feeling is pervasive – and can change the way trips are planned and how money is spent.Selin Malkoc, Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1616192021-06-07T12:36:13Z2021-06-07T12:36:13ZI’m fully vaccinated – should I keep wearing a mask for my unvaccinated child?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403838/original/file-20210601-27-6d5aii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4000%2C2664&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Keeping kids safe is complicated and requires care for both physical and mental health.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/little-girl-wearing-a-protective-face-mask-rides-an-news-photo/1226986917">Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Fully vaccinated adults are celebrating <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html">their new freedom</a> and removing their face masks. Yet for parents of children under age 12, the rejoicing might be short-lived. </p>
<p>Since children that age do not yet have access to vaccines, the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/protect-children.html">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says</a> they are better off staying masked when in public and around people they don’t live with. </p>
<p>Now what? Do “good parents” keep their child’s face shield on at playgrounds, barbecues and play dates, teaching health and safety above all? Or do they “let kids be kids” and tell their child it’s OK to take the mask off? What if a child’s circle includes unvaccinated people at high risk of serious disease? With summer fast approaching, parents of youngsters must face these questions head-on.</p>
<p>As a <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/nancy-s-jecker-phd">moral philosopher and bioethicist</a>, I analyze ethical dilemmas, and lately I’ve thought a lot about <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2021-107235">ethical dilemmas raised by the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. I’ve also written about a little-known field – ethics and the family – which asks what parents owe their children, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20014269?seq=1">what children owe their parents</a>, and what <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343485230_What_Do_Husbands_and_Wives_Owe_Each_Other_in_Old_Age">spouses owe each other</a>. There are a few tools in my ethics toolkit that might help with the mask question.</p>
<h2>Protecting safety at all costs</h2>
<p>There’s an ethical view that holds that people are not just driven to do more for their family members, but have a <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/special-obligations/">special moral duty</a> to do more. This special duty arises by virtue of the relationships of love and affection in which families ideally stand. </p>
<p>On some accounts, a special duty might even require doing “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/20.2.145">everything possible</a>” to keep a loved one safe. Reasoning along these lines, one might hold that parents have a duty to lay down the law when it comes to masking.</p>
<p>Yet a potential snag in this line of thinking is that it is at odds with other decisions people make for their children – like routinely letting kids do risky things such as climb trees or ski down slopes. What’s more, keeping children safe is complicated. Presumably, it includes <a href="https://www.aappublications.org/news/2021/03/15/ebhguidance3-15-21">protecting children’s mental health</a> and social development. A masked summer could frustrate such efforts. </p>
<h2>Letting kids be kids</h2>
<p>A different way of thinking is that unmasking is justified to let kids be kids. The Swiss enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau <a href="https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/rousseau-emile-or-education">might have supported this view</a>. He held that childhood is valuable for its own sake, and that the best way to bring up children is to let them develop naturally. </p>
<p>Too often, parents bring to parenting their own “<a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190949075.001.0001">life-stage bias</a>,” which occurs when ethical concerns – such as safety – that are prominent at one life stage are generalized and assumed to be central for all life stages. While children should, of course, be kept safe to prepare them for adulthood, preparing for adulthood should not crowd out all other values, or keep children from the joys of childhood.</p>
<p>The point here is that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/japp.12204">childhood is a one-of-a-kind experience</a>. For example, childhood friendships <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199656066.003.0003">differ from adult ones</a>, and childhood play calls upon a child’s ability to become absorbed in make-believe worlds and entertain radically different worlds. </p>
<p>To the extent that children miss out on healthy childhood experiences, they cannot readily make them up. For example, having more adult friends will not compensate for lacking childhood ones, and playing more as an adult will not replace childhood play. The window closes.</p>
<p>Whether masking interferes a lot or only mildly with childhood fun will depend on a number of factors, such as the child’s age (a 2-year-old may have a harder time than a 10-year-old), activity (wearing a mask while playing dolls may be easier than while playing basketball) and aversion to masking (which may vary based on the child’s personality or whether their friends mask).</p>
<h2>Civic responsibility</h2>
<p>Of course, the other reason for children to mask is that this prevents them from transmitting the coronavirus to others. Especially if a child’s circle includes someone with heightened risk of severe disease and death from the virus, this consideration will be overriding. </p>
<p>For example, if a child’s neighbor is <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html">a 5-year-old with Down syndrome, or their best friend has asthma</a>, or they have a family member who is vaccinated but whose <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/04/covid-19-vaccines-may-protect-many-not-all-people-suppressed-immune-systems">immune system is suppressed by drugs or disease</a>, they should keep their mask on. In these situations, it is important for parents to acknowledge that masking is not what the child wants to do, but that putting others’ health and safety first sometimes matters most.</p>
<h2>Masking in solidarity</h2>
<p>Parents who choose to keep their unvaccinated child masked might ask the child if it would help them if they masked too. Masking with a child conveys appreciation and recognition that, for some kids, keeping a mask on is a big ask. Such a move throws a wrench in parents’ own unmasking celebrations. But parents can celebrate later, after their child gets vaccinated, and when their child can celebrate too. </p>
<p>While these decisions can be tough for parents and kids alike, the good news is that children ages 2 to 11 will probably have <a href="https://www.aappublications.org/news/2021/05/04/pfizer-covid-vaccine-children-050421">access to vaccines in September</a>.</p>
<h2>The upshot</h2>
<p>Parents and caregivers have made so many sacrifices over the course of the pandemic to keep kids safe. Summertime, typically a period of carefree play, promises long-awaited relief. </p>
<p>For some families with small children, the masks are coming off and they’re headed to Disney World, which <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/theme-parks/2021/05/13/disney-mask-requirement-cdc-fully-vaccinated-no-masks-indoors-outdoors/5080931001/">no longer requires masks outdoors</a>. For other families, all their prior efforts might feel wasted if they didn’t go the last mile and wait a bit longer. </p>
<p>Whatever parents decide, they should communicate their message in a way that shows love and support for their child.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161619/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nancy S. Jecker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A moral philosopher and bioethicist offers parents some tips for weighing family masking decisions.Nancy S. Jecker, Professor of Bioethics and Humanities, School of Medicine, University of WashingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1242762019-12-31T13:27:23Z2019-12-31T13:27:23ZHow to avoid the dentist this holiday (and what to do if you need one in an emergency)<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306219/original/file-20191210-95153-19ejhvb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C2%2C995%2C610&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">No-one wants to spoil their holiday with a trip to the dentist.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-trunks-toothache-beach-1410768896?src=fc4a2e52-d367-4f6f-9102-053ab85afb6c-1-13&studio=1">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hooray it’s the holidays! Time to organise the pet sitter, mail and dentist. Wait, what? It might be worth squeezing a trip to the dentist before you go.</p>
<p>One in 12 <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11570540">travel insurance</a> claims are for dental emergencies. And of those emergencies, three out of four treatments could be prevented by making a timely dentist visit. </p>
<p>Here’s how to avoid an emergency dentist visit while on holiday. But life happens, and there are ways to help yourself if you get into trouble. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/prepare-for-a-healthy-holiday-with-this-a-to-e-guide-69552">Prepare for a healthy holiday with this A-to-E guide</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Book that check-up before check-in</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ada.org.au/Dental-Professionals/Policies/National-Oral-Health/2-2-7-Emergency-Overseas-Dental-Treatment/ADAPolicies_2-2-7_EmergencyOverseasDentalTreatment.aspx">Australian Dental Association</a> recommends a check-up at least three months before you travel. If it’s too late for this break, you might want to add a dental visit to your “must do” list before your next trip.</p>
<p>At best, an early check-up will include only a scale and clean. However, if you need major work, such as dental implants and wisdom teeth removed, you will have ample time to complete treatment before you go away. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-often-should-i-get-my-teeth-cleaned-121310">How often should I get my teeth cleaned?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If you have dentures, allow enough time with a dentist or dental prosthetist to organise spare plate(s) in case you lose or break your regular ones while you’re away.</p>
<h2>Avoid surgery just before flying</h2>
<p>A planned dental visit before flying can help avoid complications, particularly related to surgical procedures, such as <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/surgery/removing-wisdom-teeth">removing your wisdom teeth</a>.</p>
<p>It’s generally wise to have your wisdom teeth removed well ahead of travel as you might need a hospital stay. It can also take at least two days for the extraction site to heal well enough to fly. That’s because the dry air and pressure can disturb the blood clot that forms where you’ve had your teeth removed. </p>
<p>Molar teeth (including some wisdom teeth) removed from your top jaw can cause other complications when you fly. If you fly too soon after surgery, changes in air pressure could lead to <a href="http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/handle/2445/117330">complications related to your sinuses</a> that could see you dribbling your food and drink out of your nose. Not only is this annoying and embarrassing, it can be quite painful. You may also need further surgery to fix this. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306221/original/file-20191210-95130-b5lvt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306221/original/file-20191210-95130-b5lvt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306221/original/file-20191210-95130-b5lvt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306221/original/file-20191210-95130-b5lvt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306221/original/file-20191210-95130-b5lvt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306221/original/file-20191210-95130-b5lvt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306221/original/file-20191210-95130-b5lvt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306221/original/file-20191210-95130-b5lvt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It can take at least two days after having your wisdom teeth removed for you to be well enough to fly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-backpacker-woman-toothache-on-isolated-1378816430">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People can also experience toothache when flying, or even diving. That’s because of a condition called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1079210409009159">barodontalgia</a> that’s triggered by changes in air pressure, such as when a plane takes off or lands. Often, this pain is a symptom of a loose or leaking filling, a deep cavity close to the nerve inside the tooth, recent dental treatment or sinusitis. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-are-wisdom-teeth-and-should-i-get-mine-out-100019">Explainer: what are wisdom teeth and should I get mine out?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>If going overseas, have your travel insurance in order</h2>
<p>If you’re going overseas, before leaving the country, <a href="https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/insurance/travel-insurance">make sure</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>you have finished any outstanding dental work, as some travel insurers don’t cover pre-existing conditions</p></li>
<li><p>your travel insurance covers emergency dental care </p></li>
<li><p>you keep your travel insurer’s contact numbers handy (local and international numbers)</p></li>
<li><p>you nominate a friend or family member to contact your insurer on your behalf (just in case you are unable to do so yourself).</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/going-travelling-dont-forget-insurance-and-to-read-the-fine-print-107961">Going travelling? Don't forget insurance (and to read the fine print)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Other tips to avoid an emergency dental visit</h2>
<p>Here are some practical tips to avoid harming your teeth, braces and crowns over summer:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>use scissors, not your teeth, to open packaging</p></li>
<li><p>avoid chewing very hard foods such as ice, popcorn kernels, pork crackling, and crunchy candies. This is particularly important if you have braces, or large fillings or crowns as they can easily come unstuck or fracture </p></li>
<li><p>if you play contact sport, protect your teeth by wearing a custom fitted mouth guard.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306744/original/file-20191213-85367-rogaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306744/original/file-20191213-85367-rogaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306744/original/file-20191213-85367-rogaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306744/original/file-20191213-85367-rogaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306744/original/file-20191213-85367-rogaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306744/original/file-20191213-85367-rogaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306744/original/file-20191213-85367-rogaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306744/original/file-20191213-85367-rogaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Watch how you chew your pork crackling over the holidays if you want to avoid the dentist.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/b0xman/5446437974/in/photolist-9ihqg1-8Zfu4a-e1qquH-bry8JT-66L5HV-8L6Q85-6GDdA-8L3Lat-8L3Lz8-athJYW-8L3Lpz-8L3LgP-8L3LEK-53MqYu-an6nFY-2tmm1t-7vWmwa-6jcFKt-7Up8qd-3beGNZ-SYAnyw-2tqHc1-8mG7g4-7KmBSi-zHJrfW-6hZcxW-2e4NCVj-9PRY6z-Tn5VUK-NpZST-BtSnLo-NpZSH-NaUWve-NpZSz-ssBVfe-8ADkcE-iosrfz-7aNUy8-oiJFRj-E7BAA-6Hfuix-6gnV59-7aSJNu-5o3GKC-7aSJFw-9S5E1T-6HjwyC-6Hfura-7aNUXK-byYJu7">James Box/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>I’m in pain. What do I do?</h2>
<p>Here’s <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/health/services/oral-eye-ear/emergency-dental">what you can do</a> until you get to a dentist, if you:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>have toothache</strong> — if you have spontaneous, radiating pain or a constant dull ache and/or pain and swelling, over-the-counter pain medication may help. But try to find a dentist as soon as reasonably possible</p></li>
<li><p><strong>chip or break a tooth or filling</strong> — avoid running your tongue over the site and try to get to a dentist as soon as possible</p></li>
<li><p><strong><a href="https://www.iadt-dentaltrauma.org/for-patients.html">knock out an adult (not baby) tooth</a></strong> — hold the tooth by the crown (not the root) and rinse with milk if it is dirty, then try to place the tooth back in the socket. If this is not possible, store the tooth in milk or inside your cheek and find a dentist as soon as possible</p></li>
<li><p><strong>have a dislodged crown/cap</strong> — store the crown in a container; a dentist may be able to glue it back on. </p></li>
<li><p><strong><a href="https://www.aaoinfo.org/system/files/media/documents/OrthoEmergency-FLYER-lgl-17-hl.pdf">have problems with your braces</a></strong> — shift loose wire that sticks out to make it more comfortable, then see an orthodontist or dentist as soon as possible</p></li>
<li><p><strong><a href="https://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/893386?path=/bmj/350/8001/Clinical_Review.full.pdf">get an abscess</a></strong> — seek immediate dental care, and if this not possible, find a doctor or seek emergency hospital care. An abscess can become life-threatening very quickly </p></li>
<li><p><strong>suffer trauma to your gums, mouth or face</strong> — apply firm pressure to the bleeding site with a clean bandage and seek dental or medical care</p></li>
<li><p><strong>crack or break your denture</strong> — never try to glue the broken pieces back together, but store the lose parts in a container and seek help from a dental prosthetist or dentist as soon as possible. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>I’m away from home. How do I find a dentist?</h2>
<p>If you are holidaying in Australia, but away from home, ask a local person to recommend a dentist, or if that’s not possible, search online.</p>
<p>Then call. Although most dental practices close over the public holidays, they usually leave a message with contact numbers in case of an after-hours emergency. </p>
<p>If you need after-hours care, be prepared to pay a call-out fee of A$100-500. Often, the call-out fee is used to separate the real emergencies from those that can wait another day before the practice opens. If no help is at hand, the hospital emergency department may be able to help. </p>
<h2>I’m overseas. How can I get help?</h2>
<p>If you have a dental emergency while <a href="https://www.ada.org.au/Dental-Professionals/Policies/National-Oral-Health/2-2-7-Emergency-Overseas-Dental-Treatment/ADAPolicies_2-2-7_EmergencyOverseasDentalTreatment.aspx">overseas</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>contact your travel insurer to understand what documentation is required to make a claim</p></li>
<li><p>contact the Australian embassy, high commission or consulate to help you navigate the health system in the country you’re visiting</p></li>
<li><p>if there is no Australian service, the Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate will help you find a dentist.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Don’t forget</h2>
<p>After emergency treatment, ask for a copy of your treatment notes, images and x-rays to be sent to your regular dentist. This is particularly important if you need follow-up care when you return home. </p>
<p>And in the unlikely event you’ll need some emergency dental work, don’t forget to enjoy the rest of your break. Happy holidays!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124276/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arosha Weerakoon has received funding from Colgate for her research. She is a member of the Australian Dental Association as well as the International Association for Dental Research. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.</span></em></p>Here’s how to avoid a trip to the emergency dentist this holiday.Arosha Weerakoon, Lecturer, General Dentist & PhD Candidate, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1195202019-07-17T11:22:07Z2019-07-17T11:22:07Z5 things parents need to know about ‘summer loss’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283853/original/file-20190712-173351-wozrh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research is mixed about whether children lose learning during summer break.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/school-kids-running-elementary-hallway-back-735954742?src=aBNu-CMYfZ1luvHRUHBeAA-1-3&studio=1">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to news articles about the impact that summer has on student learning, the news is often bad.</p>
<p>For instance, <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2018/08/09/long-summer-holidays-are-bad-for-children-especially-the-poor">The Economist proclaimed</a> in 2018: “Long summer holidays are bad for children, especially the poor.”</p>
<p>This <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2018/08/09/long-summer-holidays-are-bad-for-children-especially-the-poor">headline</a> is fairly typical of how summer loss is portrayed. Summer has come to be seen as a time when children <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/summer-learning-loss-what-is-it-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/">lose</a> <a href="http://www.ldonline.org/article/8057/">as much as a month of school learning</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.summerlearning.org/knowledge-center/sld-2018-snapshot/">Nearly 50,000 media stories </a> on summer learning – such as the one by The Economist – appeared in 2018. The message influences policy as well. Lawmakers introduced <a href="https://www.summerlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/NSLA-2017-State-Policy-Snapshot.pdf">293 state bills</a> related to summer programming in 2017. These bills dealt with summer learning in a number of ways – from a <a href="https://trackbill.com/bill/maine-legislative-document-919-an-act-to-establish-the-summer-success-program-fund/1421548/">vetoed Maine bill</a> that tried to establish a “Summer Success Program Fund” to a <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1808">California bill</a> that enables up to 30% of funds for before and after school programs go to summer learning.</p>
<p>Despite the seeming consensus that children lose learning during the summer, a <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/summer-learning-loss-what-is-it-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/">2017 report from the Brookings Institute</a> showed that the research on summer learning is actually quite mixed. </p>
<p>Another <a href="https://www.nwea.org/blog/2018/summer-learning-loss-what-we-know-what-were-learning/">2018 analysis</a> found evidence of learning loss every summer between second and ninth grade, but findings <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/dmq/files/quinn-black-white-summer-learning-gaps-eepa-2015.pdf">differ vastly</a> from one study to the next.</p>
<p>This has lead some researchers – like <a href="https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=eOtSOlkAAAAJ&hl=fr">me</a> – to <a href="https://www.educationnext.org/is-summer-learning-loss-real-how-i-lost-faith-education-research-results/">question</a> if summer loss even occurs. </p>
<p>Using current, nationally representative data, I attempted to determine how big of an issue is summer learning loss. I focused on elementary school students.</p>
<p>Here’s what I found:</p>
<h2>1. Most kids aren’t affected</h2>
<p>My study using <a href="https://advance.sagepub.com/articles/Summer_Learning_Who_Gains_Who_Slides_and_Does_It_Matter_/8636720">national data</a> suggests that, by and large, the issue of summer learning loss is overblown. Specifically, only 7% of students lose the equivalent of one month of school year learning in reading and 9% in math over the summer between kindergarten and first grade. Over the summer before second grade, this increases to 15% in reading and 18% in math. This suggests that the majority of youngsters don’t experience summer learning loss.</p>
<p>In fact, <a href="https://advance.sagepub.com/articles/Summer_Learning_Who_Gains_Who_Slides_and_Does_It_Matter_/8636720">my research</a> suggests most children gain or maintain their skills over the summer.</p>
<h2>2. Losses aren’t long-term</h2>
<p>I also wanted to know if children who slid over the summer would stay behind during elementary school. <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/ecls/kindergarten2011.asp">Using national data</a>, my findings suggest that summer sliders and gainers are not much different by the end of fourth grade. For instance, the average score for children who gained versus slid over the summer before second grade differed by just 0.04 points for math and 0.12 points for reading two years later.</p>
<h2>3. Strongest students lose the most</h2>
<p>I was also curious to see if it was possible to figure out what kinds of student characteristics and background factors relate to summer learning loss. You might predict – as I did – that children with weaker skills before summer would be more likely to lose over the summer. And you would be wrong – as I was. </p>
<p>It was actually children with higher reading or math scores before the start of summer who were more likely to experience a summer slide.</p>
<h2>4. Summer ‘homework’ not that important</h2>
<p>You also might think that students who do regular math, writing or reading over the summer would hold onto more knowledge over the summer. Overall, this was not the case. For instance, 78% of parents of gainers and 79% of parents of sliders read books to their child regularly; about half do writing activities regularly. </p>
<p>The only exception is that children who read to themselves more frequently were less likely to slide in reading between first and second grade. This is based on <a href="https://advance.sagepub.com/articles/Summer_Learning_Who_Gains_Who_Slides_and_Does_It_Matter_/8636720">my study</a> that shows 71.44% of parents of gainers reported that their child regularly read to themselves, compared to 67.81% of parents of sliders.</p>
<h2>5. Let them play</h2>
<p>All this is not to say that summer vacation doesn’t come with its share of risks to children, because it does. But if I were going to worry about a threat that summer break poses to my child, it wouldn’t be summer loss. I’d be more concerned about the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23782089">research</a> that shows children <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.21613">gain more weight</a> over the summer than they do during the school year.</p>
<p>I have no quarrel with parents or educators who want children to read books or study math over the summer to stay sharp academically. But let’s make sure they get to go outside and play so that they can stay in shape physically as well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119520/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Abel J. Koury does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While many studies and news articles say children lose academically over the summer break, a researcher says the worries are exaggerated.Abel J. Koury, Senior Research Associate, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1135412019-03-20T10:33:53Z2019-03-20T10:33:53Z5 ways summer camp makes a difference – and what to look for in a camp<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264402/original/file-20190318-28479-fxsh7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">More than 14 million kids attend summer camp each year.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/398057353?size=huge_jpg">Rawpixel from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In popular culture, summer camp is often portrayed as a place where pranks are played, romances unfold and underdogs triumph. Classic summer camp movies such as the 1979 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079540/">“Meatballs”</a> or, more recently, the 2012 movie <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1748122/">“Moonrise Kingdom</a>,” are just a couple of examples. Movies aside, summer camp can be a meaningful experience that helps kids learn important life lessons and have fun along the way.</p>
<p>There are countless reasons why American parents spend a collective <a href="https://clients1.ibisworld.com/reports/us/industry/ataglance.aspx?entid=5349">US$3.5 Billion</a> on summer camp each year. Not all summer camp experiences will be great. There may even be some experiences that parents and participants <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/fashion/summer-camp-is-remembered-sometimes-not-so-fondly.html">would rather forget</a>. However, as researchers who focus on youth development and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dan_Richmond2">outdoor activities</a> – and who are doing a study financed by the American Camp Association that looks at <a href="https://www.acacamps.org/resource-library/camping-magazine/acas-youth-impact-study">the impact of camp</a> – we believe that, on balance, summer camp makes a positive difference in children’s lives.</p>
<h2>1. Kids gain independence</h2>
<p>Traditional overnight camps create a “third space” for kids to learn valuable life skills in different ways than they do at home or school. Going to camp offers kids needed time away from family and regular friend groups. These experiences give them <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330447720_Fostering_distinct_and_transferable_learning_via_summer_camp">the space to gain independence</a>. </p>
<p>Qualities to seek in a summer camp include high expectations and opportunities for campers to be responsible and accountable for individual and group tasks. These opportunities can be as simple as pitching in on kitchen duties or as involved as leading the planning of the camp-wide talent show. A quality camp experience is one in which kids gain the confidence that they can take care of themselves and also contribute to something bigger.</p>
<p>In the world of summer camps – much as it is in educational settings that range from child care to college – accreditation is seen as a seal of approval. To see if a camp has accreditation from the American Camp Association, you can check the association’s <a href="http://find.acacamps.org/index.php">database</a>. </p>
<h2>2. Kids develop essential relationship skills</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264406/original/file-20190318-28468-70ff1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264406/original/file-20190318-28468-70ff1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264406/original/file-20190318-28468-70ff1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264406/original/file-20190318-28468-70ff1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264406/original/file-20190318-28468-70ff1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264406/original/file-20190318-28468-70ff1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264406/original/file-20190318-28468-70ff1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264406/original/file-20190318-28468-70ff1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Summer camp offers the chance to learn relationship skills.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/team-summer-camp-591401357">Oksana Shufrych from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A great camp experience involves making new friends, offering kids opportunities to practice the skills needed to build and maintain relationships. For most campers, this social function of camp is central to their experiences, unlike school where academic outcomes drive most of their daily activities. Adults who went to camp often report that camp was critical to developing their <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324668774_Examining_the_Role_of_Summer_Camps_in_Developing_Academic_and_Workplace_Readiness">ability to be open with others</a> and create friendships over a short period.</p>
<p>The social environment at an overnight camp can be intense, as kids can’t escape the daily drama by going home at night. This means that camp counselors encourage kids to deal with conflict rather than avoid it. Great camps have well-trained, caring adults able to guide kids through conflict, providing opportunities to practice communication, empathy and compassion – key components of maintaining positive relationships.</p>
<h2>3. Kids learn to appreciate differences</h2>
<p>As adults, building and maintaining relationships requires the ability to understand and appreciate differences among people. Great camps provide a space where kids can <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225360997_Youth_Development_Outcomes_of_the_Camp_Experience_Evidence_for_Multidimensional_Growth">interact with people from different backgrounds and worldviews</a>. At some camps, this might be interacting with kids of different cultural, religious or racial backgrounds. At others, it might mean making friends with campers and counselors from different parts of the world or being with kids from different economic or family conditions. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264421/original/file-20190318-28487-zvktpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264421/original/file-20190318-28487-zvktpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264421/original/file-20190318-28487-zvktpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264421/original/file-20190318-28487-zvktpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264421/original/file-20190318-28487-zvktpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264421/original/file-20190318-28487-zvktpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264421/original/file-20190318-28487-zvktpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264421/original/file-20190318-28487-zvktpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Summer camp brings together kids from different backgrounds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kids-pulling-large-rope-together-309240356">wavebreakmedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Building awareness of our differences, and learning to be empathetic to challenges that some people with different life experiences face, takes practice. Camps, especially those unaffiliated with a school or specific neighborhood, can bring together all kinds of kids and caring adults, providing an excellent opportunity for young people to see the world differently than how they might at home.</p>
<h2>4. Kids connect with nature</h2>
<p>Summer camps have connected kids to nature for about as long as kids have been going to camp. Around the turn of the 20th century, many camps focused on being a place for kids from the city to experience the wonders of the natural world. Fortunately, great camps continue to connect kids to nature through nature-based programming and simply being outside. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264409/original/file-20190318-28499-1qs79ue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264409/original/file-20190318-28499-1qs79ue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264409/original/file-20190318-28499-1qs79ue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264409/original/file-20190318-28499-1qs79ue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264409/original/file-20190318-28499-1qs79ue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264409/original/file-20190318-28499-1qs79ue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264409/original/file-20190318-28499-1qs79ue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264409/original/file-20190318-28499-1qs79ue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Connecting with nature is a key feature of summer camp.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tourists-camp-rest-enjoy-nature-food-211136374">wassilly-architect from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>Time use trends show us that kids (and adults) are spending more time indoors leading to what Richard Louv has called a “<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/people-in-nature/200901/no-more-nature-deficit-disorder">nature deficit disorder</a>.” Great camps can provide a safe space for kids to be outside and explore the natural world. Former campers often report that camp was the place that <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330447720_Fostering_distinct_and_transferable_learning_via_summer_camp">helped them develop an affinity for nature</a> and outdoor activities more than any other place during their childhood. </p>
<h2>5. Kids get to be kids</h2>
<p>In a highly connected and stressful world, there has been <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200811/the-art-now-six-steps-living-in-the-moment">an increased interest in being more authentically engaged with others and our world</a>. If you are a parent looking to help your kid put down their phone, reduce their screen time, worry less about “likes” on social media and just be a kid, then the old idea of camp seems like a custom-built solution. </p>
<p>Great camps allow kids to play in non-virtual worlds and interact with friends face to face rather than through a device. And most importantly, at camp kids get to be kids – and that might be the most compelling reason why camp still matters.</p>
<h2>Challenges</h2>
<p>Despite the benefits of summer camp, unfortunately, not every family can afford the traditional overnight summer camp. And not every kid or family is ready for such an experience. </p>
<p>Day camps near home can provide similar developmental opportunities, minus the benefits associated with being away for an extended period. The upside is that they are often less expensive and more accessible. </p>
<p>For those kids that are ready for overnight camp but whose parents can’t afford such camps, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330154320_Camp_as_an_Institution_of_Socialization_Past_Present_and_Future">scholarships and camps targeting youth from poor families</a> can help. For instance, there are several prominent programs that provide access to camp experiences for low-income youth. They include the <a href="https://www.c5leaders.org/">C5 Youth Foundation</a> in Boston, Atlanta, Austin, Dallas and Los Angeles; <a href="https://www.sherwoodforeststl.org/">Sherwood Forest</a> in St. Louis; and <a href="https://collegesettlement.org/">College Settlement</a> in Pennsylvania, just to name a few. Yet, there remains a significant “<a href="http://robertdputnam.com/about-our-kids/">opportunity gap</a>” between the rich and poor that needs to be addressed so that more kids can have transformative camp experiences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113541/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel J Richmond is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Utah. His position is funded by the University of Utah with support from the American Camp Association and the Spencer Foundation. He is also affiliated with NOLS, an outdoor leadership school, where he serves as a field instructor.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Warner is a research assistant for the American Camp Association (ACA), is currently working on research funded by the ACA Not-for-Profit Council, and is an active member of ACA.</span></em></p>Summer camps – long the stuff of American lore – can teach kids important life lessons as they have some fun along the way. Two experts on summer camp offer insight into what those lessons are.Dan Richmond, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of UtahRobert Warner, Ph.D. Student and Graduate Research Assistant, University of Utah, University of UtahLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/984462018-06-27T22:16:32Z2018-06-27T22:16:32ZHow to have a successful summer vacation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224983/original/file-20180626-112623-1l3v7sw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Do you sometimes feel you need a vacation from your vacation? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ricardo Gomez Angel/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lots of people will take a vacation this summer, but for many of them, their vacations won’t be the relaxing, recuperative getaways they were hoping for. </p>
<p>Research shows that about <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21678165">40 per cent of people return from their vacations and feel either no better, or even worse, than before they left</a>.</p>
<p>This happens because many of us make mistakes that compromise how enjoyable and satisfying our vacations can be. Below are some simple recommendations that you can implement before, during and after your vacation that will help ensure that your time off this summer is pleasurable, gratifying and fully recharges your batteries.</p>
<h2>Plan ahead</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/16605371211259821">Vacations can be stressful</a>. Minimize your stress by planning out key parts of your vacation before you leave. </p>
<p>Reserve a flight outside of rush hour so you don’t get stuck in traffic. Book your scuba diving adventure a few weeks in advance. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224990/original/file-20180626-112611-139kaz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224990/original/file-20180626-112611-139kaz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224990/original/file-20180626-112611-139kaz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224990/original/file-20180626-112611-139kaz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224990/original/file-20180626-112611-139kaz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224990/original/file-20180626-112611-139kaz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224990/original/file-20180626-112611-139kaz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Coordinate your decision-making and expectations with travel mates before you leave for vacation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Helena Lope/Unsplash</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Before leaving make sure that you and your travel partners are clear on everyone’s vacation priorities and have a general agreement about how you’ll spend your time. </p>
<p>While you are away you don’t want to engage in potentially stressful negotiations about how to fill your days. Even <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21678165">a single negative incident on vacation, like an argument with a spouse, reduces how much your time away improves your health and well-being</a>.</p>
<h2>Put away the electronics</h2>
<p>A necessary ingredient for recharging your batteries on vacation is mentally disengaging from work. It’s not enough to physically leave the office, you have to mentally leave the office. </p>
<p><a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0963721411434979">This is called psychological detachment</a>. If you’re on the beach constantly looking at your phone to see what’s happening back at work, you’re not psychologically detached. If you check your email three times a day, you’re not psychologically detached. </p>
<p>If you don’t psychologically detach you won’t replenish yourself much on your trip. Turn off the electronics and clear your mind. That said, if you get anxious about the mountain of emails that will be waiting for you when you get back to work, you will also have trouble chilling out. So, engage in email triage. </p>
<p>Once every three or four days, check your email and delete anything you can dispense with immediately. Then, reply quickly to anything that can be addressed with a simple, token response, and mark as unread anything that needs some thought and should be tackled when you get back. This cuts the huge mountain of emails down to a small pile, which will put your mind at ease and allow you to unwind.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-importance-of-actually-unplugging-on-national-day-of-unplugging-92983">The importance of actually unplugging on National Day of Unplugging</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Enjoy yourself</h2>
<p>Be a little bit selfish on vacation and ensure that you get to do what floats your boat. Enjoying yourself is a necessary ingredient in making sure your vacation is recuperative. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224985/original/file-20180626-112644-907kkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224985/original/file-20180626-112644-907kkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224985/original/file-20180626-112644-907kkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224985/original/file-20180626-112644-907kkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224985/original/file-20180626-112644-907kkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224985/original/file-20180626-112644-907kkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224985/original/file-20180626-112644-907kkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Make sure to do things you enjoy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jesper Stechmann/Unsplash</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Vacations are supposed to refresh you and alleviate the burnout you suffer at work, and research shows that when you enjoy yourself and are satisfied with your vacation, your level of burnout drops significantly while away, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9378682">but when you are not satisfied, your level of burnout barely changes</a>. </p>
<p>Similarly, whether or not you enjoy your vacation strongly affects <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21678165">how refreshed you feel when it’s over</a>. Take time for yourself and participate in activities you find pleasurable and satisfying. This is your vacation. You’ve earned it.</p>
<h2>Staycations are OK</h2>
<p>Not everyone has the disposable funds for travel vacations. But that’s OK. Staycations can be as effective as exotic getaways if they are done right. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224991/original/file-20180626-112601-145fzrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224991/original/file-20180626-112601-145fzrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224991/original/file-20180626-112601-145fzrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224991/original/file-20180626-112601-145fzrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224991/original/file-20180626-112601-145fzrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224991/original/file-20180626-112601-145fzrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224991/original/file-20180626-112601-145fzrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Staycations can be great. But get out of your routine!</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Morgan/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The main mistake people make during vacations at home is that they stay in their normal routine. They cook, they clean, they watch TV. In short, they don’t “vacate” their normal lives. </p>
<p>If you stay at home on your vacation, shake things up. Visit local tourist attractions. Eat different foods. Take day trips to neighbouring communities. Getting out of your normal routine can make a staycation feel as novel and recuperative as an excursion to a foreign land.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-turn-your-long-weekend-into-a-vacation-93341">How to turn your long weekend into a vacation</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Come home a little early</h2>
<p>We usually come back from our travel vacations on Sunday night so we can return to work Monday morning. We do this because we think that maximizing our vacation time means making the vacation last as long as possible. </p>
<p>But the goal of our vacations shouldn’t be to make them as long as possible but to make them as effective as possible. If you return home Sunday night you’re likely to run around trying to hurriedly unpack, water your plants, do laundry, pick up some groceries, check your phone messages and various other things you need to do to get back into the swing of things. </p>
<p>However, scrambling about is stressful and can quickly undo all the health and well-being gains you made while on vacation. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00222216.2004.11950025">Research shows that people who return from vacations a little bit early report being in a better mood for longer than those who return on a Sunday</a>. </p>
<p>Bookend your vacation with as little stress as possible. Come home early enough to leisurely get back into your normal routine, and ease back into work retaining your vacation benefits for as long as you can.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224993/original/file-20180626-112634-hnxoiy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/224993/original/file-20180626-112634-hnxoiy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224993/original/file-20180626-112634-hnxoiy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224993/original/file-20180626-112634-hnxoiy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224993/original/file-20180626-112634-hnxoiy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224993/original/file-20180626-112634-hnxoiy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/224993/original/file-20180626-112634-hnxoiy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Arrive home with enough time to relax and organize before work on Monday morning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sophia Baboolal/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People often complain that they need a vacation from their vacation. When we return from our time off feeling just as depleted and tired as before we left it is usually because our vacations didn’t allow us to replenish our drained resources, satisfy our needs or adequately disengage from our normal routines. </p>
<p>Implementing a few simple tactics before, during, and after your vacation can ensure that your time off this summer fully recharges your batteries and lets you return to work feeling healthy, happy and productive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/98446/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Gruman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How can you ensure you have a successful summer vacation and don’t return more tired and stressed than when you left? Follow a few simple tips.Jamie Gruman, Professor of Organizational Behaviour, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/889552017-12-26T19:55:38Z2017-12-26T19:55:38ZThat time when science came with me on a tropical holiday<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200047/original/file-20171219-4980-5d0qjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hanging out in Borneo. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mother-baby-child-orangutans-sabah-malaysian-102696650?src=ehzWR3HYthFCwpguVsALow-1-35">from www.shutterstock.com </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Curiosity and awe dwell deep in the heart of most scientists. They are central to the motivation behind scientific thinking, and they have been my faithful and comfortable companions since childhood.</p>
<p>In 2004 my partner and I travelled to the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. At the time I was a postdoc, just a few years out of my PhD. </p>
<p>Sweating it out it in the oppressive tropical heat of Borneo was tough, but worth it for the amazing natural attractions. My time there had an intellectual impact too. It helped crystallise for me the innate nature of scientific thinking, and drew me even closer to one of my great scientific influences: David Attenborough.</p>
<p>It was a holiday when science came along for the ride. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-found-evidence-of-early-humans-in-the-jungles-of-borneo-87336">We found evidence of early humans in the jungles of Borneo</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Unfamiliar and mysterious</h2>
<p>There’s something special about travel – it somehow reinforces that innate scientific drive to understand the world around us. What is it about being in unfamiliar and exotic environments that sharpens the senses, heightens the instinct to want to know how the world works? Maybe that’s why scientific thinking seems to <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/337/6102/1623.long">come so naturally to children</a>. So much of their daily existence is unfamiliar and mysterious.</p>
<p>Immersion in nature is associated with <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051474">increased creativity and problem-solving abilities</a>. And experiencing awe - feeling wonder and insignificance at something so vast it is difficult to comprehend - has been linked with <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/understanding-awe/201704/the-emerging-science-awe-and-its-benefits">enhanced critical and creative thinking</a>. Awe has also been shown to make people more <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27612-seeing-awe-inspiring-natural-sights-makes-you-a-better-person/">considerate and generous, endorse more ethical decisions, and report more prosocial values</a>.</p>
<p>I’ve been lucky to experience many amazing natural wonders. The Great Barrier Reef, Hawaiian volcanoes, alpine glaciers, and ancient forests in New Zealand and North America, harbouring some of the <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/sequoias/quammen-text">largest</a> and <a href="http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/kauri/">oldest</a> living things on the planet.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-too-cheap-to-visit-the-priceless-great-barrier-reef-83717">Is it too cheap to visit the 'priceless' Great Barrier Reef?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Exotic Disneyland</h2>
<p>One place stands out to me as a kind of biological Disneyland: the exotic jungles of Borneo. Home to iconic animals like the orangutan and proboscis monkey, weird and wonderful plants – like the carnivorous <em><a href="https://botany.org/Carnivorous_Plants/Nepenthes.php">Nepenthes</a></em> and the rotten meat-stinking <em><a href="http://www.rafflesiaflower.com/">Rafflesia</a></em> – and a <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-found-evidence-of-early-humans-in-the-jungles-of-borneo-87336">rich human history</a> we are only just starting to understand.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199908/original/file-20171219-27607-1vipb1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199908/original/file-20171219-27607-1vipb1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199908/original/file-20171219-27607-1vipb1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199908/original/file-20171219-27607-1vipb1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199908/original/file-20171219-27607-1vipb1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199908/original/file-20171219-27607-1vipb1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199908/original/file-20171219-27607-1vipb1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Nepenthes - or Pitcher Plant - growing on the slopes of Mt Kinabalu. A diverse range of species of these carnivorous plants are found in the different climatic zones on Kinabalu.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Darren Saunders</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When it comes to experiencing amazement and wonder, it’s hard to beat the pure thrill of encountering an orangutan in the wild. A long, hot, dusty minibus ride through endless palm plantations, noisy speedboat ride and mad scramble up the slippery banks of a crocodile-infested river brought rich reward: an audience with a giant, solitary male. To sit in quiet mutual contemplation within arms reach of this huge but gentle “person of the forest” was something I will never forget.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-discovered-a-new-species-of-orangutan-in-northern-sumatra-86843">How we discovered a new species of orangutan in northern Sumatra</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Orangutans are only found in Borneo and Sumatra, where their lowland forest habitat is being rapidly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/07/bornean-orangutan-declared-critically-endangered-as-forests-shrink">destroyed, degraded and fragmented</a> through illegal logging and burning. One of our closest living relatives was recently declared at “extremely high risk of extinction in the wild” by the <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/17975/0">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a>. As a result, many young orangutans end up in orphanages like the <a href="https://www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk/about-us/sepilok-orangutan-rehabilitation-centre">Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199911/original/file-20171219-27591-1guzq4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199911/original/file-20171219-27591-1guzq4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199911/original/file-20171219-27591-1guzq4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199911/original/file-20171219-27591-1guzq4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199911/original/file-20171219-27591-1guzq4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199911/original/file-20171219-27591-1guzq4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199911/original/file-20171219-27591-1guzq4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A young orangutan at Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Darren Saunders</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Curiosity and unfenced danger</h2>
<p>Apart from being a great place for humans to see orangutans up close, rehabilitation centres are also helping us understand how curiosity contributes to problem solving. A recent study showed that normally solitary, cautious orangutans become more inquisitive if they spend more time with humans as youngsters. And this <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/science/orangutans-intelligence-cognition.html">curiosity increased their cognitive abilities</a>, measured by their ability to open tricky boxes or use tools to access fruit or honey.</p>
<p>The threat to habitat in Borneo is laid bare in the forests along the Kinabatang River, an important corridor for many endangered species. In many places, the forest is reduced to a narrow strip stretching no more than a few hundred metres from the water, hemmed in tightly by palm oil plantations. But even there, it’s possible to see remarkable wildlife up close - sometimes too close.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199913/original/file-20171219-27547-eoaxij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199913/original/file-20171219-27547-eoaxij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199913/original/file-20171219-27547-eoaxij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199913/original/file-20171219-27547-eoaxij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199913/original/file-20171219-27547-eoaxij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199913/original/file-20171219-27547-eoaxij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199913/original/file-20171219-27547-eoaxij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Up close - too close - to a herd of Borneo pygmy elephants.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Darren Saunders</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One very enthusiastic guide, upon seeing the unmistakable fresh tracks of elephants crossing the river, had us jumping out of the boat through overhead-high elephant grass and straight into a clearing. The herd of 20 or so elephants quietly grazing there were suddenly infiltrated by some very excited humans. We made a hasty retreat, and it was sadly unsurprising news to hear a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/world/sydney-vet-gored-to-death-by-pygmy-elephant-20111207-1ojrv.html">young Australian vet was trampled to death</a> by the same herd a couple of years later.</p>
<p>In many ways, travelling in Borneo was reminiscent of childhood holidays in the 1970s and ‘80s. It’s a place of raw enthusiasm and unfenced danger, without safety harnesses or liability waivers. I first came to this realisation while scrambling up the rock faces near the summit of 4095m high <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1012/">Mt Kinabalu</a> in the early morning dark, with lightning cracking in the distance and without safety gear. A visit to the war memorial in Sandakan, where thousands of allied prisoners of war were <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/stolenyears/ww2/japan/sandakan">marched through the jungle to their deaths</a>, put a darker perspective on danger.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199914/original/file-20171219-27585-1njqul8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199914/original/file-20171219-27585-1njqul8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199914/original/file-20171219-27585-1njqul8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199914/original/file-20171219-27585-1njqul8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199914/original/file-20171219-27585-1njqul8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199914/original/file-20171219-27585-1njqul8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199914/original/file-20171219-27585-1njqul8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The stark moonscape of the tropical alpine zone approaching the 4095 m summit of Mt Kinabalu, with lowland forest in the distance below.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Darren Saunders</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-australian-history-boom-has-busted-but-theres-hope-it-may-boom-again-70527">The Australian history boom has busted, but there's hope it may boom again</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Life in the tropics</h2>
<p>Even among all this danger and excitement, the tropics dictate a languid daily rhythm. It’s so hot during the day that even the wildlife keeps a low profile – there’s not much else to do but laze in the shade, reading.</p>
<p>David Attenborough’s autobiography “<a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/life-on-air-9781849900010">Life On Air</a>” was almost the perfect accompaniment for a trip to Borneo. Not only was Attenborough a huge influence on my life, reading his reflections on many of the same places I was visiting was a real thrill, and gave some unexpected historical context. It was sobering to read how much the place had changed from his time there in the 1950s, making some of his earliest TV documentaries.</p>
<p>I’ve become increasingly aware of a shift in my motivation for visiting unique natural wonders like Borneo or the Great Barrier Reef. The adventure and thrill of seeing so many unique creatures up close will always stand out, and they still invoke awe and curiosity. </p>
<p>But I travelled there in the past with no inkling that they might disappear. Now, these great natural wonders are under extreme threat from land clearing, climate change and other threats. There is added urgency and an overwhelming sense of sadness that I need to take my kids to see them before many are fundamentally changed, or disappear altogether.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88955/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Darren Saunders is secretary of Science and Technology Australia.</span></em></p>My holiday to Borneo in 2004 was more than just a chance to see incredible wildlife like orangutans and pygmy elephants. It helped crystallise for me the innate nature of scientific thinking.Darren Saunders, Associate professor, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/787332017-06-16T00:41:10Z2017-06-16T00:41:10ZThe Fresh Air Fund’s complicated racial record<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173654/original/file-20170613-10363-19f1baf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fresh Air host Mark Stucky of Newton, Kansas shook hands with Thomas Flowers from Gulfport, Mississippi, as Doris Zerger Stucky – Mark’s mother – watched in this 1960 photo.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mennonite Library & Archives, Bethel, Kansas</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>New York City’s <a href="http://www.freshair.org/cts2017">Fresh Air Fund</a> has sent city kids, most of them low-income, to suburban and rural neighborhoods for two-week summer vacations for the past 140 years. Originally intended to restore malnourished, sickly and white immigrant children to health, the fund expanded its mission in the 1960s to focus on – as director Frederick Lewis put it in 1969 – “bridge-building and unifying” across racial lines.</p>
<p>While studying the history of the Fresh Air Fund and more than 60 similar programs across North America between 1939 and 1979, I found a significant gap between their racial aims and what the kids who took part experienced. My new book, “<a href="http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100386560">Two Weeks Every Summer</a>,” examines the experiences of African-American and Latino children who traveled in those years from cities like New York, Chicago and Philadelphia throughout the Northeast and Midwest and to points as far West as Hawaii to stay with host families. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173650/original/file-20170613-30097-1lzr9hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173650/original/file-20170613-30097-1lzr9hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173650/original/file-20170613-30097-1lzr9hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173650/original/file-20170613-30097-1lzr9hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173650/original/file-20170613-30097-1lzr9hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173650/original/file-20170613-30097-1lzr9hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=825&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173650/original/file-20170613-30097-1lzr9hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=825&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173650/original/file-20170613-30097-1lzr9hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=825&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two boys from Harlem pitch in at milking time on a Hinesburg, Vermont farm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">New York Public Library, Schomburg Collection</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nearly all these “guests” encountered bigotry or racial naiviete. Since many <a href="http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/top_10_strategies_for_reducing_prejudice">well-intentioned responses</a> to racially charged <a href="https://theconversation.com/uncovering-the-roots-of-racist-ideas-in-america-71467">violence and rhetoric</a> still follow the same assumptions as those of the Fresh Air movement, it’s important to spot the model’s flaws. </p>
<h2>A long history</h2>
<p>Willard Parsons, a Presbyterian minister bent on saving “little tenement prisoners” from the Big Apple’s “squalid homes and sun-baked streets,” founded the Fresh Air Fund in 1877. His interest in immersing city children in the “pastoral peace” found in nature presaged concerns voiced by Richard Louv and others about urban children’s “<a href="http://richardlouv.com/books/last-child/">nature deficit</a>.” </p>
<p>Beginning in the 1950s, as the civil rights movement heated up, the kids taking these trips became more diverse, and more than 80 percent were black or Latino by the late 1970s. Fresh Air programs operated in 20 states by that point, sending children from more than 35 cities on vacation. They had served more than 1.5 million children.</p>
<p>Many hosts relished these intimate, home-based exchanges across racial lines. Arnold Nickel, a pastor and host from Moundridge, Kansas, even claimed in 1961 that bringing urban children into his community did more to quell racial tensions than <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=C2DjEl5MnxQC&pg=PA79">the Freedom Riders</a> – activists who faced violence and intimidation while integrating interstate bus travel in the South. “We work toward creating better relationships and better understandings,” he said.</p>
<p>Some guests had such positive experiences that they eagerly returned when invited. Despite dealing with awkward questions about their home life, they enjoyed the chance to travel, swim in backyard pools and try new foods. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173657/original/file-20170613-30107-5h71zf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173657/original/file-20170613-30107-5h71zf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173657/original/file-20170613-30107-5h71zf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173657/original/file-20170613-30107-5h71zf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173657/original/file-20170613-30107-5h71zf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173657/original/file-20170613-30107-5h71zf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173657/original/file-20170613-30107-5h71zf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173657/original/file-20170613-30107-5h71zf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This map identifies more than 1,100 Fresh Air hosting sites active between 1939 and 1979, drawn from archival sources, newspaper accounts and publicity materials.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map designed by Bill Nelson, based on data compiled by Molly Williams</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Our interviews</h2>
<p>My team interviewed and collected memoirs from nearly 50 former hosts, guests and program administrators who participated in the program in the mid-20th century. Those interviewed represented the major sending communities including New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia and popular hosting sites. Their stories confirmed what we found in thousands of letters and other documents. Nearly all the hosts and administrators we interviewed were white, consistent with the program’s demographics back then. Although we interviewed a few white former guests, most – also reflecting the demographics – were African-American and Latino, and personally recalled instances of racial tension and overt racism.</p>
<p>Throughout this research, the Fresh Air Fund <a href="https://timeline.com/fresh-air-fund-race-3eaa365a741b">denied me access to its records</a>, so I relied instead on thousands of regional newspaper reports, oral histories and other archives. Asked to address the Fund’s racial history, its director declined, saying, “We have never been about race.”</p>
<p>All 15 of the African-American former guests we interviewed remembered their hosts committing some form of racial harassment, expressing prejudice or being naive about bigotry. Most of the former Latino guests had similar experiences, but not the white children – even those with strong ethnic identities. </p>
<p>I frequently give lectures about this research at academic conferences and universities. Interestingly, audience members always tell me that they or people they know who took part in the program as guests in the 1980s or later also encountered overt prejudice and racial naivete.</p>
<h2>Coping mechanisms</h2>
<p>Many kids of color taking part in the Fresh Air programs told their friends who later participated what to expect – and how to deal with racial epithets. For example, Thomas Brock, an African-American man who took part in the program while growing up in Virginia in the 1950s, recalled playing ball with the children in his host family as they called him the “N-word.” </p>
<p>Not only did Chicagoan Janice Batts have to deal with feeling like she was at a “slave auction” when the white Iowan hosts came to pick up the tag-wearing African-American children in the 1960s and 1970s;, her host siblings would ask questions like “Why is your nose so wide? Do you sunburn? Why is your hair curly?”</p>
<p>She experienced severe trauma as well; a host father sexually abused her over the course of two consecutive summers. After a series of <a href="http://www.davidhechler.com/books/the-battle-and-the-backlash/">sexual abuse lawsuits</a> in the early 1980s, the Fresh Air Fund finally began to vet hosts to screen out potential abusers.</p>
<p>Another concern to many of the people who participated in the program as children in my study – a concern that Fresh Air alums who took part in the program more recently have shared with me – was the assumption that, because they were from the city and nonwhite, they were not “equal” to their rural host families.</p>
<p>For example, Cindy Vanderkodde, a Fresh Air guest from New York hosted by a Michigan family in the 1960s, remembers thinking at the time, “Oh wow, this is family, they love me.” But when she moved into the hosting community a dozen years later as a college-educated social worker, things changed. “Once I became an equal … there was just no interest there,” she told me.</p>
<h2>Some progress?</h2>
<p>Fresh Air Fund administrators told me that hosts today rarely disparage the nonwhite children staying in their homes and that more nonwhite hosts take part in the program. Images of white families hosting children of color, however, <a href="http://www.freshair.org/host">dominate its website</a>. More importantly, the model remains unchanged: short-term, one-way exchanges billed as rescuing kids of color from the inferior conditions of their urban life.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173659/original/file-20170613-10363-36zrmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173659/original/file-20170613-10363-36zrmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173659/original/file-20170613-10363-36zrmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173659/original/file-20170613-10363-36zrmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173659/original/file-20170613-10363-36zrmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173659/original/file-20170613-10363-36zrmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173659/original/file-20170613-10363-36zrmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173659/original/file-20170613-10363-36zrmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tennis player Althea Gibson shows two New York City children the first tennis racket she used in 1942, in the summer of 1973. Participation in Fresh Air ventures has declined in recent years, partly due to growing numbers of urban-based alternatives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Associated-Press-Domestic-News-New-York-United-/c9f5615667e5da11af9f0014c2589dfb/11/0">AP Photo</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As psychologist <a href="https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/gordon-w-allport">Gordon Allport</a> articulated in what he called a “<a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Nature_Of_Prejudice.html?id=q2HObxRtdcwC">contact hypothesis</a>” in the 1950s, social scientists have long recognized that short-term contact between disparate groups can actually reinforce stereotypes and prejudices <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00380237.1974.10571409">when participants are not on equal terms</a>. </p>
<p>In 1971, a black nationalist critic of the program, John Powell, called for a <a href="http://raceandreligion.com/JRER/Volume_2_(2011)_files/Shearer%202%207.pdf">complementary “stale-air” program</a> and suggested that Fresh Air ventures be “terminated” because its racially paternalistic assumptions were a recipe for failure. Most of these programs folded because of this kind of criticism, changes in family dynamics with host mothers increasingly working outside the home, and urban alternatives like free day camps. The Fresh Air Fund is by far the largest and most robust of the few remaining.</p>
<p>Despite their good intentions, I don’t believe that one-way, short-term cultural exchanges like the Fresh Air programs can wipe racism off the map – especially given the economic and social gaps between the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35255835">segregated communities</a> in which we live.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78733/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tobin Miller Shearer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many urban children who took part in a program that was supposed to enrich their lives dealt with racism instead. Why can’t this cultural exchange become a two-way street?Tobin Miller Shearer, Director of the African-American Studies Program and Associate Professor of History, University of MontanaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.