Trinitonian 16 ONLINE

FAMILY TRAVEL
5
places to show your
children before it’s
too late
Change is the only constant, so said Heraclitus in about 500 BC. He may
have been a grumpy Greek philosopher with a penchant for obscurity,
but we reckon he was onto something, because over the next 2500 years
he’s constantly been proved right. The world is always changing and right
now, war, climate change and the fourth industrial revolution are our two
biggest agents of change. Even if we’re not sure exactly how, we do know
the world is going to look very different in 30 or 60 years’ time.
So, where should you go and what should you show the
kids now, while these places still exist?
By Margot Bertelsmann
Okay, but there must be some places that are not
endangered because of human beings, right? If
you’re contemplating must-see travel without the
“humans suck” aspect, may we put forward, in the
category “impressive old buildings”, the pyramids as
a major contender? There are about 80 in Egypt, but
the most impressive are the three largest and bestpreserved
ones at Giza. They date from about 2600
BC during the Old Kingdom period and were built as
tombs for the pharaohs. They’re also just really cool
to see, and travel packages from South Africa are
affordable and effort-free.
So why the rush?
The pyramids are the only one of the official Seven
Wonders of the World still standing, and erosion
(as well as urban sprawl, pollution and tourism)
spell danger for the pyramids. Go while they’re still
(mostly) intact! While you’re “doing” ruins, Greece is
a hop, skip and a jump away and you can get an
eyeful of the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, and
the ancient city of Olympia, site of the world’s first
Olympic Games. Ruins – the clue’s in the name – are
prone to environmental degradation. You never know
when your last chance to see them will be.
72 | The Trinitonian