Khaberni - American child Wilder McGraw, who is seven years old, has become the youngest child ever to visit all seven continents, including Antarctica, in a journey that has spanned his life from birth to the present day.
Wilder, the son of travel writer Jordy Lip-McGraw and her husband Ross, started his global adventures at just eight weeks old when the family traveled to Portugal in August 2018. This was followed by visits to the Caribbean islands, Canada, and Mexico, before their travels were temporarily halted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the New York Post.
After travel resumed, the family continued their tours around the world, including stops in Nevis in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Dubai, and a safari in Zambia, as well as several European countries such as France, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, and Scotland, reaching the Galapagos Islands before Wilder turned five.
Last summer, the child completed his continental tour with visits to Amsterdam, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, completing the sixth continent. In November last year, the family flew to Antarctica aboard the ship Resolution operated by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic, making it the final continent on his extraordinary journey.
Lip-McGraw, who visited Antartica seven years ago while pregnant with Wilder, said, "Returning here with my child felt as if we were closing a circle we began without realizing it."
During the journey in Antarctica, Wilder participated in hands-on educational activities with a resident researcher on board the ship, while he also formed a friendship with the only other child on the trip, an eight-year-old girl.
Despite how enchanting the trips appear on social media, Lip-McGraw emphasizes that traveling with a young child requires great patience, noting that Wilder sometimes faced bouts of seasickness and sleep delays, and logistical challenges, but she believes the experience taught him curiosity, patience, and flexibility from a young age.
Psychological experts mention that young children benefit from travel even if they do not retain specific memories of the trips, as early experiences shape brain structure, emotional regulation capabilities, and social attachment, provided the travel is suitable for the child’s development.
Despite the criticisms faced by families traveling with young children, Lip-McGraw believes that early travel expands a child's horizons and instills confidence that the world is open for exploration.
She adds, "Children do not need a complete understanding of every place to be shaped by it; exposure to experiences is sufficient for learning patience and curiosity."
Wilder, who is now academically engaged with his life experience, reflects the impact of travel on his self-confidence and passion for the world, affirming that his journey around the world was not just an adventure, but an investment in his character from a young age.
