I have the kind of job that takes me to all sorts of places around the world every now and then. Obviously my kids would like to come with me. Obviously they can't.
So instead we have an agreement: They get to select one plushie each to come with me, and I take pictures of what they're doing.
So I have pictures of them:
Sitting on front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
Eating tacos at T.J. Birria Y Mas in Houston
At an airport playground in Amsterdam
Enjoying a business class meal onboard Thai Airways
Playing in a tree in a park in Singapore
Getting a hug from our crewing manager at the head office
Watching the screens attentively in the instrument room of a survey ship
On a beach in Galveston, TX
Having a pizza in Doha
Every time I come home, the first thing on the agenda is to see these pictures. My kids'plushies are among the most well traveled plushies in the world.
A thought just occurred to me. If I made "passports" for them, obvously pretend, but with picture and everything, do you think customs and border agents around the world would stamp them for me? EDIT: My kids and I will be making passports for one plushie each. Let's see if they get stamped in Saudi Arabia on my next trip.
Try it? I think you'd need to have a fast explanation (I.e. elevator pitch) because the customs people are usually a little overworked.
Some might refuse, perhaps even all of them. But try it, might even get a taste of group psychology.. if a few agents stamp, will other agents, seeing real stamps, decide more easily to stamp as well?