In this site, I document the travel experiences I gained as the Margaret May Blackwell travel fellowship recipient and what I learned about how transitions are managed in the four countries I visited— Australia, Japan, Singapore and Canada. Inspired by Hartley et al.'s (2012) book "Crossing the Border", I adopt the analogy of transborder travel to describe some of the challenges and experiences that children may have when crossing the border from early childhood to school in New Zealand. 

Travelling alone—Fear, stress and feelings of being an outsider that may be encountered while travelling alone can be compared to the feelings a child might experience when starting school on the first day, and yet children often find themselves making the journey from early childhood to school alone.

Culture shock—just as I felt a degree of culture shock while navigating a new country with its particular culture and customs, children may experience feelings of anxiety, uncertainty or confusion as they they make the journey from early childhood education to school.

Priority boarding— while some receive priority boarding and preferential treatment as they board their transport and travel, educational inequities are created based on birthdate alone.

I also list some useful documents and resources that support transitions to school just like a traveller's guidebook supports a traveller.