The Joy of Family Vacations

Growing up, I lived for our summer road trips as a family. I always found our family vacations magical. We camped in a beautiful place and did things we couldn’t do at home. We had campfires and looked at the stars every night.

When my husband and I started taking similar trips, I fell back in love with them. Our road trips felt like vacations from the real world. When we had our sons, I was beyond excited to introduce the family vacation experience to them.

I quickly understood the reality of being a parent on a family vacation. I also started calling them family trips instead of vacations. Yes, I still love and relish our yearly trips. But, they are not vacations for the parents. They can easily be more stressful than being at home.

The lead up can be enough to drive a parent to the loony bin. As soon as your kids know you’re preparing for a trip, they incessantly ask questions and act like they’re on a sugar high. You have to overpack or plan ways to wash clothes because you never know what will happen with your kids’ clothes on a daily basis.

Once you’re on the trip, any semblance of a routine is gone. Naps are non-existent. Bedtimes are fluid. Meal times can be random, so you fill your bag and car with every single snack you can think of.

And I wouldn’t give up our family trips for anything.

Yes, they can be stressful, but there is something infinitely magical about spending time as a family completely out of our normal routine. We spend the entire day together, for multiple days in a row. We’re able to connect on a deeper level and have the best conversations with our sons.

Looking back at our family trips growing up, I’m filled with nostalgia. I hope that someday my sons experience the same.

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