Vacation: noun va·ca·tion : a respite or a time of respite from something
It may seem like I have the whole “travel with kids” thing figured out, but in actuality, it’s taken me a while to get to this place.
🥰Let’s take it way back to the mid-80s.
🏕️My family had a little camping spot in Ossipee, New Hampshire, where we’d sleep in tents, surrounded by the sounds of nature. As we got older, tent camping became a thing of the past, and we graduated to a small trailer.
Now, this trailer was an oldie but a goodie: one bed, a couch, and the promise of adventure. Each day for 30 days, my mother would transform that couch into a bed at night and back into a couch each morning.
Thirty days was her limit. Eventually, the routine became too daunting, and my parents made a proposal.
They sat us down and said, “We have a little bit of money from Nana’s passing. We can either buy a new, bigger trailer to use all year long or go on a vacation to Disney.” My sibling and I looked at each other and, without hesitation, said, “TRAILER!”
📼So, we got the newest and best camper—a true 80s marvel, complete with three bunks, a queen bed, an actual couch and table, and the pièce de résistance: a surround-sound cassette and radio player. The 80s were truly something!
Now, you might be thinking, who the heck would pass up a trip to Disney for a trailer? But you see, we loved camping. Late nights by the fire, bike rides with friends and family, and the ability to leave the city behind every summer to just be kids—it was a dream come true.
During those summers, we swam from sunup to sundown, rode our bikes and scooters, and played in the woods until we were called back for dinner. The memories of those slow summers are what I hold on to the most.
I remember darting across Route 16 with my grandparents to pick blueberries.
🫐 🥞The next morning, my grandfather would use those blueberries to make the most delicious, perfectly circular “silver dollar” blueberry pancakes. They were so sweet, not just because of the blueberries but because of the thrill of gathering them.
I can’t even imagine letting my kids run across a two-lane highway today, but the 80s were a different time.
🌊During those summers, my mother would take us on a ride to Wells Beach, Maine, for some ocean time, and mainly for her to hang with her girlfriends in the sun. We’d pack the car with coolers, towels, toys, and everything else we could think of and drive down Route 109 through the valleys and hills. I’ll never look at a double chocolate muffin the same way again after one particularly doom-filled ride. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, we had to buy a new T-shirt for me that day.
Beach Fridays were the absolute best. It’s where my love of the ocean began, where I learned to savor ice-cold peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and where I tasted the most incredible salad-filled pita pocket. What crisp lettuce can do for you on a hot day is amazing! I also learned how to properly tan and people-watch—did you know it’s an art form? It’s true. Most importantly, I learned that you should never turn your back on the ocean because you must always know when a wave is coming.
🚲I would take mini trips to Florida to visit my grandparents during school vacations for several years. Each trip allowed for one big adventure—think Disney, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens—but the rest of the time was just me and my grandparents, living it up in Lakeland. I cherished those slow days when we’d bike around the grounds, and my grandfather and I would pick grapefruits from the trees nearby, which he would hand-juice into the most refreshing drink. We’d play cards, tell stories, and I’d ask a million questions. I was always curious about their lives—before kids, during the war, all of it—and thankfully, my grandparents loved to share their stories.
I adored my vacations alone with them. It’s where I learned how to properly hang laundry outside in the sun. I also learned that if an alligator is chasing you, you must zigzag to escape (whether it’s true or not, my grandmother said it, so it must be!).
But most of all, I learned that there’s a time for doing things and a time for rest. No matter your age, you must rest.
🤳Fast forward a few years, and suddenly, we’re in the world of social media, Pinterest, and influencers, where everyone seems to be trying to keep up. In the beginning, I felt the pressure too. I was a little jealous of all these people going on grand trips, showing their kids the world. I thought, "What am I doing wrong that we aren’t in Paris or staying at the finest resorts?"
As we started traveling more with the kids, I realized that I don’t enjoy resorts or hotels.
💆♀️I need room to breathe, my kids in a different room from me, and space and time to rest.
We initially planned trips packed with activities, eager to see everything in the area. But soon, we realized that we desperately needed another vacation by the time we got home. This isn’t how it should be. We should feel relaxed and refreshed.
So, we decided that when we travel, we’d have moments of adventure but also allow ourselves downtime to just be.
The kids loved this idea. At first, I wondered, “Am I doing this right? How will they have any memories if we don’t go to the biggest attractions or the most sought-after places?” But those doubts were silenced when I saw how my boys were collecting memories all along.
🤔How do I know this? Clark wrote about the delicious and super sticky beignets from New Orleans in a poem for school. Lennon still talks about how a marshmallow he threw into the river in Louisiana stuck to an alligator’s head. They remember Driftwood Beach and the incredible miles of driftwood in Georgia, and the best frozen non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris from the boathouse in Cape Coral. They recall lounging around watching America Says with their great-grandmother in Naples and how they took her for ice cream and a ride on a gigantic Ferris wheel in Texas.
In the end, it’s not about how many landmarks we check off or how far we travel. It’s about those small, quiet moments—the ones where we’re truly present—that make the best memories. And that’s something I’ll carry with me, wherever we go next.
This is why I absolutely love the work I’m doing now. I’m passionate about showcasing Airbnbs that are family-owned and lovingly cared for.
📲I love sharing with other parents—especially moms—places that allow you to explore new destinations while also finding time to truly relax. I knew I had to share this way of traveling when, one day around 2 p.m. while staying at the Polmelo House in Cape Coral, Florida, the kids retreated to their bedroom—one playing with Legos, the other chatting with a friend on the phone—while John and I hung out by the pool. It was literally the best afternoon. We looked at each other and thought, These are the good old days. These are the days when we know we’ve taught our kids how to truly relax and enjoy a vacation.
🤗This is the kind of experience I want to help other families find—a balance of adventure and rest, where memories are made not just by what you see, but by how you feel when you’re there.
コメント