“A vacation is what you take – when you can no longer take what you have been taking!” This famous quote by Earl Wilson is truer today than ever before. Throughout all of our efforts to simplify and ‘advance’ our world, we have created a dimension of reality full of stress and anxieties. Our constant connection to work, friends, colleagues, and information leads to overload. Sadly, most people don’t realize just how stressed they are—or how much they need a vacation from life—until they take one.
Far too many of us, in love with the idea of ‘stay-cations,’ are staying home rather than exploring the world with our loved ones in an effort to save money. Let’s be real, vacations are an expensive endeavor, especially when you are trying to accommodate little ones along the way. One week at Disney World can cost an average of twice as much as a monthly house payment. A week at the beach can easily exceed $1,000. How, as a family, can you justify spending that much on a vacation when you’re scrambling to put groceries on the table every month?
Why Family Vacations Are Worth the Investment
The truth is, no matter how high the costs may be, some things in life are simply worth sacrificing for. Family vacations are one of them. Even if you have to save money every week for an entire year to afford a nice getaway with your family, it’s something you should prioritize. Here’s why.
Your family is only little once. There are only a limited number of “firsts” in your children’s lives that you will get to witness. Showing them the vastness of the ocean, taking them on a boat ride, or introducing them to their first-ever camping trip are moments that will make lasting memories and impressions. When you stay home and follow the day-to-day routine, it’s easy to overlook or take for granted the simple blessings in your life. It’s hard to reset from one day to the next. When you go on vacation together as a family, you hit the reset button, allowing you to live life differently. Through this fresh perspective, you can reignite the magic of family and togetherness.
This isn’t to say that the only way to make memories or create special times together is by spending a lot of money on vacation. But let’s be honest. As long as you’re at home, you’re still adhering to a schedule. Your cell phone is still beeping and ringing, your computer calls you, and dinnertime quickly leads to bedtime. When you go on vacation, your brain gets a reset, and you learn to live life with more spontaneity, focusing on fun and enjoyment. Sure, it can be a tad stressful, but waking up to the ocean waves or watching a sunset on a purple mountainside at dusk has a way of relaxing even the most stressed soul. Experiencing these things with your child is, quite frankly, the magic that life is made of.
Additionally, vacationing together as a family creates something to look forward to. Each time you take another vacation—whether near or far—you are recording moments in your family’s book of life. By doing activities you enjoy, you are passing pieces of your soul onto your children. When they look back on these trips, they’ll remember how much you loved the ocean, walking on the sand, or the big shark they caught during the week. They’ll also want to share these traditions with their own families, continuing the cycle of enjoying vacations together.
Yes, it’s expensive. Taking care of a family on the road is not always easy or cheap. Fortunately, many options are available today—from savings plans to hot deals on places to stay—that can make the traditional family vacation affordable for everyone. If you start planning right now, in just a few months or a year, you can have a once-in-a-lifetime experience with your kids while they’re still young, while they still want to be with you, and while they’ll appreciate it.
One simple fact of our existence is that we are human beings, not human doings. When we are at home, stuck in the rut of routines dictated by life, work, and family responsibilities, we forget to just be with our children. We often take advantage of our time together and become so caught up in getting from one day to the next that we don’t take the time to enjoy and feel real gratitude for what we have. Taking a family vacation—regardless of the cost—can help you reconnect with what truly matters in your life. It will remind you how precious time is and what a gift your children are to you. For a short period of time, it will help you slow down enough to ‘smell the roses.’ And, quite frankly, that’s exactly what we all need from time to time. Rest assured, taking a family vacation will not be something you regret once it’s over.
