Most of us have taken trips: trips with our friends, trips with our families, trips with our children. If we haven't taken the trip, we've talked about the trip - let's go to Vegas for your 40th, let's meet the Sullivans in Colorado to go skiing, let's get all the cousins together and rent a beach house next year.
More likely than not, we've put off a vacation. We wait until we have more money in the bank, until we finished that big project at work, until the kids are older/out of diapers/in school, until I'm done nursing and pumping. We wait and wait and wait -- and then we don't take that trip.
Right before I got married, I pushed my husband to take a trip to Ireland with our families. His family was going to be there celebrating an uncle's milestone birthday and my extended family was also planning a big trip for an aunt's milestone birthday. It was the trip of a lifetime, in my eyes. A few days with his side, a few days with my side, and a couple of stolen day trips in the middle for just us. It was a dream trip.
From one of my family vacations I have a photo and memory of me walking down an Irish path with my mom's cousins, Joe and Kay. Joe was the lighthouse keeper on the island where my family lives and his wife Kay bakes the scones which are sold in the village's cafe (that is managed by their son and daughter-in-law). Another cousin runs the pub, another runs the life boats, and still another manages the bed and breakfast we were staying in. This picture reminds me why we took the trip - we were putting time with family before everything else.
My friend Paul and his wife are taking a trip to the tropics next month, and we asked how he feels about traveling with a young child (our children are both 5) for such a long fllight (yet another reason we talk ourselves out of taking a trip). Paul's reply made several of us stop and listen: "I don't worry about that stuff anymore. Take the trip. Time spent with your families is a gift you give to each other. If you're always waiting for a better time, it's not going to come...by the time you're ready to go on the trip, your children will not want to hang out with mom and dad...Take the trip." Paul values time spent with his family over everything else and I appreciated being reminded of how important that is.
Why family vacations and travels are important
Lets start by saying most families who've taken family trips and vacations regularly have nothing but a positive overall experience to report. Yes there will always be little details here and there that are tiny negatives, but the experience is usually great. Regardless how short or long, planned family trips serve as the setting for parents and children to share memories that create stronger social bonds within the family. They create lasting stories for your kids to pass down to your future grandkids and so on. During family vacations, you can show your kids other aspects of other people and places they never encounter back home. They'll gain a rich understanding of diversity of the destinations histories and expand there understanding of the world and tolerance of people's differences.
If finances are an issue, try these vacation payment options
Taking a mom plus family trip is mostly never free or cheap enough. Even if it's a road trip within driving distance, you still have to plan the cost of gas and food. If staying somewhere multiple days, you have add the cost of lodging. Paying for all this in one lump sum usually present a financial strain on most families who live paycheck to paycheck so here are two viable options many families have done.
Some moms and dads enter vacation time sharing programs, where you enter into a flexible payment schedule with other participating groups throughout the year. You pay portions of your full vacation cost (including all inclusive) up until right before the trip itself. Once your family or group arrives to the destination, you're required to attend a group meeting with other time-sharing participants to fullfil the vacation requirements. it's an easier way to pay for a family trip without breaking the bank at once.
Another option is to start a responsible and dedicated vacation savings plan. This requires strict planning and dedication on whoever is responsible for finances in your family. The success of this strategy depends on keeping that money separate frpm your other family or personal accounts. This also can't be lumped in with any emergency family funds you might have. Keep them separate. This plan also greatly depend on having a consistent flow of income each month from the family (mainly mom and dad).
Vacations Reduce Stress for the Entire Family
Not many busy families appreciate stress, and for good reason, it simply deteriote the mental health of everyone in the family unit. You can view a great family getaway as welcome escape therapy from the hustles and responsibilites of daiy life. No school or job duties to worry about for that brief moment the family is away. You experience lots of fun and come back mentally and pysically rejuvenated.
According to a U.S. Travel Association poll, up to 75% of kids revealed that their parents took work home with them, and six out of seven said they also took home the work-related stress with it. Taking a family getaway help alleviate those stress your kids might experience. Your family need to stay financially afloat, but by taking planned time-offs, you show them that quality family time away together is priceless.
Your children today will not care how much money you have in the bank, how long the travel was to get there, or what work plans were put off so you could take the trip. They will know you put time with them before everything else - and that is what makes the trips worth taking.
Take the family trip moms and dads.
