Finding the right trip for YOU
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We all have grand ideas in our minds of what “vacation” should be. We think it should be memorable, we think it should be fun, we think it should be rejuvenating, and often we think it should look like everyone else's. What we really need to ask ourselves is, “what trip do *I* NEED right now?”
Travel is dependent on your stage of life. It can be hard for us in general to sit back and realize that sometimes we are not at the stage in life that we need to be to do certain things. For example, if you want to go on a relaxing beach vacation, sit out and read all day and have little drinks with umbrellas in them but you have 4 kids under 4, that is just not your family vacation reality right now. You need to hear this.
That.
Is.
Ok.
You will get to the drinks with little umbrellas stage of life, really.
Think about what you really need when you’re planning a trip. Do you need to make sure everyone gets their nap? Do you need to make sure the older kids are occupied but also doing something the younger kids can participate in? Are you in need of time away from cell phone reception? Or maybe immersed in a different culture completely. You might think that you need to go on some fancy trip but maybe you just need to go somewhere that you can sit by a pool and take the kids out for pizza.
Here are a few things to take into account when planning a trip (these are also things I will ask you during your free 20 minute consultation)
Who is going and what are their needs and limitations? Before you even think about where you’re going, think about *who* is going. Are you taking a grandparent who has some mobility issues? Are you taking a toddler who likes to dash off all the time? Are you taking sullen teenagers who think you’re dreadfully uncool and would rather be with their friends? It’s so important to take the group into account before you even decide where to go.
What are our options? Now that you know who is going and what their limitations are, you’re ready to start coming up with locations. You now need to think, are we willing to fly? Do we want to drive? How far are we willing to go?
Now we get into the meat of the conversation. What do you want to do? Do you want this trip to be packed solid, or are you in a sit-on-a-beach place right now? You might think you want to have a packed itinerary and go-go-go, but then realize that it might be time to have a sit-and-do-nothing vacation. Or you might think that with your crew an active vacation is out of the question, but you really want one. Together we get down to what you REALLY want and really NEED.
We are all bombarded on social media with everyone's highlight reel. Everyone else is on trips that seem like what you SHOULD do, but maybe they aren’t what you NEED. This is where things can go off the rails. Focus on what will be possible, and then on what will bring you and your family the most joy. The real purpose of a trip is to create memories, after all.