There's Still Time to Get Away
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My daughter in Tokyo, Japan
Over the years we’ve been blessed to travel as a family. Our daughter has been to Tokyo, celebrated her 6th birthday in Singapore, been to the Ronald Reagan Museum in Simi Valley, California, skied in Colorado and Utah, and traveled to Michigan seeing family and throughout Florida. I’m so grateful she’s had these amazing experiences to expand her mindset – plus not to mention my own. Travel is one of the biggest ways to kick restart mentally, destress and revive. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council study, 80% of respondents said travel improves their general mood and outlook on life with 75% of respondents also saying travel helps them reduce stress.
“Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought,”
What I love about travel is that whether you travel 2,000 miles or 50 miles, the benefits can still be the same. While I can’t wait to board a plane to go to Italy, even a trip to the beach or frankly seeing something new and different can still offer excitement. You might be thinking, that would be great; however, the summer is almost over and we’re already buying back-to-school clothes. Perhaps you’ve told yourself summer travel opportunities are already booked – how can anything be done at this stage?
Well I’m here to tell you there’s still tons of time left (especially if your kids go back to school after Labor Day), and you can create amazing and safe memories outside of your living room.
Here’s a few tips I’ve learned along the way to help…
Over the years we’ve always loved our local Science Center
1. Plan a day trip within your own city – perhaps this is easier said than done depending on your location; however, act like a tourist and discover new sites, museums, and fun actives. Search online to view the top activities to do right where you are and plan a day around it, or even a city nearby. This is one of the easiest ways to give your family a vacation without a major investment. You can also plan multiple weekends of adventure and create a theme of discovery. Create a fun flier and give it to your kids showing the family adventure weekend plans. Show your kids where they’ll be going and have them draw pictures or write short stories imagining their fun, then of course – deliver it!
2. Jump in the car and drive – don’t be afraid to drive to your fun discovery destination! Perhaps there’s an aquarium, theme park, or new attraction still in driving distance, but in another state or region. You’ll be surprised what a little drive time can do to take an adventure and give yourself a mental break. So many memories can be captured by just spending time to explore. Our weekend trip an hour and a half away visiting Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park gave us that “get away” with a quick drive.
3. Just book it! – sometimes you just have to say – let’s do it! If you want more time to plan something bigger, then spend time planning now. This past winter we went to Park City, UT on a ski trip which lasted 4 days including travel time. So really we had about 2.5 days to have any fun. I never felt like it was a short trip because we did everything we wanted to in just that amount of time. I went snowshoeing, my daughter went to ski school both days, we all went snowmobiling, and my husband and I did fat tire biking (more on that and the level of energy required in another blog). My heart is still warm thinking about siting around the fireplace, roasting marshmallows, and the moments we shared in just that little bit of time.
Most positive memorable moments come from travel, celebrations, and doing something outside of the norm. Create incredible memories for your family even if it’s just a one-day trip. It is worth it!
