When we think about summer, we often think about vacation! So many of us have memories of family vacations from childhood. Whether it involved piling into the family car and driving to the beach, camping or visiting out of town relatives these trips definitely gave us stories to tell- both positive and negative. Being in close quarters for hours and days can tell you a lot about the people in your family.
Growing up and raising children of my own has allowed me the opportunity to travel with my own kids- and to decide what kinds of experiences we would have together. Like all parents I always find myself wishing I could do more- like take exotic vacations, African safaris or adventures to interesting places. But I am not in any position to complain; I made it a priority years ago to make sure we used our time off together to make new memories and create new traditions. Whether it was spending time at Disney, the beaches of Hawaii or even a cruise we have had a lot of fun. We have also had some challenges that were scary and stressful. I think my 8 month old son’s emergency surgery on Maui tops that list!
Traveling in the age of technology has created another layer of memory making- iphones and iMovie has allowed me to create cool videos to keep those memories fresh. Pairing my favorite photos with music that I love has allowed me to relive the memories anytime I want, and to remember only the very best parts. I learned years ago that no matter what stresses came up during the trip, by taking the best photos of smiling faces and beautiful scenery I was able to recreate the memory in a way that was happy. Now my kids are entirely more saavy than I am and can make the movies on their own.
This summer we did something we had never done before and traveled with my entire family to Canada where we visited the beautiful province of British Columbia. We had a great time exploring Vancouver, and enjoyed some long sunny days touring and spending time on the water. Really long days- actually the sun sets as late as 9:45 pm at some points during the summer months. Was there family drama or unexpected issues that arose? Of course- mixing that many personalities is never smooth but ultimately I think what we will all remember was that we took time from our busy lives and various routines and came together to create some new memories that I know we will cherish for years to come.
Do you need to travel far away to create new memories with your kids, your family or your friends? Not at all- you can do it right where you are. All it takes is a commitment to focus on the ones you love. And don’t forget to take pictures!
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