Family Travel Time

As a parent of a 5 and 8 year old I know it can be difficult spending quality time together as a family.
Everybody seems to have busy schedules and we all struggle to keep up. With this fast past life of commuting to work , dropping and picking up kids at daycare, appointments, grocery shopping and getting your kids to any after school activities - it doesn’t leave much time to bond as a family. We all manage to squeeze some sort of quality time in there but it is never enough.
As a travel agent, but also as a mom and wife, I recommend making the time to vacation together as a family. It is an invaluable way to re-connect. As we leave the computers and cell phones behind, we start to focus on each other.

Travelling is also a wonderful educational tool – not just for the kids, but also for you! While away you experience different cultures, languages, food, flora and fauna. You often try different activities while holidaying that take you out of your comfort zone. For instance, zip lining, horseback riding or snorkeling.
Last March my family and I took a trip to Costa Rica and as I planned everything, the kids and husband were full of excitement. As I was reading over our rather full itinerary one night, my 8 year old got a glimpse of it, horseback riding, canopy tours, river cruises and volcano viewing, and said, “do we have to do all that?”

For just a moment, I wondered if I had packed too much into our trip, but once we got to beautiful and picturesque Costa Rica, the worry subsided. My kids were fearless! The trip not only gave us quality time together, it also enriched our lives and made us grow as individuals and as a family. I saw strength in my son and curiousness in my daughter and most importantly, we were experiencing all these fantastic things together! The experience was unforgettable and as the Ticos say, it was “pura vida,” which roughly translates to pure life.

Some other great family vacation ideas that allow for quality time together are a Disney Cruise (consider the Mediterranean or Alaska), a New Zealand self drive and if you want to stick closer to home, why not Newfoundland, with whale and iceberg watching.

A good way to make it happen is to plan ahead. Start a vacation fund where you put some money away every month towards the trip. Often kids will be willing to sacrifice having less at Christmas if they know they are going to get that vacation. Book it in advance; often there are early booking bonuses that can lower the costs and booking it early ensures you get the trip you want, especially if you are planning it over busy travel times such as Christmas or March break. Even Newfoundland in the summer needs to be planned ahead, flights are limited and so are car rentals during the summer months. Most of all just do it!

As said by St. Augustine “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”, so read that book together as a family. Explore the world and grow as a family!

Denise Gushue is a travel agent who works from her home in the Ottawa region and may be reached at denise.gushue@gmail.com.