Do you Dream of Traveling with your Family? It’s time to Live Your Dream. Mike, my husband, taught me a lot about life through our travel journeys and in general. So, as we celebrate 14 adventurous years of marriage including visits to 35 countries (some visited several times), a handful of other nations (not deemed countries by the UN), and 22 states, I wanted to share some of the thing he has taught me.
Live Your Dream
My husband has always been a big dreamer. Someone once told him, your mother told you that you could be anything you wanted to be when you grew up and you still believe it. He’s the reason that so many of my dreams have come true and why they continue to. He took me on my first trip out of the country (accept Canada but living in NY its like visiting another state). We took our first Cruise for Spring break my senior year of college and visited St. Thomas, St Martin and the Cruise lines private island in the Bahamas.
We honeymooned in Italy because that was a dream of mine and he traveled to Egypt with my mother and sisters and I, as my mother made her return to her country of birth after 30 years, fulfilling a dream my mother, sisters, and I always had. If you know my family, you know he’s a saint for some how managing to navigate that adventure with 4 of us. If I dreamed it, he encouraged me to make it happen. Live your dream. Whatever it is go out and make it happen. If you have a dream of travel share it with me and I will help you make it happen.
Take the Scenic Route
Taking the Scenic route whether for travel or in life. It’s about enjoying the journey not just the destination. Isn’t that what life is about, the journey? From our first ever trip together to Bar Harbor, Maine where we spent over 13 hours on the road in his old Mercury Zephyr on our way to see fireworks, I learned to sit back put my feet up on the dash (before there were airbags) and enjoy the turns that life and travel brings us. We almost missed the fireworks; and as we arrived to check in at the motel the owner was in a hurry because his family had already left to get a spot for the show. We all made it in time to see the fireworks and truth be told the journey up to Maine was better.
The Scenic Route is about Enjoying the Journey
That same summer we made a trip up to my father’s camp taking route 9, the scenic route in the Adirondacks, on the way home. We stopped at the little towns along the way. Travel is different with kids now and we are always rushing to get to where we want to be. Priority Pass lounge access has helped us to enjoy some of the journey by providing a relaxing quiet place away from the hustle and crowds of the airport.
Plane travel is one of the few times we all get a chance to watch a movie or 2 or even 3, so the moment we board the plane buckle our seat belts, get the kids their iPads, headphones and a snack and some water and a different snack… We relax and enjoy the journey. Take time to enjoy the small moments in your journey through life and travel. Remind yourself that there is value in every experience and when you can take the scenic route.
Push-em Down
I tend to be a planner and get frustrated when things go wrong because I forgot something or didn’t think things through. Mike is easier going and with his support I know we can get through any challenge. So as a Jamaican man once told us “Push-em down” (your shoulders- meaning relax). It’s something we often remind our selves when faced with a challenge. I am the packer and packing for 4 people for 12 trips over the last 12 months hasn’t been easy and I have forgotten something on almost every recent trip.
Mike is supportive and always reminds me we will figure it out, I am sure we can buy it at our destination. And he’s right; it’s never been a big deal. It has always worked out; even if it meant me wearing a tank top over a bathing suit that was 2 sizes to small because that’s all they had at the resort in Hong Kong. Push-em Down. Relax. Go with the Flow. Remember to support your travel partner when things don’t go perfect and you can over come most challenges.
The Sound Track to Life
My husband loves music. And when I say that I mean all types of music. We have more CDs than I want to admit (he’s a rummage sale junky). He seems to know the right song to go with our moods and our adventures and somehow, we seem to have a theme song for most of our trips. A song that comes on and makes you think “remember when were in that beat-up rental car with no power steering, windows down, jamming to Pink while driving through La Jolla?” Music help makes moments better and memories last, whether home or away.
Providing Direction
Truth be told I’m terrible with directions. Mike is the navigator when we are traveling, except when Mike is driving, and I have Google maps telling me where to go and I can repeat it to him. We are a good team and I wouldn’t be confident to travel the way we do without his navigation skills. If you don’t have a navigator in the family, you can travel with confidence by booking centrally located hotels, using a map, booking escorted tours or, just simply enjoying the adventure of being lost sometimes.
Security
Mike is cautious and aware of our surroundings, always. At times I am so focused on what I am seeing or in conversation I can forget that there is a world around me. But Mike is present, aware and assuring we are all safe. Sometimes to the point I think he’s being a little paranoid but thankful because it keeps us safe. A simple thing like waiting till someone passes us in the hallway before we head into our room at a hotel room. Not saying our room number out loud. Being aware in the evening when walking back to our hotel after dinner. Keeping our passports and other things safe. He really is meticulous about safety and I am thankful for that. Being aware of your surroundings is important when traveling and it’s a simple thing you can do to stay safe.
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