The Benefits of Family Travel

Traveling as a family is important to me. It’s so important that I’m willing to sacrifice in other areas to make sure that my family has plenty of opportunities to experience the world around them. I wouldn’t do that if I wasn’t convinced that the benefits of family travel are many.

Travel brings families together while the world tries to rip them apart.

Think about it, we don’t live in a June Cleaver kind of world. With conflicting schedules,extracurricular activities like sports, jobs, work weeks with long hours, grueling hours of homework each night, youth group and volunteer experience,  there are so many pressing needs that it’s hard to come together as a family. Many families are barely connecting, let alone sitting down to home-cooked meals, playing board games or the biggie, talking.

Travel allows you to get away from it all. Leave the stress and pressure behind, relax and spend quality time together as you build memories.

It may not be easy for your family to plan time away. Maybe it’s hard for you to take time off work, to sync everyone’s schedule or to save the money for a vacation. I promise you, your efforts will be worth it.

Travel often brings new experiences, which mean more memories.

My family will never forget the camping trip that was so windy our tent almost blew over and we spent the night freezing and huddled together in our minivan. Or the time we fed and swam with the stingray. We’ll never forget the feeling of awe that we had as we caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty for the first time. We won’t forget the tightness we felt in the pit of our stomach when we realized we’d gotten lost on a hiking trip or how the wind felt on our face as we zip lined through the trees.

It may not have been a wonderful experience to spend four days in a rain soaked tent with water streaming through the doorway and three preschoolers covered in mud but that first camping trip was certainly memorable.

The fun thing about family travel is that eventually, even the less than stellar moments will somehow become elevated to epic status, generating many conversations at family reunions for years to come.

With a child who has exited his teen years and two others not far behind, I am beginning to fully realize what everyone tried to tell me for years. Children grow up too fast.

If you’re waiting for that perfect time to get away, think again. Don’t wait. Take those camping trips close to home, visit that theme park, plan a trip across country and stay at that super nice hotel. Family is important and I’ve learned firsthand that the more we travel, the more bonding moments we have as a family.

Do you agree that family travel is important? Why or why not?

This post is linked to Inspire Me Wednesday with Mama Buzz because this week I hope to inspire you to travel as a family.