The Value of Family Vacations

I grew up in a family that did not vacation much together.  My mom liked traveling, but my dad did not. Most likely the thought of single-handedly wrangling three adolescent girls in confined small spaces such as a car or plane for extended periods of time was a major disincentive for my mom.

I give her credit though, because I do remember two vacations we took together with my mom and two sisters. The first was RV camping with my older cousins from Northern California to Western Canada and the second was visiting extended family in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and the village in China that was my dad’s childhood home. When my mom decided she was going to take us on a trip, she really took us on a trip.

Although she probably felt her time and money was mostly wasted as my sisters and I buried our heads in our books during guided tours (Nintendo DS had not yet been invented), complained about food that we deemed gross (I had not yet acquired the taste for sushi, unfortunately) and bickered our way across North America and Asia, it was not. 

Decades later, I still remember the marvel of walking on a glacier, boating on the emerald waters of Lake Louise and the glorious beauty of the fields in Banff and Butchart Gardens in Victoria. I remember the Great Wall of China, the tragic river of sludge known as the Yangtze and the curves of magnificent verdant summits carved by the centuries that contrasted with the jagged peaks of the Sierras, the only mountains I knew.

Most of all, I remember walking in amazement through the village my dad grew up in, stunned by the dirt floors, lack of electricity and single telephone for the entire village.  It was like stepping into a Chinese version of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie.

This is why I am a huge advocate for family vacations. No matter how much of a waste it might seem at the time, they are bound to have an impact on your child, even if it is decades later.  Here are just a few reasons why the time, effort and hassle are worth it.

Building memories

On an individual level, time away from the daily routine inevitably creates positive memories. Some of my husband’s fondest memories are of his family going to the same beach for a week every year. It did not matter where they stayed or how far they traveled; what mattered was that his parents, who worked so diligently 51 weeks a year to meet the family’s material needs, took one week of every year to give them a treasure trove of memories that he cherishes to this day.

Creating a shared history

I have some friends who have gone camping with the same extended family and friends for almost 30 years.  Each night of the trip, they gather at the campfire and reminisce about their most cherished, most hilarious, most significant moments from past trips. What started as a vacation for one generation has blossomed into an annual tradition with three generations together.  This yearly ritual knits this family closer with each passing year, giving them something to laugh and reminisce about together.

Benefiting from forced contact

Something magical happens when people embark on a journey together. Looking forward to a common destination, being forced into tight quarters for long periods, facing the reality that you cannot escape or avoid conflict by simply leaving the room, especially when that “room” is your car hurtling down the interstate at 75 mph—all these factors forge a special bond among travelers, a bond that is even more unique when the travelers are family.

The hectic schedule of a typical family breeds an isolation that can creep in indiscernibly, masked by busyness. In my observations, I notice a recurring pattern where families that do not vacation together often tend to not enjoy each other as much, leading to a lower likelihood of them taking a vacation together and so on.  Which comes first is a “chicken or the egg” argument, but it is my belief that regular family trips help families avoid this pattern by forcing them to renew their relationships. There is nothing like a family trip to coerce squabbling members to work things out, get reacquainted and reconnect with adventure and laughter. 

Expanding your child’s world

Family trips also offer the opportunity to expand your child’s view of the world.  As my personal story demonstrates, if they are adolescents, they may not necessarily appreciate this gift immediately, which is all the more reason to start when they are young and the thrill of discovery comes naturally.

Family vacations are the perfect canvas for educational experiences.  This USA Today article is a perfect starting point for planning a trip with your child that will bring learning to life.  Some families are choosing to volunteer on service projects together, to broaden their children’s horizons in a whole other way.

These are just a few of the endless reasons why family vacations are worth every penny you spend on them—and probably even more.  The next time you wonder what a family trip will cost you, remember:  it’s priceless.