Vacation (Five Minute Friday)

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Vacation is a word that conjures up so many different memories. When we were kids, vacation meant our family of four kids and two parents piling in a nine-passenger station wagon without air conditioning and driving to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee or Mammoth Cave, Kentucky or even Santa Claus, Indiana. These were the kind of trips we took with our family as kids. Always fairly close because the cars were never newish or in great condition and there was always the chance that it would break down on us. The trips were usually only one or two nights in a single hotel room because more than that was NOT in the budget. As often as not, our family vacations were to Ohio to visit our cousins and/or attend our annual family reunion.

When we were kids, vacation meant our family of four kids and two parents piling in a nine-passenger station wagon without air conditioning and driving... Click To Tweet

Fast forward many years to the time when we were young parents ourselves. We didn’t take trips every year in the beginning because we couldn’t afford them. Once the kids got old enough to express their opinions, they wanted to go visit children’s museums and science museums. One year, we took them to see The Mouse and visited a great aunt and uncle while we were in Florida. This was the first time either of the kids flew on an airplane and the first time I could remember doing so. We took train vacations, beach vacations, lighthouse vacations, a dude ranch vacation and a few others. We would head a different direction each year and the decision on whether to drive or fly often depended on how new and reliable our van was at the time.

Fast forward to the empty nest years. We took a few vacations with just one of the kids because the school schedules just didn’t line up to take everyone. Now we mostly travel without either kid because work schedules never seem to line up or vacation time is already spoken for with a different destination in mind. No matter, these trips like the ones we took when the kids were growing up, are always an adventure even when things don’t always go as planned.

Case and point, the year we were driving to Boston for the July 4th holiday but the van broke down and we had to spend it in Herkimer, NY instead without transportation to go anywhere, so we stayed in the motel room and ate next door at Denny’s for a day or two until we could get things sorted, get a rental car and get to Boston AFTER the holiday was over. It wasn’t quite the way we planned it but it was fun anyway.

There was also the time we took the train to Culpepper, VA where we were to pick up our rental car and drive to another location where we were staying for the rest of the trip. The train was late, the rental car company had closed. The hotel for that night was only two miles from the station but it was small and only manned by a single person who could not leave to come and pick us up. The taxi in this small town consisted of one driver (there used to be two, but one died). When we called the number, the message said to call another number and when we called the second number, it told us to call the first number! So, we grabbed our luggage and started walking to our hotel. We learned a couple of important lessons on that trip. One, never travel with more luggage than your party can pull for two miles (we didn’t thank heavens!). Two, always book the hotel close to the train station in case you have to walk. Three, always wear sturdy sensible walking shoes when traveling.

Vacations are an important part of life. They help you to take in the world in a new way, learn about other places and cultures, bond as a family, create memories, learn to cope with unexpected events, learn to keep your cool under pressure, and most of all relax and rejuvenate yourself so you can go back to work and start planning for the next adventure. Vacations should never be missed. If you can’t afford to go away, be a tourist in your own town. Stay home and play games or take nature hikes with your kids. Spend time together, make memories that will last a lifetime and help get you through the tough times while you look forward to the next vacation.

Vacations are an important part of life. They help you to take in the world in a new way, learn about other places and cultures, bond as a family, create memories, learn to cope with unexpected events... Click To Tweet

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!
The prompt this week is: Vacation
The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

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