I was recently on a panel at Best Western’s Leisure Travel Summit in NYC. The focus of the panel (not surprisingly) was the state of leisure and family travel given what is happening in the world. It was a fantastic day and I was lucky enough to share the stage with some of the travel industry’s best. Just a quick shout out to Dorothy Dowling, SVP of Sales and Marketing for Best Western; Betsy Sell, Director of Travel Products from AAA; and Amy Graff who blogs for Best Western about family travel…I learned a lot from you. Thanks.
One of the things I picked up at the summit was a new term — “repeat vacation.” The definition, I am told, is a vacation you had taken as a child and then repeat it with your family. It got me thinking about which childhood vacations I would repeat with my family.
Growing up, my family would pack up the car and drive to Damariscotta,
Maine for three weeks every summer. We rented the same cabin on the same
lake every year. We pretty much did the same activities too. In
retrospect, I can’t help wonder if I was ever bored during our Maine vacation.
When I think back to the Maine trips, I remember fishing on a dock next to a lobster shack in New Harbor. We fished for hours, watched the lobstermen unload the day’s catch and then we would go eat the very same lobsters. We would spend hours playing in the lake the cabin bordered. We would eat food bigger than my head at Pine Ridge and then walk next door for the best homemade ice cream at Round Top. We would spend a full day playing on the rocks at Pemaquid Point rescuing lost lobster trap buoys. We also spent a lot of time together which I think is really the point of traveling as a family.
My kids love hearing the stories I tell about my time in Maine. We are certainly creating our own family stories as we travel together and I am thankful for that. However, now that I have the wisdom of 30 more years, I can look back at my family’s Maine travels and realize that vacations don’t have to be new, glam, expensive, 5-star extravaganzas. They can be as simple and understated as you like.
Travel is about the experiences, not about the destination itself. Sure, the destination should mold your experiences, but it shouldn’t be the whole experience. Traveling with family is about reconnecting and enjoying time together (insert own snide comment here).
When I first heard about “repeat vacations” I thought, “Why would I want to go back to a place I have been when there are so many other places I haven’t been, yet?” After thinking more about it, spending time in a place that holds such great memories for me and being able to share that with my family sounds pretty awesome. I’m now reconsidering where my family goes next.
If you have the means, there are some great deals out there. You can take advantage of summer school break and go somewhere on the cheap. In 30 years, your kids will thank you.
Now it’s your turn? Where would you “repeat” with your family?
© Cheapflights Ltd Carl Schwartz
