Vacation time is time to make memories

One of my favorite things about our new hometown is that it is so close to great getaway spots. The coast, Yosemite, Tahoe, the Bay Area – it’s all close enough that I don’t need to spend on airline tickets to take the family to a world-class vacation destination.

I was born with wanderlust and, with the schools letting out this week, I’ve begun plotting out this summer’s weekend plans.

Imagine my disappointment, then, when my kids moan about having to go somewhere. “Why do we have to go?” my 9-year-old asks. “Can’t I just stay here?” my 7-year-old whines.

OK. I’m guilty of having indulged my boys in too much screen time. As a solo parent, yes, I’ve certainly leaned too much on laptops, 3DS devices and iPads to entertain the crew while I’ve tended to life’s duties. So, it’s no surprise that the first question I hear after announcing an upcoming family trip is “Will there be Wi-Fi?”

It certainly would be easier to just have a summer of staycations, also a lot cheaper. But I want my boys to experience travel, and our recent Memorial Day weekend trip to Santa Cruz reminded me of why family vacations matter.

1) They force us to band together. Not only do we spend several hours tucked up against one another in the car, we sleep in the same room and make our plans as a group. One son wants to go the beach and the other to the miniature golf course? Well, we have to figure out how to do it all together, meaning we all get a lesson in compromises and patience.

2) We get out of our comfort zones. Wanting to stay away from the bustle of the boardwalk, I found a rustic converted barn outside of Santa Cruz where we all had to share a bathroom and kitchen with other travelers. Waiting for the bathroom, respecting the other travelers’ desire for quiet, chatting with strangers in the kitchen – it all helps stretch ourselves past our shyness barriers.

3) We have adventures. Whether it’s taking on the challenge of finding a parking spot, exploring a new downtown, taking unknown roads that allow us to spot deer and skunks, or getting over our shared fear of spiders (I had to capture a ginormous arachnid found hovering close to my bed one night), we take on manageable risks when we go to new places.

4) We create memories. Yes, it’s a bit cheesy, but it’s so important and true. Traveling will be one of the things that my kids will remember years later. Many of my most vivid memories come from the times my family went places, whether it was the first time I tasted a cucumber while vacationing in Baja (I thought it disgusting), or the chance encounter I had with Sonny Bono in a Lake Tahoe elevator. I cherish the memories of my family on vacation. Even now, my 15-year-old recalls a trip we made when he was 4, not so much because it was a grand, monthlong road trip to Oaxaca and back, but because he and I one day invented a silly game called Baby Too Far while floating in a hotel swimming pool.

5) It’s fun. Yep. Plain and simple. Road trips are fun. They can also be a headache, what with the whining and breaking up of personal routines. But the hours spent in close proximity to each other inevitably leads to laughter. This past weekend, our GPS had a freakout and kept us perpetually circling through Gilroy while randomly forcing Sirius stations on us. And we laughed about the oddness of The Mystery Spot, the silly photo booth images we bought at the boardwalk, my youngest son’s first solo drive on the bumper cars and my middle boy’s conquest of the laser maze, winning a sweet stuffed bumblebee.

Yeah, the traffic was bad. Sure, we didn’t get enough time on the beach. Yes, my bank account is a bit thinner now. But, it’s all good. It’s about the journey, after all. It’s all about the journey.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Vacation time is time to make memories."