5 Real Reasons to Travel With Your Family

Finding time to get away as a family can be stressful, but it’s important to consider the actual value traveling as a family brings to your family dynamic.

Creating Opportunities to Communicate

I remember thinking of my parents in terms of their professions and the structure they provided to me as a child. That’s the reality of the parent-child dynamic for many of us. What’s great is that I also have pictures ingrained in my memory of riding horses as a family. As we trotted along we would talk about what we were interested in, rather than just if I had done my homework or if we’d had a “good day” at school or work. I earned a nickname on a ride through the Arizona desert that still sticks with me to this day too. On a separate trip I learned why my parents moved to California, and also that one of their parents was sick. These were real moments that I shared with my family, which established a new way to communicate. I learned about who they were as people, and they learned more about me.

Establishing a Connection

When I was roughly five, my dad took me on camping trip. We got lost and it rained. A lot. Keep in mind, we weren’t really lost lost, just a little turned around. To this day, I can perfectly recall seeking shelter under a tree next to this massive man as he boiled water for a split pea soup MRE. I was wet and cold, but I quickly warmed by the fire as I ate this chalky concoction. At that moment I knew that I was safe whenever I was with my dad. Our dynamic has changed throughout the years, but I feel that way to this day and I hope to one day share a similar moment with my kids, even if we always pack a GPS.