Staycations and Road Trips

Reminisce and reflect with me.

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Every year during August vender trucks start appearing in our city and setting up shop in the corners of neighborhood retail parking lots. Big bold signs advertise their renowned corn and where it is grown in our province. When the trucks come, urbanites flock to them in droves.

You can find corn growing in many places across this vast country or buy it at the grocery store. But, one summer in nineteen ninety something after one of my young daughters again requested corn on the cob along with cake for her birthday dinner, we decided to show our kids where that delicious corn was really grown.

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Our family of five squished into our crowded sedan and hit the highway for nearly a six-hour drive, yes still in our own province! Such a simple idea that made a little girl incredibly happy and a cheap summer road trip that still sticks in my mind all these years later. Even though I can’t find that photo I remember the moment when we stopped along the highway, climbed down into the ditch to marvel at the height of the corn stalks and the sheer expanse of the farmer’s vast fields to pose for a family photo.

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Long before and without pandemic restrictions, staycations and road trips were what our family could afford and all the time we could take in our busy working lives for holidays. We live in a beautiful province in Canada as many of my readers do. Camping was never our thing but there were always plenty of places and home-grown experiences that we could explore. By the end of the decade our newly acquired mom-mobile mini van was welcomed into our family and became our primary mode of travel.

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Even within our own city we supported local tourism sites, attended arts and cultural festivals and made good use of hiking/biking trails and other public parks and recreation amenities. Indoor gyms and play rooms, a novel new idea back then, were just starting up. The zoo, our library summer reading programs, day camps, and YMCA swimming lessons were favorites. TGIF on TV, big summer Disney blockbusters at the movie theaters or local video store visits so each kid could pick a VHS tape for movie nights were great summer homegrown sources of entertainment for our children.

Rewind staycations 1 That old jigsaw puzzle of the world was a favorite challenge sitting at the dining room table for my girls. It still sits on a shelf amongst the retro board games from years gone by that bring us happy memories of a world with simple pleasures for children. During the childhood years staycations and road trips were how our family spent most summers. That’s all my kids had for adventures until they were teenagers. And, it didn’t hurt them one bit! My adult daughters have all traveled since to places around the world and have many memorable experiences that they will carry with them for life.

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Simple pleasures that are meaningful and fun are what kids want to do. Three small yellow and red life jackets still hang from the rafters in my basement. When children are young, they love to be active. Finding them a pool to swim in or a playground to explore were the summer activities they appreciated the most. Those life jackets got a lot of use at hotel water slides, the YMCA and a huge waterpark that we visited frequently. When I see them, it brings back pleasant memories of summers gone by.

Rewind staycations 7 When your kids are happy and engaged parents can relax and enjoy more of their own down time. I’ve hinted about this in previous postings and hindsight soon brings every parent of adult children to the conclusion that the gift of time spent with your children is what you will both appreciate more in the future.

Raising children can be a remarkably busy and demanding time in our life. It will always be important to take time away from work and routines. Vacations and holidays can improve physical and mental health, strengthen relationships, increase our motivation and performance, and give us a break in life so we don’t burnout.

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But vacation sabotage is a real thing especially when you have children in tow. Recreational time that is too full of to-do list and obligations nullifies any positive benefits of rest and relaxation and sounds a lot like work, doesn’t it!

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Personally, I am a homebody and the process of packing for any trip is stressful. Some people just love to travel. I have never felt like I needed to leave home to be able to fill my time with pleasurable activities. This point of view has not been shared by all the members of my family. I do remember returning to work exhausted and irritable instead of feeling rested and energized after many long weekend and holiday breaks.

In time individuals learn what kinds of vacations feel right for them. But, for young children in a family let’s face it they are just coming along for the ride and that in itself can be problematic if you don’t keep it simple and fun.

Embrace the staycation and think local when you can. Maximize family fun time rather than travel time. But when travel is calling you and you have a destination in mind or maybe you are planning to visit grandparents, relatives or friends here are some suggestions from the experts.

Rewind staycations 11 Think about what makes you feel good and examine what you genuinely want to do that will make you feel relaxed, restored and regenerated. Taking time for recovery will enhance your resilience and success in life. By taking time to fill our own tank you can avoid burnout.

Start to gear down your brain ahead of time with mindfulness activities that will help you disconnect more and reduce your stress. Try to reduce your online dependence. Habits of the mind are not easy to break in the few days of vacation that we may have. The saying “stop and smell the coffee!” comes to mind once again. Words of wisdom.

I can remember many times dragging school marking or lesson plans with me on the weekends and on holidays. In hindsight that seems so counterproductive and sad. That was time that I did not focus on what was most important and participate more with my family.

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Don’t ruin your vacations by taking work with you believing that you are going to get caught up! How relaxing can that be? How much fun is that for those around you? Focus on you and your family and your holiday time together. Stop worrying about what you are missing or not getting done.

Now in retirement, which is perceived by many as the big vacation, I find that I often still put pressure on myself to keep being productive and maintain my routines. I fill my schedule with tasks and obligations. Work is something that becomes ingrained in our minds and yet currently my most happy days almost always have included times when I have been riding my bike, walking my dogs, doing my artwork, reading a good book, writing my blog or spending time with my family or friends. These are things that I genuinely like to do and now finally I have more time to do them.

Rewind staycations 3 Back in nineteen ninety something I may not have fully understood the importance of resiliency and rejuvenation, but I did know that sometimes less could feel like more. So, a three-day long weekend, a staycation or a short road trip with children was far less stressful and much more relaxing and fun because you didn’t have to plan and prepare with such manic intensity.

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Wherever your staycation or road trip takes you this summer make it easier for yourself. When you get there sit down and pick up that book you’ve been wanting to read while you keep an eye on those precious little ones doing what is fun for them. Favorite books saved for summer reads, have joined me on my holidays over many years and now adorn my bookshelves creating good memories themselves.

Understanding that simple pleasures that are meaningful and fun are what kids really want to do is important because when they are happy and engaged you can relax and enjoy yourself more. Unfortunately, it takes time and wisdom to grasp this concept because life’s complicated and we often tend to make it harder for ourselves than it really needs to be. Time however marches on so this summer especially, focus on your family and what you want to do together to feel happy and regenerated.