it is a smaller world....

Adventure a day.  Learn something new. 

I grew up in a family that had lots of adventures and we tried many new things.  We traveled and explored.  Hiked, biked and swam in creeks.  Played outside.  We met new people.  We saw different things and accepted differences easily. Adventures help us learn....

There is nothing easy about a vacation.  NOTHING.  I imagine anyone with children can relate.  The planning, packing, travel, changes in "normal".  Staying in a hotel, noises, smells and exciting things to always check out.  Eating out often (and every place has the same kids menu which consists of fried foods)!  Staying up late and getting up early.  It is not easy. 

It is just easy to stay home and keep it all consistent. 

But we don't.  Because every year I get the gypsy blood brewing and I feel the need to GET OUT of town!  Because I crave that adventure.  And I give that to my son...

For our family, there are many reasons to go on vacation, no matter how hard it is.  Here are the top three things we keep in mind when we travel. 

1. Unplug it... we certainly travel with iphones, ipods, ipad & a kindle (and all the chargers to go along with those!).  But when we reach our destination, we generally use them for the camera.  We spend our day with one another, taking in sites or people.  We do as much outside as possible.  We look at each other!  We absolutely unwind in front of a gadget or a tv at the end of the day but for the most part, we are unconnected from the world.  It is a really good thing. 

2.  We interact with strangers.  It doesn't matter where we go, the importance of interacting with new people is an important part of life.  Traveling makes it easier to step outside of the comfort zones of regular life and meet someone new.  We encourage our child to play with children, we visit with strangers, we do things that put us in places with other families and we chat with them!  We hear accents, learn about geographies and we share moments with real people. 

3.  We try something new!  When we go places it is important to try just one thing that is new ... from an experience to a food... we encourage it in our son and we do it ourselves.  Sometimes it is not easy to do because we all get trapped in the comfort of seeking out things that are similar.  In trying new things we open up our minds to new possibilities and we sometimes discover something we like!  We get off the beaten path and find strange new restaurants and go to places that we may not go to.  We all try.  It is an adventure! 

So as we traveled around this summer... we had so much fun and created so many memories with our child and each other.  We have funny stories to share and photos to remind us of the fun we had!   I'd love to hear what your favorite place was... and why!!