A passing comment from my dad has made me rethink travel, especially as a parent.
I was scrolling through phone pics of a trip to Colorado last year, showing my dad where we had gone, and he stopped me on one of my two little boys, eating sandwiches at a picnic table outside the Georgetown Loop Railroad.
“That reminds me so much of going on trips as a kid,” he said.
In the photo, my kids, 4 and 7, are joyfully stuffing their mouths, with evergreens and mountains in the background. They have little baseball caps on and plain striped T-shirts. They look timeless, in a way. Ornery little boys who could exist in any decade.
My grandparents loved to travel. My dad says he once asked my grandpa how he and my grandma could afford to take their four boys so many places, and my grandpa told him that anytime they had an extra 50 bucks they would just get in the car and go.
They’d get a loaf of bread and some bologna, stop and have a picnic. They camped on some trips, or stayed at motels. (My dad still tends to call every hotel a motel.)
Fifty dollars will hardly buy a tank of gas anymore, but I respect the philosophy behind it.
We sometimes think that travel has to be lavish or done in a certain way. I love a nice hotel room, sure. I love to try restaurants, especially if the local food scene is interesting.
But it’s good to remind myself that some of those extras are just extras and not the reason for the travel.
My favorite meals ever from my travels? A roadside poi stand in Hawaii where the cooks weren’t wearing shoes or shirts. And fresh trout grilled on the banks of the Snake River in Wyoming during a rafting trip. I’ve had fancier and more expensive meals, but they aren’t necessarily better.
What is the reason for travel?
In a word: wonder.
I love the moments of discovery and surprise, of learning. Seeing that in my boys’ faces is one of the best things in life.
My husband and I want to show our kids that we value experiences. I want them to have photos and memories from interesting places.
My kids are just getting to the age where they’re easier to transport. Last summer the younger one was still in the final throes of potty-training. It’s a whole new stage now, with more freedom and less to pack.
I’m trying to remind myself that it’s worth the trouble, worth the expense. And moreover that we can go more places if we travel on a budget.
In April, we drove six hours to the middle of nowhere to see the solar eclipse. We didn’t have a lot of time, didn’t want to spend a lot when the thing we were seeing would only last a matter of minutes.
To be honest, we weren’t sure it would be worth it — but it was.
The boys were jumping up and down, squealing with glee at that rare sight. They still talk about it. The drive was long, but what a magical, otherworldly experience.
How can we get more of that? Just go. I think that’s the lesson. Go if you can, any way you can, and when you do, enjoy it.
