Reminiscing about our family vacations in the 60′s evokes anxiety and a visual of my seriously-not-cuddly dad’s hairy arm. It was swinging through the air from the drivers seat of the car, aimed at my annoying 6 yr. old brothers head. Unfortunately, he was sitting next to ME in the back seat of the Ford Fairlane on a 90° August day. Mind you, I wouldn’t enjoy driving 4 kids ages 6-16 from Milwaukee to Silver Spring MD either…but sheesh..it was MY vacation too and I was the one that got car sick. I was NOT my dad’s favorite.
I do have great memories of vacations with my kids, Disney World being at the top of the list, and many fun summers in Door County and other beautiful lake strewn small towns and cities in northern Wisconsin. Many of our memorable summer vacations centered around out of state soccer tournaments, which included good friends of both mine and my husbands and our kids so that made them even more enjoyable.
Science has actually verified that these family excursions are important, essential to a family’s well-being. (Really??) 70+ yrs. of research, all on the importance of family down-time. Sarah Taylor Agate Ph.D., a certified family-life educator and consultant who has studied family leisure reported that “The family that enjoys vacations together is going to be a stronger family.”
The Importance of Vacations, for Stress Relief, Productivity and Health, by Elizabeth Scott, M.S.
Family Vacation Critic: Family Vacation Critic features reviews of family-friendly hotels, resorts, destinations and attractions. The site is packed with ideas on where to go next, highlights the best family travel deals and provides advice for traveling with kids of all ages. Members can ask questions about destinations or any aspect of traveling with kids in the popular family travel forum, share their tips and ideas, and post reviews of the places they’ve visited.
Grandparent Travel from About.com
Grandparents.com Travel Section This is a must see section of the not-to-be-missed Grandparents.com site. From traveling with children to travel deals, you’ll find everything you need (and more) about vacationing with family.
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