Why Travel is Personal to Me
Like many people, I grew up in a home where we did not vacation much. My parents owned a business and it was hard for them to get away. On occasion, I would travel with my grandparents to various areas around the country or my mom and I would go with my grandparents to Florida,. I do remember a family car trip to Williamburg when I was 3 years old. About 25 minutes into the vacation, I started asking if we were there yet. And my mother made me wear mary janes to walk through Colonial Williamsburg, causing blisters and teaching me to always wear comfortable shoes when traveling.
My father’s parents went to Atlantic City for 1 week every September for vacation. They were hardworking immigrants who were waiting until my grandfather turned the magic age of 65 to retire to do more traveling. And before he got that chance to retire, he passed away. On occasion, my father would take my grandmother to Florida for warmth and sunshine in February.
My mother’s parents also didn’t do much traveling. When they retired, as I mentioned above, they would frequently take me on vacation with them, either sightseeing or to visit my uncle, wherever he was living or working. My family did send them on a cruise for their 40th anniversary and they did go to Israel on a synagogue group trip.
When my parents became empty nesters, they started doing a bit more travel. Since they were in the tire business, they would often get an all-expense paid trip from their suppliers to various places in Europe. They also really enjoyed doing road trips across the country and they did get to Israel.
I lost both of my parents when they were young. When my dad died, they were getting ready to take a trip to Las Vegas to meet up with cousins. And my mother always talked about the cross country RV trip and the Alaska cruise she always wanted to take.
So all of this colored our views on family travel. We decided years ago, that building memories was more important than buying things and often gave our children vacations to celebrate birthdays, holidays and special occasions. We spent many winter breaks at Disney, spent birthdays in NYC and at the beach and had a wonderful time celebrating Mike’s high school graduation in London and Amsterdam. Steve and I are continuing to make a conscious effort to travel while we can, when we can.
This is why I started Personal Touch Travel Design, to help others have stress-free vacations and to build lifetime memories. And as Hans Christian Anderson said: “To travel is to live.”