A couple years ago my friend Amanda started – and posted – a list of 100 places she wants to take her kids. At the time I thought it was a great idea. Ambitious and overwhelming, maybe, but great! Maybe I could make a list of my own . . . nah. One hundred is a LOT, you know!?
But then a couple months ago, as Mark and I sat down with our calendar to plan our year (as much as anyone can plan an entire year in January), it dawned on me. We only have 12 more summers with Annalyn before she goes to college. If we take a family vacation each summer, that’s 12 vacations.
Wait! Stop the hands of time! IT’S GOING TOO FAST!
As it turns out, 100 was too many for me but 12 is not nearly enough!
After I broke the bad news of time’s passage and babies grow up and sang Sunrise, Sunset to Mark, we quit crying and started brainstorming. I Googled and clicked (and clicked and clicked), reading through list after list of “top family vacations” and “best destinations for kids.” Many of the lists overlapped, and some of the ideas were so outrageous that we could easily rule them out. We tried to be realistic while still letting ourselves dream big, and we finally came up with a list of 24 places we want to take our girls over the next dozen years.
Some of them are smaller trips, some are trips to visit friends, and some of them are long-shot, dream-big trips. Some of them are places we’ve been but want to go back with the kids (and/or each other). And some of them are simply family vacation destinations straight off those “family-friendly travel” lists. Here’s what we picked (in alphabetical order because I don’t know [if] when we’ll take each trip and it’s too hard to list them in order of awesome-ness):
- Boston
- The Carolinas
- Chicago
- Colorado
- Grand Canyon
- Gulf of Mexico beach
- Hawaii
- New York City
- Nashville
- Indianapolis
- Louisville
- Memphis
- Mount Rushmore
- New Orleans
- Orlando
- San Antonio
- San Francisco
- Savannah/Charleston
- Seattle (or maybe Portland)
- Smoky Mountains
- Southern California
- Washington, DC
- Williamsburg
- Yellowstone
This summer we’re driving to Mount Rushmore, so we’ll cross one off the list. And we’d planned a short trip to Indianapolis, too, but that one’s up in the air.
What’s on your travel wish list?
Photos by Grand Canyon National Park and Fraser Mummery.
What a wonderful way to dream!
My current goal is to be able to take my little ones to Disney in 2016. It’s got a huge price tag, so I’ve put actions to my hopes by saving a bit each month. So far, I haven’t had to raid that envelope!
Missy, it’s so smart to save a little each month. We should start a travel fund, too. Because ay-yi-yi, travel is expensive! (Especially Disney. My hope is to go when Adrienne is 5. So we have four years to save and plan!)
When I graduated from high school a friend and I went on a vacation to the UK and Paris. While we were there we met a family that was “on holiday” with their two preteen boys. They were from New Zealand and they were taking 6 weeks to tour the high points of Europe and the UK. The parents even made their boys journal every night about what they had done that day. I was fascinated by that idea way back then, and I have told my husband that I would love to do the same with our kids when they’re a little older. It may never happen, but it’s on my wish list. A more attainable wish is to rent an RV and take a few weeks to see all the lovely sights out West.
I love that idea, too!! Do you know or follow Tsh Oxenreider? Her family is traveling around the world right now, and it’s amazing to see what she and her husband do with their [little] kids!!
I need to make a list like this. I’ve hardly been anywhere myself!
Me either, Jenny. I love traveling but haven’t done nearly as much as I’d like. Two birds, one [vacation] stone with this list!
Totally going to make a list like this now. You have inspired me!
Yay! It’s been so fun to dream about all the possibilities!
I started a travel blog (along with my faith blog). It’s about travel (colorfultravels.wordpress.com) and places we have gone. There is a bucket travel list there too. The theory is to cross places off as we do it. Funny thing is, plans never seem to work out to do something on the list. Instead, we have been to The Great Smokey Mountains, which wasn’t on the list, neither was Florida. I think the point is we just GO. Spend time as a family because time is not on our side, right? We are also going to Mt. Rushmore this summer. And it’s not on my bucket list either, but we can’t wait!
Yes, yes, absolutely! Just experiencing something new or fun (or both) together, as a family, is the ultimate goal!
Sounds like some great trips! We love to travel and I blog about it often. I live in a suburb of Indianapolis, and would be happy to give you some tips or ideas of things to do while in the area. Of course you must visit the Children’s Museum, but we also have a nice zoo, and Conner Prairie in nearby Fishers is tons of fun too. So many more, just let me know where you are staying and what type of things you like to do and I’d be happy to share.