This is something that’s been on my mind for a while. As you can no doubt tell, I love traveling. My family loves traveling……..but…….traveling is not glamorous (despite what you might see on social media), it’s not easy, and it can be messy. Adjusting to time changes, lost luggage, lost strollers, and getting sick are just some of the casualties from traveling. So here it goes. Today I’m keeping it real. The travel edition.
For every picture perfect family photo you see on social media, there are dozens of photos that are not so picture perfect. Are you familiar with kids who don’t want their pictures taken during a family photo? Or kids who have at some point thrown themselves on the floor in protest? What about when you are stuck in traffic, with nowhere to go, when your child tells you he/she has to go to the bathroom? Or when you wait in line in a drive thru for 30 minutes, and you are finally handed your food….and it turns out to the be wrong food but you don’t realize it until you’ve driven away because you couldn’t wait to get out of there?
And then there’s traveling internationally, waiting in to get through airport security, and being sent to a secondary search because the cheerios in your child’s stroller tested positive as a “suspicious substance.” And because you have to be searched again, and you have to answer extremely personal questions, you almost miss your connecting flight. Or when you hire a house sitter to watch your house while traveling internationally, and you realize that your husband gave the house sitter a key to the house that doesn’t work. And as a result, she can’t get inside the house. So you have to call a 24 hour locksmith.
And that doesn’t include getting sick while on vacation. It’s happened to me more often than not. Two of my more painful experiences while traveling: suffering from immense pain thanks to a large kidney stone that ultimately needed to be surgically removed, and having a doctor treat me at a hotel in Paris during a study abroad program. For whatever reason, all I could think of was Jim Morrison, buried at a cemetery in Paris. And I desperately hoped that I wouldn’t end up with with the same fate. Despite being sick during portions of that particular trip, it still ranks up there as one of the best experiences of my life.
These are all things that have happened to me and my family, and then some. And that, my friends, is real life.
So what finally prompted me to sit down and write this article? My family and I just returned from an amazing trip. Unfortunately, though, I became sick on the last day of our vacation. Our flight home was, to put it mildly, not pleasant. The pressure in my ears was so bad that they felt like they were going to explode as the plane landed. And, when we landed and I went to collect our luggage at baggage claim, I found out that the airline lost one of our suitcases. With my prized Mickey ears.
The feeling that you get when all the bags have picked up from the conveyer belt, and you’re missing a suitcase? I’m well familiar with that feeling.
A few days later, I was scheduled to hop on another plane, to attend another conference. From one coast to another, in a span of two days. I couldn’t do it, though. My body was tired, I didn’t feel good and I needed to rest. So I had to make a difficult decision. I cancelled. And spent the next couple of days just trying to recuperate. It turned out that it was the right decision. I ended up with a sinus infection. But I’d do it again a heartbeat.
Why? Because for all the things that can go wrong, there are also the things that go right. Like the memories I have of time well spent with loved ones. Or learning about different cultures and bonding together as a family. Teaching my son that there’s a whole lot of world out there, and we are just a small part of it.
So why don’t I post more about it? Because, for the most part, I try to remain positive. And despite the fact that traveling is not easy, it’s worth it for the reasons I mentioned above. My purpose in writing this is not to discourage families from traveling. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s realizing that you are not alone despite what social media shows and/or tells you.
Traveling has taught me great life skills, and I want my son to have that same foundation. He knows what it’s like to work together as a family, from helping with his suitcase, to extending kindness to fellow travelers.
And speaking of kindness, if you happen to be traveling on a plane with a family with young children, try to be patient. Try to be kind. Because more often that not, that family is really trying to get through the flight without disturbing others.
By the way, remember my missing suitcase with my prized Mickey ears? It was eventually located. It decided to make its way to Portland from Denver before it was discovered. Maybe that’s a sign that Portland should be on our list of cities to visit 🙂
What are some of things you’ve experienced while on vacation?
You are so right. Good article.