James AquinoWorking as a travel writer with a full-time job can be demanding, especially when your ideal travel dates don’t align with your work schedule. I only began travelling a few years ago, but it quickly gave me a fresh perspective. I’ve come to realise how much of the world there is to explore, and that countless adventures are waiting for my family and me.
Family trips, both international and local, can broaden the perspective of any child or family member. This time, I sent my wife and daughter to a trip to Japan to visit Tokyo and the Tokyo Disney parks. This was my daughter’s first time to visit the country, and it was her fourth Asian country to visit that time. I want her to have an immersive cultural experience and at the same time have a wonderful experience while visiting her second Disneyland, with Hong Kong Disneyland being the first.
During their five-day trip, I was able to learn several things that made this project truly worthwhile. It was actually surprising for me because I thought she will just love the sights and sounds, but my daughter having a trip with her mom yielded more than that.
The vacation is like a personalised field trip
When I sent my wife and daughter to Japan, I just wanted them to experience another type of culture. It was like a field trip on a personal level, where they got to have the first-hand experience of being there. My daughter saw how busy Tokyo was and how odd it was to listen to Japanese people for the first time. Vacations like this make children curious, so much that they want to learn more. On her second day, my daughter was already bugging my wife to teach her some Nihonggo because she wants to know what other people were talking about.
The vacation had its great way of sharing funny and memorable moments
Even the most experienced traveller can get lost sometimes, and that is often the most memorable. Getting lost, or having bloopers along the way, makes the trip lighter and less stressful, especially for the overcritical travellers. Funny moments remind us to loosen up sometimes and just let the vacation take its course while enjoying the moments that you’re there.
The vacation promoted a tighter family bond
Although I wasn’t there, the trip made the mother-daughter relationship deeper. They laugh more often, they are closer, and they are like best friends. Because trips like this encourage reliance and dependence at the same time, it promotes trust and love between the family members in the trip. They enjoy the journey more, and they learn something new not only about the country but about themselves as well.
Family vacations are priceless
Even if you put expense into the equation, any vacation will pay for itself. You are paying for the experience, and for that, you get to experience something priceless. This is the main reason why I strongly encourage my friends to travel often, not because it is a mere visit to another destination, but because it offers something holistic, immersive, and memorable.
If your time doesn’t permit you to go and travel to another place, why not visit it through your loved ones’ eyes? Who knows, it can be something meaningful not only for you, but for the family member or friend that you will send for the trip.
