“Would you please pass the incredible adventures?”
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I am looking forward to having my kids home from college and spending some quality family time together. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on and give thanks for the many ways we’ve been blessed. One of the things for which I’m always thankful is the time my family has spent traveling together.
I recently had the opportunity to attend the annual summit of the Family Travel Association, an organization whose motto is “Changing Lives Through Travel.” It was wonderful to be surrounded by people who share a similar view about the impact that travel can have on children’s lives. Not only did I come home with some wonderful travel ideas for my readers and clients, I also found what I think is the perfect idea for my own family’s next vacation. While reading a brochure for one of the destinations, I kept thinking about how I looked forward to showing it to my kids when they come home for Thanksgiving.
Last week the Family Travel Association suggested a great idea that I’m embarrassed that I didn’t think of myself: recommending that all families start planning their travels for the following year over the Thanksgiving holiday. I was already planning to do this for my own family, so I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought about encouraging my readers and clients to do the same.
Many destinations and tour companies have brochures which would be perfect for passing around the table after Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, if you order them right now, they might not arrive before Thanksgiving. (I am making a mental note to remind you in October next year.) But it isn’t too late to make a variation of this idea work for this year. Many of the companies have online brochures that can be printed or viewed on mobile devices. The important part is to gather the information that you want to share with your family members.
Pinterest is a great tool for collecting such information. If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I have a group board with travel ideas from almost 100 family travel bloggers. As of this moment, there are 8930 pins on it!
So here’s what I recommend:
- Make a Pinterest board called 2018 Vacation Ideas (or whatever you like).
- Look through this site, my 50 States Family Travel Destinations Group Board, and the Family Travel Association’s Idea Page and pin your favorite ideas to your board.
- Have an intentional discussion with your family over the Thanksgiving holiday about where you’d like to travel in 2018.
- After you make your decision, let me know if you would like me to help you plan your trip(s).
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
