Vacation is More Than Location

By Emily King

Recently I was talking to a friend about vacations. Her family was going on a tropical vacation this summer, and they’ve been to different places every year, whether it’s a beach, National Park, or another country.

Almost every summer, we go to Dewey Beach in Delaware with my husband’s side of the family in July. It’s a week full of traditions: riding the Jolly Trolly to the boardwalk, getting fresh hot donuts from Fractured Prune, trying to take sweaty stressful photos on the beach at the end of the week. Every day is pretty much the same, we pack up and meet at the beach, stay as long as the heat allows, maybe go back for naps, movies, and some air conditioning, then out to dinner or an evening on the boardwalk. Rinse and repeat. 

My friend and I were discussing which was better, going to the same place every year or new adventures in new locations. Of course there is no right answer. I’m envious of seeing more new places, and she loves the idea of having those traditions and a place that feels like a second home. We are fortunate enough that with some planning and sacrifices, we can do both some years. There have been some years that we have skipped our Dewey vacation to go somewhere with my side of the family, or to save money and vacation days to go somewhere completely different.

It also depends on everyone’s priorities and preferences, and usually there must be some compromise. I want to see every corner of the earth in my lifetime and my husband would be content to sit on the beach with a slice of pizza. These preferences don’t make either one of us better than the other. Without my pushing, he might not have walked through the ruins of Pompei or ridden a horse in the jungles of Mexico or watched the sun set behind the Tetons. Without his insistence, we wouldn’t have the endless memories of time spent with family and watching our kids and their cousins grow and change every year against the backdrop of our favorite beach town. And watching the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean is just as beautiful as those Teton sunsets.

The hard truth is that none of us will get to do and see everything we want to. Resources are limited for most people and time is limited for everyone. 

So maybe the goal shouldn’t be to have the most stamps on your passport or an Instagram account full of all the exotic places you have been. Maybe it is to be fully present and aware of the memories you are making, whenever you get the chance to break free of life’s routines and responsibilities. You could be sitting in front of the Taj Mahal or sitting around a campfire that’s two hours from home. 

Wherever this summer takes you, whether it’s to a new country or the same beach chair on the same beach you’ve occupied for the last decade, we hope you use the time to make memories that will last a lifetime.