What Will They Actually Remember?

The constant conversation in our house is whether these trips we take are actually worth it.

And yes, I am a travel advisor who plans family travel for a living and fully believes in traveling with kids.

But the pushback I get from my husband is always the same. What will they actually remember? Is the redeye flight out of Logan worth it? Wouldn’t it just be easier to stay home?

He is incredibly supportive, but he didn’t even have a passport until we met, so his questions are valid. Traveling with kids can feel daunting. Depending on the pace and how a trip is planned, it can feel more like a trip than a vacation and sometimes not even worth it.

But here is what I see every time we come home.

Our girls talk about the trip to anyone who will listen. They start planning the next one almost immediately. Their list of places they want to explore keeps growing, and so does their curiosity about the world.

So yes, staying home would be easier. But the redeye is worth it. And they will carry these experiences with them.

The question then becomes how to plan a family trip that actually works for everyone.

In our family, we always start with a list. What does each of us want out of this trip? Where do we want to go? And just as important, how do we want to feel when we come home?

From there, I look at everything and choose a destination that checks as many boxes as possible.

Last summer, that looked like the United Kingdom.

We paired a city stay at Rubens at the Palace in London with a few days at The Newt in Somerset, where the kids spent time at forest camp while we had a proper spa day. Then we finished in Surrey with a stay at Great Fosters and a day at Legoland.

It was a relatively quick trip, but it had range. Culture in London, time outdoors on a working country estate, and something purely fun to end the trip.

And more importantly, it worked for all of us.

We had moments for ourselves, and the kids had moments that were completely their own. They made friends, explored somewhere new, and experienced things they had never seen before.

The pace was not slow, but it was intentional. We built in downtime and kept coming back to the idea that this time together matters.

That is why these trips are worth it.

They give us space to step out of our routines and experience the world together. To slow down just enough to connect, both with each other and with what is around us.

The most valuable thing I can give my family is time and shared experiences.

And that is exactly how I approach planning travel for my clients as well. It starts with understanding what matters to each person, and then designing a trip that brings it all together in a way that feels natural, not forced.

Because those are the trips your children remember.