This photo is calling my name. Do you "Vacation Dream" too? (Credit: Sandy Ravaloniaina / Unsplash.com)
It could be the disgusting “spring” we allegedly having. I’m not sure the weather even qualifies as such, and we are nearly a month into the season.
Maybe it is seeing so many families on Spring Break this week? Or perhaps I’m just overdue for a real, quality break. But whatever the cause, my mind of late has been Vacation Dreaming. I’m not sure that the practice is a normal one for everyone, but if I haven’t had a decent trip in a while, my brain starts wandering.
It's been, sadly, a few years since I really had a vacation. My ideal trips typically focus on a warm climate, with a beach, and sand, and seas, and frozen drinks with tiny paper umbrellas. That is relaxation to me. Though I love them dearly, and mine are my entire life, I long for a kid-free space, free of anyone’s babies crying, toddlers whining, and overall vacation-induced tantrums. I guess I just seek peace.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had wonderful trips with my kids, too. They’ve seen different countries, and I have loved expanding their horizons with new environments, unique cultures, and tons of fun. But, when the hustle and bustle has been especially chaotic, the daily grind has you focused on your job, and the pace of life just has you overwhelmed, I personally think it is a time for lounge chairs and sunshade umbrellas (which I’d gladly exchange them for the real ones we’ve needed in the chilly temps and wet days of late around here).
Kids or not, I just am not up for a touristy jam-packed crammed schedule of the landmark/history/educational whirlwind, nor the amusement park, water park, wild excursions type of trip. And, I’m sorry for those fans, and you know the ones, but I consider the land of over-sized cartoon mice, themed rides, and a plethora of families waiting in lines and overpaying for, well, everything, to be a true nightmare. I dubbed our past trips to such Orlando-based destinations the “Death March of Happiness. Yes, my kids love it. No, no part of those trips are for mom. (OK, maybe the bucket list goal of successfully drinking “around the world” via Epcot was for me. That was awesome.)
But, I need the beach. I want sunny weather. I would appreciate all-inclusive beverages.
Vacation Dreaming for me begins with simple daydreams. When I don’t have a whirlwind of chaos inside my head, or if I simply need to flush it out and say, go to sleep, my mind drifts into the calming, restful impact of the beach. I flash back to my best trips. I fantasize about lounging in a cabana, with staff bringing me drink refills with the wave of my hand.
I start considering countries I’ve never been to or experienced. I like Googling the best times of the year to travel. I find myself searching for the best beaches, the most affordable all-inclusive, or those “undiscovered” gems you can’t miss. I look at flight pricing trends, the best days to travel, and the most bang-for-your-buck deal offers.
From some basic daydreaming to my fun with Google searches, I typically work myself into a third stage: pretend shopping. I will build an entire trip, with dates, and flights, and times, and hotels, and even put it all in a cart to see what it goes for, including the tax and fees. I pick out the room level, the departure times, what adding travel to and from an airport would be … I sincerely plan out an entire “wannabe” vacation.
Sadly, I then close that browser, and continue with my day. It is something about even fake mapping out such a concept that fills my desire. At least … for a while …
I can feel that fourth fringe stage coming on now. We’re mid-Spring Break, and I’ve pretend-booked enough full vacations to become a very real certified travel agent. I know it’s coming … I need to make a choice.
The final stage can take me months. I will weigh the pros and cons. I will debate the price. I will consider different dates or times of the year. I will spend a stupid amount of time talking myself out of a trip, and then convincing myself once again that I deserve it.
At the end of the day, there is only one constant truth for me. I’ve never regretted a vacation. Even the worst weather, terrible travel disruptions, cranky kids, canceled flights … yes, even those lowest of the lows, were memorable trips.
I once opted to DRIVE all the way from Philly to Florida after an airline canceled our flights moments before boarding. I once spent an entire weekend inside a less-than-pleasant beach motel playing cards and laughing at ducks being the only guests to utilize the pool as the rain poured down, nonstop, the entire time.
Even those seemingly terrible experiences were memories. They were fun. We talk about them for years. We remember “the time when.” I never regret booking a trip.
Someday, I will look back and wish I’d have gone on some of my fantasy vacations. In the future, I may be too old or too ill or too broke to even consider the opportunities that I may have today. When I am on my deathbed, I can tell you one thing: I won’t wish I had saved the money. I won’t wish I’d have stayed home.
Instead, I will be kicking myself for the trips I did not take. So, when it’s all said and done, yeah … I need to book a vacation! It's time for some Vitamin "Sea."
