There’s an old saying, “A change is as good as a holiday.” And I get it. I really do. But sometimes you just need an actual break! And that’s okay too.
It wasn’t until I was two vodkas deep, swinging in a hammock with a book in hand, listening to my kids scratching in the sand for coconuts that I realised we’d been missing something.
Between the sport-session shuffles, the school runs and shouting over shoes, my family had lost its ‘spark’. The sense of fun, giggles and silliness that makes us, us.
Thankfully, family holidays have changed all that. Here’s how.
1. Rethinking the rush
It’d been pushed aside and put on hold while we got *things* done. REAL things, like meeting work deadlines, finishing off homework and cleaning the kitchen.
But travelling and (gasp!) relaxing together during our recent holiday to Fiji served as a handy reminder that maybe the ‘real things’ are not the most important or pressing things in life.
2. Good things take time
Words like ‘hurry’, ‘c’mon’ and ‘let’s go’ littered our conversations at home (if you could call them that), so the transition into ‘Fiji time’ wasn’t instant for me. I had to ease myself into it like a warm bath.
It was when we boarded a bus for a day trip (without a queue in sight) that I really started to understand it. This laidback sense that everything was going to be as it was, regardless of rushing, without being harried or pushed. Things that are meant to happen, just… do.
3. Hello, you!
And so, I gave up on the notion of being a stressed, flapping parent trying to herd three kids while travelling. Instead, I did nothing. Well, not nothing. I poured myself a drink, picked up a long-neglected novel, and headed outside.
That’s where the holiday really started for me (and the kiddies too, if I’m being honest). Once I realised I could let go of the reins and that we wouldn’t fall apart, I was liberated. I was me.
4. Reconnecting and recharging
Often, your loved ones get the worst of you. But on holiday, they get the best version of you there is.
The one that has a ready smile, the one that thinks cake for breakfast is an awesome idea, the one that dives head-first into the ocean without so much as a toe dip.
It’s what makes travelling as a family so special.
5. The ultimate souvenir
I didn’t want to wait for another family holiday so we could all hang out together as our best selves again. So, I figured I’d pack a little ‘Fiji time’ into my bags and haul it on home with me.
I can honestly say it’s changed our whole family for the better. Without that experience of travelling, relaxing and just being together, we never would have known what a massive difference a small shift in mindset and attitude can have in our everyday life.
PLAN YOUR FAMILY GETAWAY
