Why Bother to Vacate?

It is that time of year again. The calendar has held this date for us since April when we first made our reservations. We are taking off on a summer vacation today, a yearly tradition we’ve held for several years. 

When our sons were young, our summer vacations centered around traveling to Nebraska to visit relatives or combining our oldest son’s soccer tournaments with a camping trip at a national park. These vacations were memorable and fun. They made family memories we can still share. Now though, with just my spouse and I, visiting relatives is not the primary focus and neither are soccer tournaments.  Instead, our vacations now focus on recreating in parts of Idaho we’ve never seen. 

For the Simple Fun 

Vacating our home, its comforts and regular routines in order to take a road requires commitment, communication, compromises and lots of planning. Yet even this part benefits us. 

First of all, we begin talking about our ideas for a summer trip soon after Christmas. Winter is the best time to begin batting ideas back and forth. Planning a summer trip during those long winter nights when we wonder if we’ll ever see the sun again, gives us something to look forward to. We pull out the maps and imagine where to explore next. Last winter, my husband mentioned the idea of exploring Mesa Falls, near the Teton Mountains, a majestic and favorite mountain range of ours. We made Mesa Falls our destination point.

Once the place to go was decided, we went about crafting our accommodations. Pitching a tent no longer holds favor with either of us, so we researched other ideas. We looked at teardrop campers, but decided the investment was too costly.  A pop up camper was another idea, but one that fit our budget could not be found. So, we settled on something we’ve never done before, reserving yurt. A little bit like tent camping except a whole lot more convenient. 

Though we will only be gone a few days, I know that even a few days away is enough to break our cycle of living and open us up to new experiences. We will create new memories, see new landscapes, and fill our unscheduled days with the things we like to do; kayaking, hiking and reading with intermittent naps. Even though we’ve planned as best we could, there will be a few unexpected surprises. But all in all, I am confident our little journey will unfold into adventurous fun.  

Why bother to vacate? Taking a vacation breaks up the regular cycle of life and opens up new experiences that broaden perspectives and deepen the bonds with the one(s) who are brave enough to journey with you. Happy trails.