Can I Go On A Vacation Without Having to Travel?

By Susan Schade HERWriter October 16, 2011 - 8:59pm Rate This

Photo: Getty Images

I love to go on vacations. The hard part, for me, is preparing and getting there. Traveling is the worst part. Airports, airplanes, rental cars, shuttles and more. These are things that I would do without if I could.

Last year, my husband and I were very excited to take a five day trip to Cancun minus our kids. We were meeting three other couples, who are long-time friends of ours.

Days were leading up to our departure and I was carefully packing and preparing the instructions for my mom, who was taking care of our boys while we were gone. There was a lot to do and I started to have late nights.

With the decreased nightly sleep, I remembered to double up on my vitamins. I couldn’t wait for my five day trip of drinks by the pool and fun in the sun. I was determined not to get sick.

Finally, the day had arrived for our trip. After I checked and double checked on everything for the kids, we loaded our carry-on bags into the car, grabbed our boarding passes, passports and IDs and we were off to the airport.

Traveling without kids is about a million times easier and less stressful. I was practically skipping through the airport, pulling my bag behind me as the wheels happily clicked over the tiles on the airport floor.

The whistling of the Andy Griffith song played over in my head. As I waited for my husband at the restroom, I recognized the signs of a tantrum in progress as a mother and her little boy slowly walked my way.

Her husband was far ahead of her with their other child and more bags than he could carry. He hadn’t noticed that she had stopped.

Once out of the bathroom, my husband and I rushed over to offer to help her with bags as she scooped up her son who was refusing to walk or pull his own mini-suitcase. She was incredibly appreciative of our help.

We had experienced her pain many times before and we were traveling light that day so we were happy to help. We chatted as we walked over to their gate and met up with her husband.

I handed her some lollipops, which I carried out of habit. We wished them luck on their flight and headed over to our own gate.

Rate This

0 comments View Comments

We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.