How Important Are Family Vacations?

It is summer already, and yet we are still uncertain if the next couple of months are going to be spent in quarantine or at the beach; the pandemic has forced us all to reach into our memories and pull out the boxes labelled “Vacations”. In the face of uncertainty about the near future, almost everyone is remembering past vacations that they have had with their families and friends, the fun they’ve had, the good food they’ve eaten, the new things they’ve learned and tried, the new people they’ve met, the sights they’ve seen. Some are even going back through vacation pictures and photographs that they might have in order to feel a “recycled” excitement that they felt and conveyed in those pictures. What is happening to us right now, is showing how important vacations are in helping people bond together over experiences and memories, even after those experiences are over. Although it might seem like something minor that most of us just do every year, vacations, and especially family vacations, are a very important ‘tool’ that help forge stronger bonds in family relationships.

A family vacation is a means of bonding between family members; the trip (wherever that may be to) helps create memories and experiences that bring people together and enables them to have something ‘extra’ in common that relates them to each other. It is important to be noted that as long as the whole family goes through the entire process together, starting from packing to the entirety of the trip, and the “burden” does not fall upon one member only to take care for everything, then the experience will have positive effects on everyone.

A family’s vacation does not have to be expensive or luxurious in order to be memorable and enjoyable. Even a short trip consisting of simple accommodation, and daily picnics or activities in nature can have a great positive impact on family dynamics; it is not the material elements that make it memorable. So, even if the economic means are not ideal for a two- week “dream” summer vacation, there are three reasons why a family should consider a vacation either way, even a more tight-budget one: they will have a change in their daily routines, they will have the opportunity to create memories and bond together, and it will be a learning opportunity for everyone.

Here’s why each of these elements is important: the first one is the family’s opportunity to change routine. Daily routines can become monotonous, as well as physically and mentally tiring. Parents have jobs, responsibilities, children to take care of; and even for the children, school may become tiring, the workloads are stressful, and so everyone needs an opportunity to unplug from these daily pressures and enjoy each other. Getting away from home, even to a nearby city or village, or going to a park or camping, these are all ways a family can have a relaxing and fun-filled vacation. Studies show that vacations help people relax, and this helps increase their productivity, happiness, and family relationships.

Secondly, vacations have been found to be impactful elements in the strength of family relationships. John McDonald, the director of a charity organisation that creates vacation opportunities for families in financial struggles, has also conducted research on the effect of vacations in families. This is what he has to say about their findings, “We consider these [Vacations] to be a ‘happiness anchor’ – reflecting on our happiest memories of joyful time spent together as a family can be extremely powerful in bringing relief and respite when faced with the darker times that life can bring.” This is exactly the place we are finding ourselves today; an uncertain future, sickness all around, dark socio-political times all around the globe too; so, what we can do for ourselves and each other, is to turn to happy memories that can help us remember the light in the middle of darkness. We can get motivated and positive about the future, if we remember that good times have been with us, we have had opportunities to spend fun times with our families, we have had the chance to get to know each other (family members) through adventures, new experiences, and fun-filled days.

These fun-filled days, the study found, were also a great learning opportunity for everyone, both children and parents. Especially for children, it has been found that during vacations they exercise parts of the brain that they do not usually exercise in their daily routines; this has shown that vacations help children’s brain development through playing, and learning in a different way. Children learn not only new information, but they also learn how to physically ‘handle’ nature; running, climbing, swimming, are all activities that tremendously help a child’s development. Parents can also acquire new information alongside their children during vacation, be it in a new culture, language, nature, physical activity, planning, or experience. Wherever we go, learning opportunities are endless as long as we seek them around us.

In conclusion, the benefits of having family vacations are both in relationships between family members, as well as intrapersonal to each individual. Having experiences to bond over, memories to share together, as well as helping a child develop new skills in learning, communication, physical abilities, intelligence, problem-solving skills, human relations, and much more, are all elements that are beautifully woven in a family vacation. There is no formula that shows what the perfect vacation should look like for everyone because each family is different and they function differently; the important thing to note is that having a family vacation is worth it and valuable to everyone. As psychologist Oliver James beautifully and simply explains, "Family holidays are valued by children, both in the moment and for long afterward in their memory.” This stands to show that vacations are not a one- time experience and a waste of money; rather, they are an investment that you make in people, relationships, memories, your children, each other, and the future. 'Till next time...