The first week of January finds me with Michael and Hailey, exploring the old city of St. Augustine, Florida, including El Castillo de San Marcos (the 17th century Spanish stone fortress which overlooks the St. Augustine inlet). After St. Augustine we set off driving to Orlando, for a quick visit with family. St. Augustine, located on the Florida Atlantic coast, was the first European settlement in the ‘New World’ (mainland), having been established by the Spanish in September 1565. Jamestown, the first English colony, was established years later in 1607.
What impressed me most, walking around this town, were the buildings, virtually all of which have been faithfully reconstructed to their original structures using similar building techniques and some with original building materials. Many displayed plaques mounted on their external walls – marking historical landmarks, providing detailed information about their past inhabitants, or what the buildings were used for. The information takes one’s imagination right back to 17th century Spanish colonial St. Augustine, where the community was comprised of Spanish settlers, enslaved Africans, and local indigenous peoples.
Key Change…
About a year ago, after our family’s return from a fun road trip of the Southwest, I headed back to the Middle East, followed a few days later by two of our sons. In the past we’ve almost always travelled everywhere as a family of six. In recent years however, that has changed; the kids are now older, and logistically it’s no longer practical to always have the full family vacationing together. Over the last two years for example, apart from my solo trips, I’ve taken trips with varying combinations of family members: couples trips with Michael, or just with my daughter Hailey; with Michael and our son Aiden – two summers in a row to Switzerland & Germany; numerous trips to the UAE with all four, or combinations of two or three of our kids. When you’re used to traveling with the whole family it’s sometimes hard to shift gears and make adjustments feeling comfortable leaving part of the family behind. Traveling without the entire crew often fills me with nostalgia. It’s the same feeling of melancholy, even sadness felt at the end of the kids’ hockey season, or when they leave home for college. You feel somewhat caught off guard, like an empty nester who hasn’t done enough planning for the dreaded day.
Dubai, UAE 01/2018
Tips – for families with adult kids
- Keep in mind that planning a family vacation can be a lot of fun, but also takes much work, regardless of whether you’re traveling internationally, or within the US.
- If planning a trip where not the whole family will be joining, be sure to take the time to mentally get yourself in the right frame of mind to be able to plan and enjoy the vacation with the ones going.
- If possible, organize at least one trip a year for the whole family to be a part of. Give ample advanced notice to allow the adult kids to hold the date.