Life is short and vacation time is limited. Children grow fast, and before we know it, we never got around to all those”things” we wanted to do. At least that is my big fear. This is why it is so important that we prioritize the places we want to go and the things we want to see together. Have you set your list of travel goals yet?
By taking less than thirty minutes as a family to discuss the experiences you want to share together, you can create some tangible goals that will enrich the limited time you have together. Plus, help you finally get to the places that have been calling your name all these years.
The Bucket List vs. The Travel Goal
You might say, I already have a bucket list in mind.
But, what is a bucket list anyway? I definitely had one, but I am beginning to despise that term. What is it even? All the things you want to do before you kick the bucket? Kind of depressing if you ask me.
There is something about the term bucket list that makes me feel snarly inside. I can feel my lips turn up as I am writing it now. We might even call it a pet peeve of mine.
But, a travel goal! Aha! It feels light. My mouth is in a grin. My mind wanders off to all the places that might make my heart flutter. I breathe in deep and my eyes widen with the possibility of the world. Where is that for you?
Travel Goals Feel Proactive Where The Bucket List Feels Passive
I sat down recently and really thought about all the things that my family has talked about doing in the last few years. England, The Northern Lights, Key West, the Keys to the Kingdom Tour at Disney World, and so many other places.
We have been Disney World Passholders for years now, and while we will always love Disney, is going there again going to help us save the money and bank away the time to go to England?
I decided to get deliberate. To figure out what our priorities are and to set those intentions out in order to actively start saving, planning, and making travel goals happen.
Two Types of Travel Goals You Can Make
Long-Term Travel Goals
Our Long-Term Travel Goals really aren’t for that long in the future. We are making them for 3-5 years from now.
Kids grow so fast, and while some of these places will stay with them, some of them may be of priority for us RIGHT NOW.
For instance, I am confident that Ruby will fall in love with England, but her interest in the country, specifically London, surrounds around her love for Doctor Who.
Hunter really wants to go to Egypt and see the pyramids. I can visualize us going at some point, but I personally would like him to get a little more experience traveling internationally due to his sensory differences.
While travel teaches resiliency, it would be great to get some smaller-big trips under our belt first.
Gasp! The kids don’t even have passports, yet. Maybe that should be goal #1 on the short term list.
Short-Term Travel Goals
For short-term travel goals, we are looking at the year and even seasons ahead. You don’t have to look outside of the general vicinity of your home city to explore and adventure. Think about playing tourist in your own town. What museums have you always wanted to visit? State parks? Is there a National Park nearby? What about a concert or show coming to town?
If you have limited vacation time or funds, here is a good way to explore a lot around you:
This summer we made a list of all the things we wanted to attempt to accomplish in order to make it an epic summer. There were about 30 items on the list from simple things like swimming in the pool with our cousin to going to Frost Science Museum in Miami to visiting a cool new indoor play place that had just opened. It was so nice to have the list to refer to when we were out of ideas and didn’t have a specific agenda – we instantly had something to spark our interest. And, I am pleased to report that we marked almost everything off our summer adventure list. Thanks, Lauren G. for the great idea of making the summer adventure list.
What Committing to my #50by40 Travel Goal Brought Us
Travel and change are really good for my heart. It’s who I am. So, this Fall I recommitted to a goal that I made back in 2009. The goal is to go to all 50 States. The goal has been modified to go to all 50 States by the time I turn 40 in 2021. #50by40 Whoop, Whoop!
I spent the month of November of 2018, knocking off States #48 and #49 – Kansas and Nebraska. I now have one more State to go and almost 2 years to make it there.
Do you know what State #50 will be? It’s sure to be a goody!
If I hadn’t committed to reaching this travel goal, I would have easily flown to Denver, Colorado for the FABLOGCON, a food allergy conference for bloggers, instead of driving from Florida to Colorado with three young kids on my own. But, in lieu of a weekend of education and time alone, I gained all that and much more, by taking on this challenge to reach my #50by40 goal. Plus, my kids have traveled to over 25 States themselves.
I love having travel goals, now. Not only do they make me want to be competitive with myself, but they help me to prioritize our time and funds. I can budget and plan and manifest these trips and experiences. As I talk about them, our children get involved with the planning and excitement. They start making their own travel goals and plans.
Stay tuned for a great recap of taking my 3 kids on a 5,000-mile U.S. road trip, and details of all the cool places we found along the way.
What is on the top of your travel goals list?