The Summer Vacation Experiment

Summer vacation has always seemed for me a tension between adventure and tradition. We seek out new experiences but we also return to places visited before—whether out of routine, obligation or fond memories.

After marriage and child, it seems as though the tension of the summer vacation only increases. We have grandparents or other forms of extended family to visit. We may have places we visited with our own parents which we now want to share with our children. But often, as a couple, my husband and I left summer feeling less rejuvenated and more drained. A result of having to manage a variety of competing expectations and plans from our families.

Last year I wrote about a new take our family had on the summer vacation. I spoke of redefining your time visiting with extended family as “family time” and lowering the expectations that this be considered restful. I also mentioned that we now reserve “vacation” for other times of the year when we go away just the three of us.

The new summer experiment
This summer we are experimenting a bit more with the concept of a ‘mini-vacation inside the family time.’ Here are two ways it could look.

Scenario 1: Let’s say you are heading ‘home’ to see your folks with your family in tow. You carve out 2 or 3 nights where you, your partner and your children escape somewhere nearby your parents home to have a little respite. In our case we are going to sneak across the border to the Thousand Islands in Ontario for a reunion with some of my oldest girlfriends while we are visiting my husband’s folks in Maine. Just two nights but enough to generate some excitement about a moment away. We are also booked into a remote lodge in southern Alberta for 2 nights when we go home to see my folks in August. In both cases you take advantage of being home with family to do something new, create your own traditions, but also manage to spend quality time with your folks.

Scenario 2: Invite friends to come visit you when you are visiting family. This summer we are lucky to have some close friends who will drive from Montreal to Maine to visit us while we are visiting my husband’s folks. The best part is that our house is under renovation and we intend to make it a big camping adventure for the two families. What is nice about this scenario is that it creates new memories and traditions for you and your family in places already full of familiarity and tradition.

Finding that sweet spot
I’ve struggled for a while to find that sweet spot between summer as a time of reflection and relaxation versus a time of stress, long road trips and obligation. I can’t say I am quite there yet but the key is continuing to experiment and being hopeful that one day a formula will stick.

Would love to hear how you manage your summer. Drop me a line.