As a DIY independent traveler, I assume full responsibility for our vacations: optimizing credit card points to purchase airfare, reserving Airbnb accommodations, verifying that sites of interest are open on the dates we schedule visits, managing domestic travel via plane, Metro, bus and Ferry. I also create the itinerary.
Over the years I've come to understand the characteristics that make for a good family vacation. These include:
- limiting ambition - one big outing per day
- limiting commute - 3 hours per day is our desired maximum travel time
- beach time - preferably a secluded spot on an island with warm, clear water
- good food - that means roasted meats for the kids and savory plant-based options for my wife and me
On our most recent trip, I added a couple of new observations to the list
- 2 hours of down time back at the airbnb during the peak afternoon heat reduces the grumpiness factor by an order of magnitude
- Where we stay matters to everyone but me
This last one was obvious in retrospect. I have no problem sharing a bathroom, and it would not bother me to reside in youth hostels (elder hostels?).
All four of us are carry-on travelers. My wife and I buy 95% of our clothing used. We are not a particularly high maintenance crew.
But part of the pleasure of the vacation, I realized, is experiencing novel living arrangements that also offer space for seclusion and exceed a threshold of comfort.
In Mexico City, we stayed in a well-located condominium in the Roma Norte neighborhood with a lap pool, ping pong table and shared roof deck. The kids didn't mind sharing a bed given the fun amenities.
In San Sebastian, in the Basque country of Spain's northern coast, we rented a zen space with minimalist decor, platform beds and a buddha overlooking the kitchen that was situated across the street from a supermarket and 3 blocks from the sand. Again, happy as clams to share a bed.
On the Greek island of Kythira, south of the Peloponnese and west of Crete, we rented a renovated cycladic home that was several centuries old, complete with the original cistern for water collection. Nobody minded climbing a ladder made of rough hewn logs to reach the sleeping lofts on the upper level.
Novelty, privacy and comfort each have their place in the three-legged stool that supports my family's memory of the experience.
I'm built differently - when traveling solo, I used to value the destination far more than the accommodations.
Now that I'm trying to savor the remaining trips before the kids leave home, what matters to me is the shared experience - enjoying their reactions more than the destinations themselves.
Which is why I keep adding to the list of course corrections I'll make for our next trip. I need to keep in mind that although we are taking the same vacation, we are experiencing very different trips based on where we direct our attention.