I have been blessed to have traveled to some wonderful places--Mexico, New York, London, Paris. But my most meaningful vacation memories have been with family.
Regular summer trips to Panama City Beach, Florida when I was a kid will always be near and dear to my heart. I loved PCB back in the good ol' days before all the high-rise condos completed ruined the beach. I loved that my parents always made sure we got to go regardless of how tight their money was and we always managed a room in a hotel directly on the beach. Trips usually included a trip to Miracle Strip Amusement Park or Petticoat Junction and Shipwreck Island. We play on the beach all day eating chips, sandwiches and snack cakes. Sometimes dad would get donuts for breakfast. We never cooked. At night we would go out to eat somewhere. My mom always liked to eat at places by the water. Afterward, we'd ride go-carts, play putt-putt golf or visit the arcade. Then my sisters and I would curl up in the bed watching cable TV which we did not have at home while my parents sat on the patio with cocktails and beer.
I loved every moment of those beach trips; the anticipation of the ride down there--passing every landmark we had memorized from the year before, finally crossing the bridge from PC to PCB and seeing that amazing beach tower. The sunburns, water up our noses, chlorinated water from the hotel pool turning our blonde hair green, the salt in our eyes, the sand in our crotch and the freezing hotel room because my dad refused to turn down the air conditioner (which we also did not have at home). And as long as it took as to get to the beach in the first place, the few days spent there would soon be over and the ride home not nearly as long as the ride down.
As the years went by and hotels were torn down to make room for expensive condominiums, the price of rentals went up and my husband and I were not always able to afford yearly beach trips for our kids but we went as often as we could although by this time we preferred Gulf Shores to PCB.
My two favorite vacations with my kids were Disney World 2002 and Gatlinburg 2002. We planned our Disney trip carefully and waited until our youngest was at least 4 so she would get some enjoyment from it and perhaps remember the trip one day. We spent a day in Magic Kingdom, a day of rest and leisure at the hotel, a day at Universal Studios, another day off and the final day at Animal Kingdom.
Later that year, Dylan's football team took a trip to play in a tournament in Gatlinburg over Thanksgiving and my kids got to see real snow for the first time. They were so thrilled and the girls both remarked at how it was "better than Disney World!". We stayed at a hotel overlooking a small creek that ran alongside the road in Gatlinburg, drove up through the moumtains, visited the Aquarium and Dollywood and just enjoyed our time. Of course we watched football, both Bama and our son, and had a great time.
I think I'll always have wanderlust. There isn't anywhere I wouldn't go (except maybe Afghanistan!) and I usually enjoy myself. But what makes trips enjoyable is not really the destination. It's your travel mates.
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