All vacations are not alike

I learned something on our family vacation last month: Family vacations really aren’t all that relaxing.

The week after Thanksgiving, we boarded the Carnival Fantasy for a five-day cruise to the Bahamas. We spent a day at the Atlantis resort in Nassau where Kate enjoyed the pools and beach areas, Clint rode the lazy river and we photographed a giant stingray in the aquarium.

We petted dolphins at Freeport and rode a boat through water so blue it didn’t even look real. Kate had a ball at Camp Carnival, a drop-off program for the kids. Clint and I enjoyed an evening alone in the dining room, and I squeezed in a little time to read and take a nap.

Did we have a nice time? Yes. Would I classify it as a relaxing, stress-free, recharge-your-batteries kind of vacation? No.

This was our first real family vacation – not counting trips to visit family or an overnight in North Carolina – and traveling with a 3 year old comes with some stresses. Now, before you call the Parent Police, I’m not saying family vacations are bad, but they are different. It’s why you should take two vacations a year – one as a family and one with just you and your spouse. They are two completely different experiences.

Just a couple weeks before our vacation, I’d spent a few days home alone while Clint and Kate visited his family in Arkansas. This was the opposite of a family vacation. It was a vacation from the family and allowed me more time to relax. There’s just something about not having to be responsible for anyone but yourself that is quite freeing.

I have no doubt there will be another family vacation soon. Kate’s at the age where a visit to Disney is on the short list. Will it be fun? Yes. Will it be stress-free? No. But that’s OK. I’ve learned what these various types of vacations mean and I need them all in my life. Plus, I have my eye on that trip to Hawaii – just the two of us.