Is It A Vacation Or A Trip? The Travel Perspectives Of A Middle Schooler.
When my son was a middle schooler, travel was not at the top of his list. Playing sports and sleeping when he wasn’t in school were far more important. In his words, he just wanted to relax and not ‘do’ a lot.
Vacations vs. Trips
When I told him we were taking a vacation, he’d ask for clarification. ‘Are we going on a vacation or are we going on a trip?’ When I asked what the difference was in his mind, he was very clear. Vacations were when you relaxed. Trips were when you saw things—every day you were busy ‘doing things’.
How he saw the difference between a trip and a vacation was simple yet astute.
In my son’s adolescent mind, vacations were more relaxed and always involved some form of water (a lake, the ocean, or a pool). There might be some bike riding or hiking, but never a museum or city with ‘sights to see’. The latter was more likely a ‘trip’ with an itinerary and required a few museum entrance tickets or the like.
Having A Travel Preference
As we traveled more with our kids and ventured into a variety of places—from U.S. National Parks to European cities- I discovered something else. For our family, vacations included time outside in nature. Driving long distances in Iceland or the U.S. Southwest was relaxing. Spending time in Tuscany, Italy, with daily visits to hill towns was enjoyable. In contrast, Venice left all of us a bit dazed until we discovered a quiet neighborhood piazza with local children playing, far from the crowds and tourist sights. Venice was part of a trip.
Here are a few examples of how my son would break down our travels:
Traveling to Paris? Definitely a trip.
Two weeks driving around California and visiting a slew of places (San Francisco, Napa Valley, Big Sur, Monterey, and several National Parks)? A trip with a few short vacations (Yosemite and Sequoia NPs) mixed into it.
Cape Cod beaches and bike trail? A vacation.
Disney World? With all the lines and exhausting days? Definitely a trip.
For other families (and I can think of several), traveling to cities is the norm. They love museums, ethnic restaurants, history, architecture, and a city's vibe. These are vacations for them. I suspect that seeing wildlife up close in a National Park might be unsettling for them, and the wilderness might be a bit outside their comfort zone. My family, on the other hand, would be seeking out an opportunity to see a bear, moose, or bison in close yet safe range. For my adolescent son, visiting a city was overwhelming, or even suffocating, without a break in the countryside after a few days. And the rest of our crew was very willing to adjust because we enjoyed, and often needed, the break as well.
And that’s what I find interesting about travel preferences. One person’s ‘vacation,’ where they relax, might be another one’s ‘trip’ that requires a bit more energy or fortitude.
Words Of Wisdom
My son’s perspective on travel, and what he considered a ‘vacation’ versus a ‘trip,’ is still invaluable today. Here are a few times when his wisdom worked its way into our recent travels:
When my husband and I travel to a city, we stay a maximum of three days. At that point, we know we’ll need a break from the pace and pavement, so we plan a day tour or drive outside the city. This seems to renew our energy levels, should we want a few more days in the city. For example, three days into a one-week stay in Barcelona, we took a day tour to the Costa Brava. The week in Barcelona was filled with Gaudí architecture, paellas, and lots of walking, and we needed the day tour to the rugged coastal area with medieval villages about an hour outside the city. Barcelona was a trip that snuck in a relaxing vacation day (Costa Brava).
To celebrate our 40th anniversary, my husband and I decided we wanted some R&R. Just a resort that offered a beach, a pretty sunset, decent meals, and poolside drinks. We’d allocate one day for local sightseeing if we felt like leaving the resort. The last time we had done that type of vacation was pre-kids. Truthfully, we weren’t sure we wouldn’t get bored. But, as my 31-year-old son would say, ‘Yes, that’s a vacation!’ He was right.
