Hey Peeps!
Just the other day I was thinking if I don’t get a vaca soon, I may need to check myself into some rehab spa for the rich and famous. I know we are barely into the fall but dang y’all. I need a break already!
My friend Stephanie from militarytravelmama.com wrote this great article for me to post. I told her my readers like vacations, booze and humor. So…check it out and give Travel Mama some love on her social media and thank her and her hubby for their service in the Military!
A Holiday For The Whole Family
Skiing? In Oz? Did You Fall On Your Head?
Nobody fell on their head, in southeast Australia there are a variety of winter sports resorts, and there are a lot of ski packages at substantial discounts.
Part of your retirement planning needs to be exploring new things and trying new activities. What are you going to do, sit in the basement watching cricket all day drinking beer and grunting at the family? Well maybe you could, but after a few years you’re going to want to stretch your legs; or at least have a visit to the loo.
And as you’re shuffling up the hall, a commercial for ski slopes in New South Wales may come on, and you may say: “Now wait a tic. What lunacy is this? There’s no snow in Oz!” Ah, but there is. New machines can blanket a hillside, and the climate in the mountains of New South Wales is conducive to maintaining that soft, white, frozen blanket.
Well, you’ve got some time now, and let’s be honest: New South Wales isn’t across the world, is it? It’s practically in your own backyard! Especially if you already live in New South Wales.
Budgeted Experiences
Even if you don’t have a lot of money, you can still explore the slopes and have a new experience. And there’s nothing that says you’ve got to go down the most frightening gradients. There are all kinds of ways to relax and unwind, and you don’t have to book some ultimate vacation package to cross things off your bucket list—you don’t need Switzerland or the Colorado Rockies to ski.
Anyway, when it comes to family vacation, the fun isn’t always in the destination, is it? Granted, you want to center it around some kind of destination; but the truth is, family vacation is about being together as a family. If you’re near your retirement years, or if you’re in middle age, you’ve got to put that larger perspective to work.
The Real Mission
Remember: skiing, snowboarding, skydiving, juggling koala bears after ten pints and a whiskey—it’s all secondary to family. Unless one of the koala bears is part of the family, in which case never mind.
At any rate, the younger ones, and even some of the adult children in your home, likely won’t have their focus properly aligned. How can they? Did you when you were climbing that corporate ladder and getting all “bent out of shape” over the “little stuff”?
No! You were popping antacids and cursing a stomach that suddenly decided to quit processing food like it did in your twenties. If you were asked on vacation, you were interested in the destination, and the family interaction between point A and B was secondary—the schedule was your conquering sword!
You didn’t realize all the time that the elders in the family were only interested in spending time with loved ones—or at least, they had more interest in that than whatever activity was on the dockets.
Novel Excitement
Still, when you can put an exciting, novel activity on the docket, it acts as a failsafe. It’s kind of like a puppet politician. The president put in by the hidden entities is the trip, but it’s his policies that are the main goal of those who funded him. Well, you’re funding the “president” of the ski trip; but your primary interests are what becomes possible through that trip—connecting with the closest people in your life.
Or getting them on the right track. The truth is, love isn’t always butterflies and daytime soap opera specials. Sometimes love is a firm cuffing and a stiff argument that yields a change in attitude. Who do we hurt? The ones we love. And sometimes they deserve it—like when Junior drove the car through the neighbor’s living room and you dope-slapped the back of his head so hard you knocked his eyeballs into a New Zealand time zone. But we also treat those we love better than anyone else. We’re honest with our families.
You can’t spend all the time in the world with your family, and as you’ve reached later years, you’ve realized that certain things weren’t properly prioritized. So crack open a cold one on the slopes, talk about your family’s triumphs and fears, and make a connection in a new place full of adventure and excitement. Also, don’t forget the painkillers.
Stephanie’s Bio:
Stephanie is a military spouse and travel and food blogger who has lived in nine homes in the past ten years due to Uncle Sam. She has been blogging since 2009 and has since written for various outlets. She enjoys sharing her love of travel and adventures she shares with her family. Visit her website at www.militarytravelmama.com
