“Low Cost Vacations And Family Values”
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Author: Cheryl Johnson
The Family vacation is a tradition intended to bring families
closer together and one that many of us would just not think of
giving up. Quality time for the family reinforces the importance
of family values. It's sort of a "time out" from the day to day
routine of living and growing. A chance to focus on getting to
know better those that are most important to us, our family. Of
course, how much importance you place on this event depends on
your past experiences.
In today's fast paced society a vacation just isn't a vacation
unless its costing you a small fortune to get to, and stay at,
some exotic venue that usually offers no excitement without
dishing out more money. I suggest we put on the brakes and get
back to basics. You surely won't have a better opportunity to do
so than on the family vacation.
Let's not forget that the "family" extends beyond our home
life. Most of us have family that we rarely get to spend time
with either because of distance or time issues. But, one should
always make time for family. Right? I knew you would agree!
Not trying to make you feel guilty here but, we do have a wayof letting life rush us through the years. I call it"non-intentional neglect" and most of us are guilty of it atsome point in our lives. So, let's re-invent the familyvacation to include some real quality time that reinforces thevalue of our families. Would you consider a visit to grandparents, distant uncles, ora friend's home a vacation? When I was growing up, the familyvacation usually meant visiting family members who lived somedistance away. Coming from a family of limited finances, thistradition was budget friendly yet, was sufficient to satisfyour need to escape the norms of home life.
Of course, as the teen age years approached, it became harderand harder for my mom to convince us that "we would have a goodtime" visiting the relatives. Some of which we had already spentseveral vacations visiting and had, I guess, lost theiruniqueness to us as teenagers.
That said, if any of you can figure out what makes a teenagerhappy, except socializing with their own peers, then congrats!Let me know your secret. All kidding aside, I believe that theystill enjoy the family outings but have a strong resistance toacknowledging that they are actually having fun. In otherwords, they are having fun and just refuse to admit it!
I was a single parent for many years and just didn't have themoney for Family Vacations requiring hotel stays and admissionfees. I guess I followed in my mother's footsteps in hopingthat a visit out of town would suffice. And it did. For manyyears, the Family Vacation consisted of a visit to a dearfriend or family member's home who was willing to put up withfour kids for a week. These are truly "beloved friends andfamily!"
I am fortunate to have a good friend for life who has twochildren within the same age group as my kids. Since we didn'tget to visit often throughout the year, these visits wereexciting for both my kids and hers who had become good friends.
So, by all means plan to visit a family member's, or friend's,home for a week. Young children especially enjoy these trips.They make new friends and the family ties are strengthened. This is an excellent way to reinforce family values and theimportance of keeping in touch with family members that maylive some distance from your home.
Do a little research before you go. Find out if there are anymuseums, historical sites, low cost attractions, or state parkswithin driving distance from where you'll be staying and plan tovisit. Remember to ask the family member or friend you arevisiting if they have any suggestions. Since they live in thearea, they will most likely be aware of popular spots. Askabout bowling, roller skating, or special movie nights in thearea and plan accordingly. You can even plan some game orcraft activities to keep everyone busy and having fun.
For those of you who have worn out your welcome or simply don'thave family within a reasonable distance, finding Vacation spotsthat will provide a memorable experience for everyone in thefamily can be a challenge. Especially on a tight budget. Don'tbe discouraged, it is not impossible. Plan for your vacation andinclude it in your budget. This is the easiest way to preparefor a vacation expense and take the stress out of planning.
Wherever you go, whatever you do, don't lose sight of the valueof a family vacation. Be sure to schedule quality time togetherno matter what your destination. Be safe and enjoy!
About The Author: Cheryl Johnson is a mother of four helpingherself and others become, and remain, debt free. Publisher ofthe personal finance site Simple Debt Free Living at http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com where you can find a freehousehold budget plan and a variety of money saving tips tomaximize savings
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