Travels, trips, vacations, holidays. No matter what you call it, one of the bright sides of a childless life is the ability to get out of town whenever you like! We don’t have to worry about scheduling around school breaks. Because we aren’t saving for college, many of us have extra money to spend on get-aways. Yes, we have fur babies to take care of. But there are in-home puppy sitters, and four-legged kiddos don’t get jealous that Mom and Dad want a weekend away by themselves. For all these reasons and more, many childless that I know truly enjoy the “good thing” of travels . . .
When I was younger, I did not like to vacation. My stomach would get upset, I hated the change in routine, and I annoyed my Dad more than once with my desire to just stay home…
I didn’t begin to truly love travels until my hubby and I started taking trips together. We are super organized and super scheduled in our day-to-day lives. But when we get out of town… Those moments are when we can relax, explore, and simply enjoy being together. We eat at odd times, take detours to check out sites that look interesting, and don’t stress too much about when we go to bed or get up. When we get away, it is truly a time of embracing the what is and enjoying our life, enjoying each other.
We took full advantage of this last Thanksgiving and went to New York City for an entire week. It was the first time we had been away from Maddie over Thanksgiving holiday, which made me a little sad. But we made sure she got to play with other puppies and asked that she be given a special treat on Thanksgiving Day. My hubby promised me that we would cook a full Thanksgiving meal when we got home and celebrate with our fur-baby. He assured me that Maddie simply wanted turkey. She really didn’t care what exact day she got to eat it!
Knowing this to be completely true, I packed us up and we headed to the Big Apple. It was the most incredible trip! We got to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live and in-person (including Hello Kitty!) Thanksgiving evening, we took a dinner cruise and saw the Statue of Liberty while eating our meal. Plus, NYC was already decorated for Christmas, so we walked for hours, looking at Christmas displays in the windows of department stores and checking out Rockefeller Center. We did what we wanted, when we wanted. And it was glorious!
Last week, my hubby graduated with his MBA. (You can read more about that here.) And this week, we are off to England to celebrate! He has always wanted to visit the UK, so we decided to just do it! We have a twelve-day road trip planned, and I cannot wait to experience these travels with Dane. He truly is my best friend…
Yes, travels are definitely a bright side of being childless… But honestly, traveling this life with my husband, making it through a ten-year infertility battle, helping each other accept a childless life, supporting one another as we reach for our dreams, encouraging each other to embrace our roles as pet parents and host parents… That travel, that trip is the best.
So, even though life didn’t turn out exactly like we’d planned, let’s just enjoy the trip. Let’s find an amazing travel companion—whether that be a life partner, a supportive family member, an amazing friend, or a loving fur baby—and just see where the road takes us.
You know, when we were in New York, we went to Rockefeller Center to see the big tree. Unfortunately, it wasn’t decorated yet, which was kind-of a bummer. Instead of being irritated, however, we decided to just take a stroll and look at the lights. While walking, we came across a crowd and realized that the big reveal of the Christmas windows at a major department store was going to happen in just a few minutes. So, we stayed to watch it! We didn’t plan it. We didn’t even know it was going to happen. But it was the most incredible experience and something I will never forget!
We are on a path we didn’t choose—the childless path. We can focus on the tree that isn’t lit up, totally bummed that we don’t get to see those twinkling lights… Or we can keep on moving, take a stroll, and stumble across some of the most incredible moments of our lives…
It’s all a matter of perspective, fabulous ones. I hope that you will embrace these travels, your travels… Because some of the best things in this travel called life are the unexpected…
What’s the most unexpected good thing that’s ever happened during your travels? Tell us about it in the comments!
*On a side note, this blog didn’t turn out anything like I originally expected it would. While writing, I realized how much I love traveling this life with my husband. And while reminiscing, I realized how much I loved that unexpected moment on our NYC trip. I am a planner by nature, but sometimes, I just have to go along for the ride… Embrace the unexpected and find the bright side…
Featured Photo: Chatree Petjan on StockSnap.io
