Our family LOVES taking trips, and one of the best parts is knowing how excited the kids get about wherever we are going! We have some trips like the beach that are traditions, and we like to have new adventures too. I try to imagine the looks on my boys’ faces when they arrive at our destination, and the great memories we will make there.
But last summer I did something so liberating and had a kid-free trip! Yes, we had our family vacation with the kids, but I also had a girls’ trip with no kids at all. When I got there I felt a little guilty, like how was I getting to sit still without preparing snacks for said kiddos for multiple days, watch non-animated movies, and just have a blast with friends? I realized that it had been a couple of years since I took a kid-free trip, and it was life-changing.
I also love it when my husband and I get to take a trip just us. Even if we just go an hour or so away, it is so refreshing to be reminded that I can get away for a couple of days and just be an adult. Plus it is great for our marriage! So much of my identity and time is wrapped up in being a mom, that it is good for my mental health to get away with my husband or with friends. And since these trips are usually just two or three days, they tend to be affordable. When I come back, I am renewed and so excited to see my kids.
So if you are debating taking a kid-free trip, go for it! I don’t replace the family vacation with it, but it is good for my mind, heart, and soul. This also gives my boys to have some good bonding time with someone else. Often times extended family like grandparents watch them for a couple of days, if we have a get-away. That gives our boys special memories and experiences with them, and they are excited to tell us all about it when we get home.
