Courtesy of Cheryl Maguire
When I was pregnant with twins, people would say, "You're not going to be able to travel anymore." But I proved them all wrong.
My twins are now 19 years old, and we have been going on yearly family vacations since they were born. When my younger daughter came along 16 years ago, we kept traveling.
Most people assume that once your kids turn 18, they won't want to travel with you anymore, but that hasn't been the case with my children. I hope it stays that way.
This summer, we visited the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin. The reason there are two similar names listed with different spellings is that it's actually one island with two countries that have open borders. The Dutch side is called Sint Maarten, while the French side is Saint Martin.
One of my kid's favorite aspects of our family vacation was that they had their own room. Every night, they bonded by watching YouTube videos — everything from cats being groomed to gamers playing Observation Duty.
While I didn't relate to their late-night entertainment choices, I loved hearing them recap the videos over breakfast each morning, laughing about the details. Even now, six months later, they still talk about how much fun they had watching YouTube videos together.
One of our favorite activities during the trip was a nighttime swim in the hotel pool — something we've done on other vacations, too. The pool, usually crowded during the day, was completely ours at night. Swimming after sunset meant that we didn't need to worry about sunscreen or sunburns. My daughter used to be on the swim team, but we all love our time in the pool. It's definitely a memorable bonding experience and a cherished family tradition.
During our trips, I'm usually the one who plans and researches everything. But I always provide options or ask for feedback from my teens and husband.
One experience in St. Maarten (the Dutch side) that kept popping up in my internet searches was a zipline course. I was hesitant to mention it due to safety concerns and the steep price, but when I did, my adventurous teens immediately wanted to go. They justified the cost by suggesting it could be an early Christmas present. Since it was hard to know what to buy them, and it did seem like a unique experience, I gave in and let them go.
It turned out to be a highlight of the trip. My kids said it was one of the best experiences on any of our vacations.
I hope that by including them in the planning of our family vacations, they will stay interested in traveling with me.
My three teens loved Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and said it was the best family vacation and their favorite travel destination. Whether it's swimming under the stars, laughing over YouTube videos, or braving a zipline, it's the shared moments that matter most.
My daughter plans to study abroad in Italy next year. We've already begun researching where we can stay when we visit her. I hope that even when they graduate from college, they will still want to travel with us.
Who knows? Maybe one day, they'll invite me along when they have their own families. Of course, I'll join as long as they agree that I can have my own hotel room so I can watch weird YouTube videos, too. A mom can dream.
