Whatever Happened To The Simple Family Vacations Of My Past?!

Somehow, another school year has come and gone. Even though it felt like this year would never end, it came—swiftly, and with it, the hustle and bustle of planning this summer vacation. Growing up in the 90s in a firmly middle-class home with a big family, annual vacations were never a guarantee. But apparently, these days, that’s changed.

Before I had even decided whether or not vacation was something we could swing this year (yes, inflation and unpredictable world chaos got me too), the requests started pouring in from my tween and teen. And let me tell you: some of these destinations are places I’ve never even been as a grown adult (with an adult job and, you know, adult money).

From Cali to New York, Florida…even international travel was floated as an idea. I wondered where in the world these requests had even been inspired by. Noting the visible confusion on my face, my kids clarified where their inspiration came from—classmates, of course, and tales of their own summer adventures. Apparently, Isabelle is going to California. Kayla is going to Hawaii, and Frankie—he's going to Italy!

Since before spring break (which also hosted a complex debate about why we didn't jet off out of state and merely took a daycation to a big nearby city), I've been hearing my kids compare our summer break plans to all their friends.

Of course, it’s not just the kids IRL friends who seem to be taking what I consider to be extravagant summer vacations. It’s the families they see on social media. Comparing our real life to the vloggers they enjoy so much has given rise to complex emotions and even more difficult conversations—needless to say, there's been a wild ride of emotions.

I’m one of four siblings from a Midwestern family who grew up taking minimal, not extravagant, summer vacations—that is IF we even took a vacation. We definitely didn’t travel from coast to coast, and sleepaway camps were never a consideration (or in the budget). Truthfully, most of our summertime was spent visiting extended family in surrounding states, no more than a hop, skip, and a five-hour car ride away. There was no luxury hotel—we stayed in spare rooms or piled the cousins into a finished basement.

Exclusive, influencer must-visit hot spots weren't a thing—the fam showed us around their city and shared the best-kept local gems. But best of all, there are a million out-of-focus, not perfectly posed, in-the-moment polaroids to commemorate these trips. The core memories of lazy summer days hanging out with family mean more to me than any trip to an exclusive destination, and that’s what I want for my kids.

Of course, the other part of me wants to stretch my dollar past its limits and consider keeping up with the other families with over-the-top trips. It’s hard to say no to your kids (especially when what they propose sounds pretty great). But what I also know to be true is that spending a chunk of savings on an all-inclusive trip means there are a whole lot of things we won’t be able to do when we get there. What good is going somewhere when all you can afford is a place to stay and don't have extra to see the sights and enjoy the experiences?

I know the sting of being the only one in my friend group who didn’t jet off here or there. I remember feeling angsty and overly jealous of the picture-perfect Polaroids my friends showed off in their scrapbooks when we got together for back-to-school shopping—it sucked at the time. But in the end, the world kept turning.

There will be a time when going on big trips will make more sense for my family. High school and college graduations are coming up (sooner than later), and big milestones like 16th or 21st birthdays would be prime opportunities to splurge, not to mention giving me a little more time to save. Logically, I know this is the right choice, and not just financially… It’s the right decision for my family.

Planning a summer vacation with tweens was a lot harder than I thought, but in the end, this year, we’re striking just the right balance. We’ll be road-tripping a few states over for a cousin's first birthday weekend. We'll see the sights, do some fabulous shopping, but most importantly, spend time with family that we haven’t seen in ages. Teaching my kids that there is more to building core memories than buying an expensive family vacation is the ultimate win for me.

Time flies. There will be plenty of years to go on a different kind of summer vacation when my kids are older. But for now, I’ll deal with the complaints and the comparison, the groans about how boring this summer will be. And years from now, when we reminisce about all the incredible memories we made in St. Louis over the summer of 2025, I will smile—and do my best not to throw out an I told you so.

Holly Garcia writes about parenting, mental health, and all the lifestyle things. She hails from the Midwest, where she’s raising her daughters and drinking copious amounts of coffee.