When I began working in the travel industry, I made a promise to myself that I would take each of my parents on a trip to somewhere they had never been. In his entire 59 years (or 30, as he’d undoubtedly claim), my dad had never left North America. When the opportunity arose to travel Southeast Asia, I knew it was one we couldn’t pass up.
Your parents spend at least 18 years guiding you, hoping that one day you’ll make smart decisions and be able to impart some sort of wisdom. When you travel into the unknown together, and you both experience the destination and the culture for the first time, you enter a new realm of parent vs child, where the playing field is arguably equal.
It isn’t often that we have an opportunity to stray from the roles of father and daughter. When you travel together, you become a team. One person watches the luggage while the other figures out how to order food, you stand over a map together as lost tourists, and you run through airports together, laughing about nearly missing your flight.
One of the most peculiar things about being someone’s child, is that you unavoidably miss a huge part of this person’s life that you truly care about. All that time they spent growing up, discovering things for the first time, is something you’ll never witness. If you want a glimpse of what your dad was like when he was young and easily excited by new surroundings, travel with him. I can’t tell you how many times I heard him say, “That is so cool,” or “I didn’t know that!” I imagine he used to have that same look on Christmas morning as a child.
The experience of seeing the world with your dad goes beyond BBQs and card games and tossing a football around (not that those moments don’t hold value). Your time travelling together will be spent navigating the unknown, eating new foods (in my dad’s case, tarantula), and facing challenges like language barriers and setting up a mosquito net before bed. These are the kinds of memories you’ll cherish forever, and the best kind of quality time you could ask for.
Ready to plan your next family adventure? Have a chat with one of our travel agents by calling 1-877-967-5302 and finally book in that quality time with dad.