Growing up, we had a framed poster of birds flying into the sunset that said: “There are two gifts we should give our children: one is roots. And the other is wings.”
My sister and I always used to fight about who got what. We both wanted the wings. But I have to say, they’re both equally important. And I’m truly grateful to my parents for giving us both.
As a freelance writer, I get to travel for work a lot. When I have free time for personal trips, I usually travel solo to places I haven’t been to and really want to explore. But traveling with family can be some of the best types of trips.
While I can’t travel as often with them due to conflicting work schedules, we’ve had some pretty good trips over the years. Earlier this year, I traveled with my mom and nephew to Taiwan. Our whole family has gone on various road trips to Tagaytay, Baguio and around Bicol and Caramoan. Our epic trip to New Zealand a couple of years ago would not have been possible if not for them.
As a late National Heroes Day post, I’d like to make this an appreciation post to my family especially my parents, who have always supported my travel dreams. I regret how ungrateful I was of our trips when I was younger and want to thank them for all the opportunities to travel even up to now.
You know how parents can be. On road trips, they always offer to take turns driving so we can just take it easy or sleep in the car. They’ll bring you to places they think you will like, order the food you want, find a way to pay for everything and then give you extra cash to buy souvenirs. My mom, in particular, will always order extra food she doesn’t intend on finishing just so she can give it to me. 🙂
I think most of us want a chance to give back to our parents somehow. How about this year, consider the gift of travel? Memories and shared moments from a trip are priceless compared to any material gift you can buy. I think I’ll take an extra effort to spend more time traveling with family in the future. But maybe this time, I’ll let them decide what to do or where to eat instead of taking over the itinerary. 🙂
Check out this heartwarming video by AirAsia on the gift of travel. #AirAsia #DaretoDream
When was the last time you traveled with your family?