When was the last time you and your family went on vacation? I'm not sure that the "Al Bundy Week in the Freezer Aisle" counts. Our last true family vacation was in 2007. We flew to Orlando, FL and spent 5 days at Walt Disney World. We scrimped and saved for this vacation. We used frequent flyer miles for at least 2 out of 3 airplane tickets. We stayed "off campus" to save money and rode the free shuttle to and from the park rather than rent a car. Even with that, I think it took us 8-10 months to pay off the resulting credit card bill. I'm glad we waited until my son was 9 years old because, at least he was old enough to remember the Magic Kingdom.
This past December we took advantage of a Groupon. We spent a night at the Westport Inn for half price. We even "splurged" and got 2 half price rooms. One for us and one for our son. Westport is not far away, an hour drive, tops. We planned to make a weekend of it. Norwalk Maritime Aquarium on the way down; use the indoor pool and workout room while we were there; A tour of downtown Westport the next day; Louis' Lunch (birthplace of the hamburger) and Ikea on the way home. The weekend was mostly very nice. We love the aquarium, Westport is a nice town, Louis' Lunch is a great place to go for lunch (once) and Ikea is, well...Ikea. Sadly, the Westport Inn appeared half renovated and the pool was not in working order. Oh well. Bonus- we found a Trader Joe's while we were down there and I happened to be carrying a gift card in my wallet.
That said, we are not a family who routinely plans a yearly vacation to (pricey) parts unknown. Working in a school system I often hear, "What did you do on your April vacation?" Hmm. How to answer? Nothing...Cleaned my linen closet...rediscovered Netflix. Hmm. Not very scintillating conversation.
So, where do I vacation? The family homestead. This is no "staycation". No, we don't stay at home in Connecticut. Each summer we venture for a week or two at a time (repeated several times throughout the summer) to my parents home on Cape Cod. We are lucky enough to have a place to stay, free of charge, in one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Every summer my parents graciously open up their house not only to me, my husband and my son, but also to my sister and her two children. We have the opportunity to swim in Barnstable Harbor, play tennis, sail, and enjoy friends, both old and new, without racking up huge credit card debt.
But living with your family is not without its pitfalls. Much like the Westport Inn, you have to take the good with the difficult. While I struggle with sharing a bathroom and a certain lack of independence/control, I'm sure my parents are feeling a lack of privacy and perhaps remembering the old adage that "guests, like fish, begin to stink after 3 days". But we all grin and bear it. I'm sure my parents are conceding much more than I in this arrangement. I'm just thankful that they are so willing to adjust their lifestyles and schedules to us each year and give us the opportunity to vacation in such a wonderful and affordable way.
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