My husband likes to ask this question “What is your earliest memory?” My earliest memory is one of my childhood vacations with my family. We were very fortunate. My parents always took us on vacation every summer. With my mom, we went to more exotic destinations, we visited family in Europe and she saved up so we could do some exploring. With my dad it was a lot about nature vacations. Childhood travel influences have shaped how I see and cherish my travel experiences.
Nature Vacation Travel Influences
When I was little, my dad’s favorite vacation was to go camping in Upstate New York. He was perfectly content setting up a tent, cooking by an open fire and then as a family taking about a mile walk to visit our favorite ice cream shop in the area. My memory may be off a bit but I think it was $12 a day for a spot in the camp grounds.
So, camp grounds had shared bathroom and shower facilities. I was all about sleeping late during summer vacations when I was a kid. One of my earliest memories is my dad waking us up at 7am saying “Hot shower, who wants a hot shower” which basically meant if we didn’t get there in a few minutes, there would be no hot water. So, there’s one thing I disliked more than waking up early on vacation and that was a cold shower…
I look back fondly on those camping trips. Believe it or not, the day before we had to leave to go back home, my brother and I would plead with our parents to stay one more day which they usually did.
There’s something very special about being in nature. It still calms me when I am stressed and no matter how much I have seen, how many different trails I have hiked from Maui to the Alps, to the Rain Forest, I am still in awe.
Exploring in Europe
I remember so many of my trips to Europe as a child. My brother and I were very close with our grandparents so we’d spend part of our summers visiting them in Europe. My mom took us to visit these incredible castles in Eastern Europe. I remember one of our trips to the Alps, the views left you speechless. We stopped at this restaurant and took a table outside so we could take in the mountain view. The funniest thing happened, funny to us at least. The chef came out and insisted we sit inside. He said the view would distract us from the enjoyment of his food. He was a bit of an eccentric chef but I still remember that meal, it was fantastic and yes we did eat inside.
I remember our first trip to northern Italy in my teens, the architecture and history, I think that’s when I first fell in love with art. You just have to love the people there, so charming, passionate and full of life. It was a really special trip for us that I remember vividly.
How My Childhood Influenced My Love For Travel
So my travels as a child definitely influenced my need to travel as an adult. No matter how tight of a budget I was on in my twenties, I still figured out a way to travel. I still have this love for nature, different cultures, architecture and a desire to share these incredible moments with family. My husband and I share a love for travel, we have probably been to 15 or so countries together and I cherish each trip we take and feel truly fortunate.
Travel is so important for so many reasons, whether it is a quick getaway or a longer vacation, there’s nothing like it in creating these incredible moments that you look back on and feel so grateful.
We tried to bring all the things we love about travel to Nature Mystique Retreat. We hope you add Nature Mystique Retreat to your bucket list. Wherever you travels take you, enjoy every precious moment.