Why Travel Is the Ultimate Glue That Keeps Family and Friends Together

I’ve done a lot of traveling over the years. One thing I’ve realized is that fun travel–whatever that is for you–is one of the greatest ‘glues’ there is for keeping you connected with your friends and family.

I shot this short video the other day in Aruba in which I talk about this concept. Please let me know what you think by commenting below.

Looking back on some of the best travel memories I’ve experienced through the years, it’s obvious to me that a big part of what makes them so special is the fact that I did share them with the people closest to me.

Had I been alone in the same surroundings I would have enjoyed myself yes, but not nearly as much. The fact that this travel was shared is both the reason I remember it so well, and the reason it was so special.

Although my daughter is now in college, it was during a trip to Florida when she was a toddler that she learned to swim. Remembering her reaching tentatively across to me in the pool, then later that week transforming into a fearless little fish, is something I will remember always.

And watching my son discover at 13 how satisfying it can be to come across a great Old World restaurant in the winding back streets of Rome, then enjoy an amazing dinner together, is another scene that will forever be etched in my mind.

Why is travel such a great way to create bonding experiences like this?

For one, travel takes you outside of the ordinary and expected, and places you together with the people you love the most in unexpected and often memorable circumstances.

While you may be able to share many great times with those you care the most about in your usual haunts and in your usual circumstances, the fact is the ‘usual’ is exactly what makes those times so forgettable. The truth is that for most of us, our day to day routines are exactly that, routine.

Contrast that with having a week to enjoy on an exotic tropical island, where your only goal is to have fun and spend time together. Suddenly dinner becomes an adventure and not just ‘the same old thing’. A trip around the corner becomes a chance to discover something totally new, even if it is something otherwise trivial. Seen in fresh light even the trivial can become memorable.

Another reason these kinds of bonding experiences are more apt to occur during travel is that travelers tend to be more expectant of them. Because we open our minds to the possibility of great moments, we tend to discover they are everywhere. For whatever reason once we are in our ordinary routines many of us tend to put the blinders on and are not nearly as receptive to the wonderful experiences that life offers us continuously.

So go ahead and open yourself up to creating more of these kinds of bonding moments with the people you love by embracing travel. By far the easiest way to make travel more affordable in order to share the world with your loved ones is to take advantage of the deeply discounted travel available through private travel club memberships.

It’s the reason I’m such a fan of hotel and resort club memberships, and why I recommend you consider your own membership.

Tags: family travel, hotel club membership, resort club memberships, travel, travel memories