Whenever I plan my vacations, I generally try to find places that provide unique experiences that all members of my family can appreciate.  I have learned that you can’t get five people to agree on the same thing, so I just try my best.  Kathy loves beaches and I was raised on beach vacations, but the kids aren’t thrilled with sitting on a sandy beach looking at waves.  They want things to do.  Maybe that’s just the new generation.  

            Anyway, as a Dad that tries to please everyone in the family, I tend to push toward the grand and glorious like Disney, beach resorts or cruises.  That wasn’t always easy on a single income budget, but we have been fortunate to be able to do these on several occasions.  Sometimes that meant skipping a year of vacation to make it happen.

              But one trip in particular stands out that made me feel good about the people that our kids are becoming.  On one of my grand schemes, I booked a family cruise vacation on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. If you are not familiar with this ship, Oasis class ships are the largest passenger ships in the world.  They are spectacular with activities that you would never equate to doing on a cruise ship.  It had a zipline, wave rider, rock climbing wall, ice skating rink to mention only a few. There were 7 different neighborhoods and we were not able to explore the entire ship even though we were on it for a week.  

            Needless to say, the family loved the experience, and it was one of the best vacations of our lives.  With all these great activities, I asked my kids what their favorite part of the trip was.  Everyone of them said it was the people they met.  They thought our waiter from the Philippines was hilarious because he brought Stephen every dessert option when he could not decide which he wanted.  They loved our cabin attendant from Jamaica because of her sweet spirit for Jesus, always smiling and singing while she worked.  They were amazed by the stories that our excursion guides would tell about their lives on the island.

            So, what’s the moral of this story?  Travel can be life changing.  The people you meet will give you a greater perspective about life. I am so proud of my kids for understanding the important things of life.  It’s the people you come in contact with each and every day.