It’s the end of the day on Thanksgiving. Our friends & family have left & the dishes are done.
Today, I watched in amazement as my teenage kids were not only engaged in something other than their phones, but were excited and enthused to be involved in conversations with friends and family who came to our home throughout the day.
- My daughter was enthusiastically telling a group of kids about visiting one of the biggest amusement parks in the world and how she and her cousin made a pact to ride the legendary 120 mile-per-hour roller coaster.
- My normally quiet son was the center of attention as he told a group of adults about SCUBA diving with sharks in Turks and Caicos…
- Although they rarely get along, watching them tag-team a story about our dive instructor in Honduras who pronounced “Joel”, “Jason” and “Julia” as “Yoel”, “Yason” and “Yulia” – had everyone laughing hysterically.
Sadly, if I traveled the way most people traveled, not a single one of the above stories would have happened (because none of them would have fit in the budget.)
And sure – I travel more because I can take my whole family on vacation for what most people pay for one person…
BUT for me – “The JGOOT Way” is not just about saving money on vacations…
- My kids are learning important skills in life (conversation and story-telling)
- They are learning about humility & compassion by visiting third-world countries
- We’re maintaining better relationships by visiting more friends and family.
- They have amazing memories that NO ONE can ever take from them – no matter what tangible assets they will inevitably lose in the future.
Today, I am thankful for you reading this right now. I hope that means you’re interested in more travel, and whether you read the free tips on my blog, are getting free trip alerts or premium trip alerts – I look forward to hearing about your next JGOOT-inspired trip. Feel free to comment below, or drop me an email any time.