New Book

As a whole, in the 60s and 70s the vision of our parents was to own a second home in a resort location, with the intent to visit it whenever they could find the time. Studies have shown, that while second home ownership was not a large percentage of homeownership, the thought process was to own a small piece in a recreational area, so when they retired they would reside there in winter or summer months. This was our parents dream, to have this lifestyle. But it was not available to everyone because it was purely reserved for those that had a very high income.

I would like to take you back to the days of when you vacationed with your parents. Lifestyles have changed dramatically since the time when I was young. My parents made a very meager income so the vacations were few and far between. It wasn't that they didn't want to, or have the desire, it was purely an economic situation. Look back, remember when you where a kid. What did you and your parents experience as the ultimate vacation? As for myself, I reflect back on just one or two of the vacations that I took with my parents. I had not even traveled out of the state of Utah until I was eight years old. The one trip to California to see Disneyland and the beach, is such a fond memory and gives me a warm feeling when I think back of how much fun we had and how we bonded as a family. These few vacations, nonetheless, created treasureless memories.

Now fast-forward to today's lifestyles. I never imagined that when I had a family of my own, that I would take my children to places that I would of never dreamed of. Economics for most of us has changed. As I've surveyed a lot of my friends and neighbors, I found that most of us are doing much better than our parents could have imagined. Consider that my parents have never owned a passport, never traveled beyond the border states. Yet my children have traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, Canada, Washington DC, New York City, Boston, Italy, a cornucopia of locations around the world. They have not only read about the history of these places, but have been there and experienced them. Reflecting back, there was at least two traditional vacations with our family every year, one in the summer months and one in the winter months. Even though I had few vacations as a child, they all have significance, and bonding moments that will live on forever.

I want you to ponder this principle in your own life. If you are like me, you have a similar situation. Most of us are working hard, long hours, breaking our backs, to provide and promote vacation time with our families. Being together is the driving force for creating great moments and lasting memories.

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