We had to relinquish our summer vacation plans this year due to unexpected expenses that diminished our savings account. What we had planned was based on a previous vacation spent at the Grand Canyon and Brice Canyon with another family. That trip was an unqualified success for the following reasons:
• First and foremost – the two families are vacation-compatible, meaning that we were all flexible, tolerant, had the same goals, and enjoyed each others’ companionship
• We experienced new places – the canyons, as well as all the sights en route
• We enjoyed being with our family and friends
• We recreated – we enjoyed new activities and experiences while removing ourselves from routine. Every day brought interesting cafes and restaurants, fantastic scenery, dry desert climate, gorgeous hikes, and encounters with unfamiliar flora and fauna.
So when my husband and I agreed to cancel our trip to Glacier National Park, I was reluctant to break the news to the other family. After all, I had initiated the project, and we’d already made reservations and preliminary plans. But the news was graciously accepted, and the other family proceeded to venture ahead without us.
Which leads me to my feeling of loss. I don’t feel that I’ve gained anything, such as money in the bank. I feel that I’ve lost something of value. I’ve lost all those experiences that I mention above. The time with family – it’s so important, especially now that our boys are teens and we don’t have much time left to enjoy their company. The opportunity to explore and see new sights, to be with friends. How long will the glaciers remain? Will we be able to coordinate schedules with our friends again?
We’ve cancelled trips before, one to Spain/Portugal, the other to Hawaii. We’ve not rescheduled either one. I didn’t feel a loss with those, because the first was prior to having kids, the second was replaced with a trip to Costa Rica. THIS trip involved our friends and was a chance to repeat a wonderful experience in a new locale. I don’t really NEED a vacation. I’ve taken time off from work recently for a trip to visit my hometown, and my weekends and weeknights are filled with activity. It’s the lost chance to see a specific location with a specific family – and now that opportunity is gone. Another trip with our friends would be to a new location that they’ve not been to before. Or a trip to Glacier National Park would be with just our family, and won’t be nearly as successful.
Life is filled with tradeoffs and choices. We all accept that we can’t always get what we want. What this tradeoff has done is made me determined to start squirreling away extra funds to try to ensure we will not have to cancel any more of our dreams.
