With summer vacation just around the corner, Friday being the last day of school here, I have begun to brainstorm ideas for some good summer bonding between my adopted stepson and myself. Our relationship has come a long way over the years, and with him turning sixteen at the end of this year, I know that our time for making summer memories is limited. Soon he will be involved in his own little life, and hanging out with mom isn’t going to be high on the priority list.

Usually during the summer, I take the boys on a vacation, just the three of us. It gives us some extra time to ourselves, Dad some nice quiet time, and since Dad stays home, we don’t have to board any of the pets, which is also a big bonus! I have a few friends out in California that I would love to see, and have been kicking around the idea of taking the kids to meet one of them, and to revisit the other. They have enjoyed their previous trips to California, and since we have yet to visit a west coast theme park, perhaps Disney would be a good bonding trip.

With several different choices when it comes to how we would travel across the country, I have spent the last half of the day going over the pro’s and con’s of each, weighing not only travel time and expense, but how much bonding time the trip would give us. For instance, while traveling by plane would be the fastest way to get from point A to point B, none of us would speak to one another on the long flights. Between our ears being clogged, the noise of the plane and other passengers, none of us can hear what the other is trying to say!

Driving across the country is something that I have always wanted to accomplish; yet the rising cost of fuel is most certainly a factor that may squish that idea before it ever really gets off the ground this year. While the trip would definitely give us plenty of time to talk to one and other and sight see, I am left to wonder if it would drain our pockets as well as our patience before we ever even made it to the halfway point!

The last option, which we are currently considering for cross-country travel, would be the train. Cheaper than airfare, and faster than doing the trek by car, it seems to be a nice meet in the middle of the two other options. My adopted stepson has an extreme love of trains and I know that he would get a huge kick out of riding one across the country, however I am not so sure that my five year old would be too happy with how long he would have to stay in his seat!

Anyone have any great travel stories? What trip stands out in your mind as the best family vacation that you have taken?


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