The Importance of Savoring the Moment on Your Next Trip

In a rush to see as much as possible during your travels, it’s sometimes hard to remember the purpose of a vacation is to relax from your everyday world. It’s even more difficult on a family vacation, when everything seems to take a bit more time and your to-go list is longer. But remembering to enjoy the moment is even more important then.

The things your kids are likely to remember about your trip are not necessarily the great sights and attractions. They are more likely to remember the little things, like feeding ducks from a little jetty on the shore of Lake Maggiore or taking off their shoes to wade in the lapping water on an empty Lido beach in April and drawing messages in the sand.

You may not make it to the next attraction before it closes, but take time to stop in a sidewalk café and watch people going past. Or sit on a park bench beside a playground and watch your kids interact with others who don’t speak the same language.

Think seriously about the importance of savoring the moment. Don’t try to cram so many experiences into a day, you never have time to really enjoy any of them or the time between them. A trip should be more than a constant series of oh-wow sights.

It should include quiet moments for reflection, time to sit and look at the soaring cathedral arches as they meet overhead, to listen to the choir rehearsing or the impromptu street performance you stumbled on by chance. These are the experiences only the traveler with a flexible schedule can savor.

Plan that flexibility. You can move on if you find a place boring, but you rarely will.