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| With my sister Gwen, by our tent trailer. I'm the one wearing the groovy pants. |
Given the family I was born into, it was almost a foregone conclusion that I’d love to travel.
My mother journeyed to Europe with her sister and best friend in 1958. In those days you didn’t fly to Paris for a week; you sailed there and back and spent two to three months seeing the continent. Not only did she save for this trip on a secretary’s budget, she also drove out west with a friend in 1956, and later visited Jamaica with my aunt.
As a young man, my father drove to Florida with his soon-to-be best man. Although that was the extent of his travel, he longed to see more of the world. One of the things he loved about my mother was her spirit of adventure and interest in visiting new places.
Once my mom and dad got married, they realized that they wanted to make travelling a key part of their lives, and of their family’s life. Early on, they bought a tent trailer, and most of our family trips were taken by trailer. Every August we took two weeks' holiday and saw a new destination – generally in central and eastern Canada and the U.S. What a dream childhood to have visited both the Anne of Green Gables house in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island and Louisa May Alcott’s home in Concord, Massachusetts! (Really, how could I have become anything but a writer?)
And my dad was always the trip planner. He spent hours in the basement, poring over maps and guidebooks that he picked up at the Automobile Association. It was from him that I learned the importance of having something for everyone in the family to look forward to. The year we visited Ohio, for example, he may not have enjoyed the doll museum, but he certainly loved the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So now when I sit hunched over the computer, poring over reviews on tripadvisor.com, trying to find a holiday that everyone will like, I know that I’m following in very distinguished footprints.
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| Paul, Gwen, Beth and Joyce Baker |
22 comments:
What a fun glimpse into your childhood. I'm quite jealous. My travel as a child was not very exciting.
I haven't been on your blog in a while- took a little blogging break over the summer- and I have to tell you, I love the new design!
Thanks, Tasha! You've had good reasons to take a blogging break this summer! Looking forward to catching up with you and your family.
What a lovely post! It's no wonder that you like to travel so often.
And what a gorgeous family (even those awesome pants!) :D
What beautiful memories, Beth. I would love to visit Anne's house and Louisa May Alcott's. What a fun trip!
Awwww! I love those photos! Thanks for sharing travel info about your parents and how it influenced your globe-trotting ways. My family had a station-wagon, and we drove that thing around across the country...Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon. I was always in the very backseat with the dog (back when they allowed a seat to face the rear, so I always had to stare at the car behind us in drive-through lines the rare times we'd get fast food). Good memories :)
What great family photos!
Fun to read. I had to laugh because I just finished writing a post for Saturday's blog entitled How I Spent My Summer Vacation...lol. Once again, that "Baker" in us keeps us connected! In the process of sorting photos for it of graduation, swim meets, birthday, college send-off, etc. so I need until Saturday to get those photos figured out! You were so dang cute! Love the pants and the dress!!
I really like the rule that you have to visit something that each member of the family will like. While the contrast between the doll museum and the Hall of Fame is a bit broader than most, I think in most circumstances, everyone in the family is pleasantly surprised by what they find.
Oh, I loved your old family photos, Beth! I grew up camping across the western US and Canada....I saw some amazing places my parents were unable to afford unless we did it that way. I have great memories of those times with my 3 sisters :)
So fortunate to have those travel memories - broaden the mind and the spirit. Those photographers are awesome!
What great photos! One of my favorite things about a trip is all of the planning!!
I know a bunch of girls who would love to see the Anne of Green Gables house. You lucky duck!
What a fantastic childhood memory Beth. I know I definitely picked up my "itchy feet" from my dad. He loved road trips and even though we couldn't afford overseas travel back then, he'd drive us far and wide :) I'd love to visit the Anne of Green gables house one day.
Great post. My family loves to travel too. We take off in our motor home as much as possible...
Oh I love your photos! My family loves to travel together!
Oh Beth - those sweet photos, those memories that brought you up - that's all part of your DNA now. Lovely.
A wonderful childhood memory! Love the photo of you and your sister.
Beautiful memories and love thes epics, I have similars, love of you and your sister, x gloria
Awww, what sweet memories, Beth. When I was growing up, my own family traveled with our trailer one summer, from California to Massachusetts and back. It was not so joyous but provides humorous memories now:)
Your parents sound like very special people to have created such wonderful memories for you. I love travelling with my family and seeing new places. What I like most is that we are together:)
Love this post. We have many of the same memories in our family, travelling up and down the East coast with our tent trailer too!
suggestion: Go to places where people usually don't go. Like these small villages. You get to learn a lot.
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