Summer means vacation time for many families, but that’s not something I’m used to. We did take family vacations occasionally, but it wasn’t a set every year kind of thing. Now that I have my own family, I see the same pattern happening.

We have been lucky to take a trip every year since 2008, beginning with my husband and I creating our honeymoon for our five-year anniversary, since we never had an official honeymoon. The year after that we took a big family trip to Puerto Rico and brought baby girl along, plus extended family. Since our vacation in Puerto Rico, all of our family “vacations” have revolved around social media conference trips I’ve had that we’ve made into family trips. Conferences in New York City, Miami, and Washington D.C. have allowed my husband and daughter to explore those cities while I attended the events. But, none have been true family vacations since it’s just not the same to do a little here and there while also juggling a conference.

We need a real family vacation.

Unfortunately, this year is looking to be about the same. We have no plans for a vacation this summer and are pretty much staying in Orlando. Some people call this a staycation; growing up we just called it staying home for the summer. Of course, we do have fun! There’s various things for us to do locally, including visiting Central Florida theme parks, heading to the beach, and museum visits. We’re even thinking of heading up the coast one weekend and making a visit to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S.

While we may not have a traditional summer vacation planned each year, we manage to have fun as a family and have been lucky enough to have seen many cities in just the past few years. My daughter has done more travel in her short six years of life, than my husband and I did in our first fifteen years! Baby boy is not far behind, having traveled quite a bit before even his first birthday. We’re definitely lucky in this respect, as I know some families never get to travel at all.

Does summer mean family vacation time for your family? What are some of your plans this summer?

Disclosure: This story is sponsored by Hallmark through their Life is a Special Occasion campaign. As always, all stories and opinions are my own. To receive special offers and discounts from Hallmark, sign up for their e-newsletter!

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