A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that a growing number of U.S. adults who are not yet parents say they are unlikely to have children in the future. Their reasons range from simply not wanting to have children to concerns about climate change and the environment. It also involves travel and time. Her husband and I are also part of this statistic. We chose not to have kids, but that doesn't mean we don't want to travel with them.
solution? Borrow it from your brother.
Let's call it an uncle-aunt trip. Leaving my parents at home and traveling with my nieces and nephews.
Like Sharpe, my husband and I let our niece Molly, now 23, choose where her high school graduation gift would go. We gave her a year to make a decision so she could plan and save money. Then the three of us spent a week in Peru, losing weight on ceviche, going on an astronomy tour, and climbing Machu Picchu. Molly said this trip was one of her happiest memories.
In January, we took our 20-year-old nephew Brett to Sydney for his delayed high school graduation trip. It was well worth spending a week of uninterrupted time with him on an ultra-long-haul economy ticket he bought with points.
The experiences gained from my uncle and aunt's travels are as important as their gifts to us. This allows us to bond with our nieces and nephews on a personal level. As a couple who travel between friends and family, we want to set a good example and teach our nieces and nephews the joy of travel. But we learned from them not only how to snap (like Snapchat), but also about their cares and concerns as young people navigating a world very different from ours. I walk around with a new perspective. And thanks to my nephew Brett, I can now play Texas Hold'em.
Katie Sweet, a Seattle-area engineer, took her six nieces and nephews on a solo trip. My oldest niece was able to see the fake Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas. One of her nephews chose her ATV tour on the beaches of Oregon. The other nieces chose the amusement park. And my youngest stayed overnight in a hotel and had a local adventure to a water park.
“All the kids thought Auntie's travels were a gift to them, and while that was true, it was also a gift to me. Spending time together through the experience of seeing the world has always been It’s going to be priceless,” Sweet said.
The takeaway from these trips is that experiences trump material things. “When the kids didn't have Christmas presents from me under the tree, the presents were never phased. Their question was, 'Where do we go next?' . said the newlywed Sweet. “This year, she and her husband are taking their four older children on a snowboarding trip.”
“All the kids thought Auntie's trip was a gift to them, and it was true, but it was also a gift to me.”
Kristin Luna, a photographer from Tullahoma, Tennessee, and her husband Scott Van Versole will take their oldest niece, now 20, to Italy and Switzerland for her high school graduation in July 2022. I went. The couple set certain parameters, including: The destination should be easily accessible and free of exorbitant airfares. A place that is easy to navigate and offers a variety of experiences. Cities and regions where you can find vacation rentals within a reasonable budget.
“One of the benefits of not having children of my own is that I have the time and resources to devote to the children in my life, like my nieces and nephews,” Luna said.
Uncle and Auntie's trip isn't about Michelin-starred food or luxury resorts. It's quality time and core memories. Tyler Miller, an animal health sales manager in New York City, decided to spend Memorial Day weekend with his then-2-year-old nephew while his sister attended an out-of-town wedding. I flew to my sister's house in Carlsbad, California. .
“The day started with my uncle and nephew having lunch at one of my favorite LGBTQ+ restaurants in Hillcrest. Then we passed by the harbor and he spotted all the sailboats in the water. I could see it,” Miller said. The rest of the time the uncle and nephew spent on nearby Coronado Island, where they ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant with a mariachi band and “watched the same Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show about 500 times,” Miller said. .
“When we were kids, my sister and I were very close to my uncle Chris and aunt Lori. They were like our second parents, and I wanted the same for my nieces and nephews. I want to be the uncle they look up to and someone they can talk to for advice.”
Miller is lucky to have such a close relationship with her sister, but that's not the case for everyone. Only children or people with unstable family relationships can participate in this travel trend.
My group of girlfriends in New Orleans call themselves the Godmothers (GM for short). There are six godmothers in total, and she is the only one with children, but we all play an important role in the lives of our children. This summer, the eldest of GM's children took his first solo flight from New Orleans to New York City to visit me. We checked off his Big Apple bucket list and spent a whirlwind weekend visiting Central Park, riding the subway, and eating out. Unhealthy amount of hot dogs. Not only was our weekend budget friendly, we got to spend some quality time with a dear friend's kids, and it was just as much fun for me and her husband as it was for Max. Not to mention, it often gives parents a much-needed break.
anne roderick jones I'm a travel writer who splits my time between New York and New Orleans. You can follow her on Instagram. @anniemarie_.
