2020 won’t convert me into a traveling wizard and by other people’s standards, our travel miles won’t be mind blowing. But for us, 2020 will be a travel heavy year.
The Minimalist’s introduced me to the idea of giving gifts of experiences, not things. That really resonated with me. Very few physical gifts I’ve received actually reward me with value. I’m 34 years old now. I’ve had a large sample size of receiving and giving physical things to loved ones. I always appreciate the thought and money that goes into the transaction of buying a gift, but those gifts never have a long life to them. For me, memories do.
So I wanted to pay it forward per-say. I wanted to act on my feelings and physically manifest what I feel is true. For Christmas this year, I surprised my wife with a trip to Paris. In return she surprised me with a weekend get away. Then my wife’s brother surprised us with another weekend getaway!
These trips will also be accompanied by an anniversary trip in September and a hopeful trip to Connecticut for Christmas. You may be thinking thats really not a lot of traveling, but for us, it is. Choosing what we spend our money on is becoming more vital every day. And I can’t think of a better gift to give, then the gift of time and money spent wisely. For us, being together and taking timeouts from our hectic life feels like the right thing to be gifting this year.
In 2020 we will be traveling a lot compared to our normal. More importantly, we will be making memories together and spending well needed quality time. If I learned anything from 2019, quality time and communication is essential for me. Its not a recommendation for mental health, it’s a requirement for our well being.
Welcome 2020. I hope you bring conversations that spark growth and memories that last forever.
*ddileo 