06/17/2026
Are you the parent of a tween, teen, or college student?
This message is for you—not from Kathy the travel advisor, but from Kathy the mom.
I know how busy you are because I've lived it. I raised five active kids, and I remember the endless cycle of practices, band concerts, piano lessons, and school events—all while trying to keep up with a demanding career and the never-ending list of things that needed to get done at home.
It's a lot.
But here's what I want you to know:
The window for traveling with your children—the sweet spot when they're old enough to truly appreciate the experience but not yet fully absorbed into adult life—is surprisingly small.
Smaller than you think.
As a parent, I urge you to seize that opportunity while you have it, because it doesn't last.
The moment your child graduates and starts a "real job," everything changes. School breaks disappear. Schedules become complicated. Vacation time becomes limited. Suddenly, what once could have been a week or two together becomes a long weekend squeezed between work obligations.
Even when they want to go, they often can't.
This week, I helped a father and his teenage son plan an adventure through the stunning fjords of Norway. I welcomed home a mother and son who spent a week exploring the Greek Isles together. And I'm helping parents plan a journey through Japan with their teenage daughters.
Without question, this is the most rewarding work I've ever done.
Because I understand what these trips really are.
They're not just vacations.
They're memories you'll talk about years from now. They're shared experiences that strengthen relationships. They're the conversations that happen while watching a sunset over the ocean, wandering through a centuries-old city, or sitting together over dinner with nowhere else to be.
They're moments when your child tells you what they're really thinking about their future. What excites them. What worries them. Who they're becoming.
Those moments are rare in everyday life.
Travel creates space for them.
And before you know it, this season of life will be over.
Take the trip.
Trust me.
