A Trip vs. a Vacation

A Trip vs. a Vacation: Why They Aren’t the Same Thing for Our Family

We've learned over the years that there is a big difference between taking a trip and taking a vacation.

For us, going to Europe is a trip.

Going on a cruise is a vacation.

That doesn't mean we don't love traveling through Europe—we absolutely do. Some of our best family memories have come from exploring new countries. But those trips require work. A cruise, on the other hand, is when we can actually switch off a little.

A Trip Is an Adventure—But It's Also Work

When we travel somewhere like Europe, we're constantly figuring something out.

Where are we going today? How do we get there? Should we walk, take a train, call an Uber, or find a taxi? What time does something open? How far is it from the hotel? Where are we eating tonight?

And then there's the question that can become surprisingly stressful when you're traveling with a picky kid:

What is Ollie going to eat?

You can spend months dreaming about eating your way through Europe, only to arrive with a kid who wants absolutely nothing to do with the charming little restaurant you've found.

We've gone all the way to Europe and eaten more meals at McDonald's than I'd probably like to admit.

And I'm okay with that.

Traveling with a kid has taught us that sometimes the goal isn't finding the most authentic restaurant in town. Sometimes the goal is simply finding something everyone will eat so we can get back to enjoying the day.

But even accomplishing that can take work.

You're searching your phone for restaurants. You're checking hours. You're trying to figure out whether somewhere is within walking distance. You're arranging transportation. You finally get there—and it's closed.

That's a trip.

It's fun. It's an adventure. We love doing it.

But it isn't always relaxing.

Puerto Rico Taught Us This Lesson

Our second cruise departed from Puerto Rico, and we decided to do things differently after what we'd learned from our first cruise.

Instead of flying in right before embarkation, we arrived about three days early so we'd have time to explore Puerto Rico.

That turned out to be a fantastic decision.

We fell in love with the island.

There's a whole separate story to tell about Puerto Rico, but that experience also perfectly illustrates what I mean by the difference between a trip and a vacation.

Where we were staying, finding food became surprisingly difficult. We couldn't seem to find anything within walking distance that was actually open when we needed it.

One night we ended up having pizza delivered.

We ate multiple meals at Starbucks—not because we'd traveled all the way to Puerto Rico dreaming about Starbucks, but because Starbucks was open.

We'd wake up and immediately have another logistical problem to solve.

Where are we eating?

How are we getting there?

Is it open?

Will Ollie eat anything there?

How are we getting back?

We loved Puerto Rico. We'd happily return.

But exploring the island was a trip.

Then we boarded the cruise ship.

And the vacation started.

A Cruise Removes Most of the Little Decisions

This is probably the biggest reason we've fallen in love with cruising as a family.

Cruising removes an enormous number of small decisions from the day.

Hungry?

Go eat.

You usually don't need to research a restaurant, figure out transportation, check whether there's parking, or wonder whether something will be open.

There's almost always something available.

On many ships, pizza is available for most of the day and well into the night. There's a buffet with dozens of choices. There are casual restaurants, main dining rooms and specialty restaurants.

And that flexibility becomes incredibly valuable when you're traveling with a picky eater.

Ollie Wants Pizza. We Want Steak.

No problem.

This is one of those little things that makes cruising work so well for our family.

Maybe Hellen and I want to have a nice dinner.

Ollie wants pizza and French fries.

On a normal trip, that can become a negotiation.

Do we find somewhere with food all three of us want? Do we change restaurants? Do we order something and hope he'll eat it? Do we feed him somewhere first and then go somewhere else?

On a cruise, it's easy.

We can take Ollie to the buffet and let him eat pizza and fries. Afterward, he can go to the kids club while Hellen and I have dinner.

Or he can come to dinner with us, sit at the table, play a game, and hang out while we eat.

Nobody has to win or lose.

That's a small example, but multiply those little decisions across seven days and it makes a huge difference in how relaxing a vacation feels.

Even the Hard Parts Are Easier

A cruise doesn't eliminate travel stress.

Flights get delayed. Excursions get canceled. Weather changes. Kids get tired. Ports can be crowded. We've gotten seasick, dealt with bad excursions, missed ports and made plenty of mistakes.

But once we're onboard, our home travels with us.

We unpack once.

Our bed is there.

Our food is there.

Ollie's kids club is there.

Entertainment is downstairs.

The pool is upstairs.

And tomorrow morning, we can wake up in another country without packing a suitcase or figuring out how to get there.

That's difficult to beat.

Trips and Vacations Both Have a Place in Our Family

I don't think one is better than the other.

They're just different.

We want trips.

We want to walk through European cities, figure out public transportation, see historical places, experience different cultures, get lost occasionally, and yes—apparently eat McDonald's thousands of miles from home.

Those trips give us stories.

But sometimes we don't want another adventure to manage.

Sometimes we want to unpack our bags, put our phones down, sit beside the pool and know that if Ollie suddenly announces he's hungry, there's probably a slice of pizza about three minutes away.

That's when we want a vacation.

And for our family, a cruise is a vacation.