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Growing up in the UK we never went abroad for holidays. From an early age I remember school friends telling me excitedly that they were off to Spain for a week, coming back with enviable tans and some kind of shell jewelry. I on the other hand had my summer holidays in Devon in the South of England. You see, my Dad did not fly. Like ever. He never wanted to get on a plane. I loved my holidays nonetheless. They didn’t seem as exotic as my those of my friends but I think I learned more by traveling around the UK than I would on a beach in Benidorm. And if you’ve seen me you know that I’m too pale for beach life. Thus traveling with my Dad and Mum never really emerged further than the Southern boundary of our own country.
Leaving home
When I was 23 I packed my bags and headed off to Canada. I was going over to Vancouver for 6 months, but part way through that trip I extended my stay to a full year. That year would have been my first Christmas away from home. Ever. I wasn’t looking forward to it, and although I didn’t complain I was a little sad that all of our family traditions would be out of the window as I had to fend for myself.
But about a month before I found out my Dad had gotten his first ever passport. At the age of 50 he had secretly applied for a passport with the intention of getting on a plane to come to Canada so that we wouldn’t all be apart for Christmas. The secret here was because he was worried that even with a passport he might not want to get on that plane. And when you get on a plane for the first time, and do something that you’re afraid of, you would ideally start with a shorter journey than 9 hours halfway across the world.
My Dad’s first trip abroad
With some last minute nerves he made it on that flight, came to Canada and had a wonderful time. And since then, almost 14 years ago he has become way more adventurous and is ironically the person in the family who loves flying the most. Mostly so that he can take pictures from the window, but whatever gets him on the plane right?! Traveling with my Dad and Mum has become somewhat of a tradition now.
So why am I telling you this? Well I now live in Canada. I decided after that first trip that I loved it so much I wanted to stay. My parents however still live in the UK. Because of that we don’t get to see each other too often. So when we do we want to make the most of it. And I am a person who loves traveling with my Dad and Mum. Sure, I had the 16 year old phase where it was cooler to stay at home than go away with the parents, and family holidays were for kids.
But I soon realized that those family holidays were my favorite memories of growing up. My parents didn’t have a lot of money for lavish vacations, and they still always made sure we got to do something fun. So now that I’m older, more independent and have my own money, I enjoy being able to pay them back by planning fun adventures for us to do together. To make the most of the short time we are together each year.
Traveling with my Dad and Mum
Since that first trip on a plane I have managed to convince my parents to travel more not only to Canada to come see me, but we have taken other trips. My Dad has become a world traveler so traveling with my Dad and Mum now means plane journeys and passports. I think by far my parents biggest adventure was when I lived in China and suggested they come to visit. So off they went to China for 2 weeks.
At the time of writing this it is Father’s Day which is why the emphasis on my Dad here (I love traveling with my Mum too). But I wanted to share some of the amazing places I’ve been to with my parents, and also pictures of my Dad and I traveling because I never thought this would happen. And it all proves that you’re never too old to try new things.
Vancouver
I live in Vancouver, have done for almost 10 years now. My parents come out to visit my every 12 to 18 months and I try to do the same to go there. They love Vancouver, and always enjoy exploring. This is them on a trip to Ucluelet on Vancouver Island about to go on a bear watching tour.
Canadian Rockies
A couple of years I was able to get my parents on the Rocky Mountaineer. They had a wonderful time seeing Banff for the first time. But I didn’t get to go with them. So last year we did a road trip through the Canadian Rockies from Calgary up to Jasper. It was amazing. We stopped at Banff, Lake Louise, did some fantastic day trips including Kananaskis to visit Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary and afternoon tea at the Fairmont Banff Springs. It was April so Lake Louise was still frozen enough for us to walk on it which of course made for some good photos.
Boston
During my UK holidays as a child we visited a lot of historical places so it’s no surprise that my Dad is a big history buff. Where better to get some North American history than Boston, one of the oldest parts of the new country. British invasion jokes included our trip to Boston was full of fun, and we even got a nice beer in Cheers.
Brussels
When I go back to the UK I try to add on a European city stop too. If I’m going all that way from Canada I might as well make the most of it. And some of these trips I’ve had the pleasure of being able to have my parents with me. Here’s my Dad and I enjoyed a well earned beer in Brussels.
Beijing
Getting my parents to agree to visit China was no simple feat. I was coming to the end of my 2 year stretch living there and figured it was now or never. I offered to pay for half of their flight costs if they’d come to visit me (I had to sweeten the deal somehow). My Mum told me she didn’t think my Dad would want to go. He jumped at the chance and it turned out my Mum was secretly hoping he would say no because she was a little concerned about getting to China. Sneaky Mum.
Anyway, they made it to China, had a blast (if not a little culture shocked) and we got some great photos to prove it. Traveling with my Dad will probably not get more epic than looking down on the Forbidden City in Beijing. Having my parents visit was the highlight of the two years.
Niagara Falls
I don’t think my Dad ever thought he’d manage to see Niagara Falls. And this trip was especially sweet since his cousin moved to Canada in the 1970s and this was his first time seeing her in over 40 years.
Rome
For my birthday I wanted to take a trip. And who better to travel with than these two? We went to Rome and although we had a questionable accommodation experience, we enjoyed all the history we saw in Rome. Oh yeah and it was when Coca Cola had the names on the bottles so my Mum and I became Francesca and The Queen for a day!
Remember to take a reusable water bottle with you on your travels, like this one from FastTech
New York
New York was maybe too big and busy a city for my parents to really enjoy to the max. I like it, but it can be chaotic. But we went and had a great time and they got to see some of the most famous places in the city. We also got some great New York food.
Traveling with my Dad and Mum
I love traveling with my Dad who is easily the most fun person to go on a trip with. He takes a bazillion photos a minute (check out some of his pictures here) but he’s never too tired to want to do something else, and always up for the next adventure. Suggest a hike and he’s up the trail with his camera out before you’re out of the car. I know my Mum often goes along with whatever crazy idea I’ve come up with, but seeing how happy she was on these trips and genuinely enjoying the activities makes me happy, and proud that she gives it a go even when she’s not as eager as we are. The fact that she’ll embrace all the opportunities is amazing.
And that’s why I wanted to write this post about the amazing places my Dad has been since he got his passport. And all because he didn’t want me to have Christmas by myself.
That first Christmas in Canada with both of them there. It was amazing. All traditions out of the window. We opened small gifts in a hotel room, had Italian food for lunch as the only restaurant open, and spent all day outside walking around the park instead of by a fireplace watching the TV. It was perfect. I’m so grateful to both of my parents for not only supporting my crazy love of travel but for pushing themselves out of their comfort zone to join me. I always look forward to the next trip with my Mum and Dad. They’re just waiting for the next time I call and say “Hey, I’ve had an idea…”
If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Do you travel with your parents? What are some of your best trip memories with your Dad or Mum?
Your story travelling with your parents brings joy and smile while reading it. There is something very special sharing your travel plans with them. I had lots of travelling with my family too and it’s pure magic! After this pandemic, wishing you more travel with your mom and dad.
Aww I love this! I’m so glad he took the jump and came over to visit you, it seems to have opened him up to so much! My parents don’t really travel at all, I never went abroad with them, and even our UK “holidays” were just visiting family. (I think that’s why I love travelling, because I never got to do it!) I did take my mum to Venice a couple of years ago though, and we all took a day trip over to France & Belgium when I lived in Sussex so it’s been nice to get some travel experiences in with them. 🙂
What a really nice post! I love that your dad got his passport just to visit you and now there are adventures abound! I took my parents on their first trip to Europe and now they go without me on cruises because they love it!! I still vacation with my parents when time allows. It’s a really great thing!
This is so precious! Thank you for sharing. Your excursions look fantastic, I’m excited to visit some of these with my parents as well!
As a Dad who has traveled to many part of the world with my daughter, I especially enjoyed your post. As a flying phobic, I also appreciate the leap your Dad had to make to travel with you.
What a wonderful post! Recording experiences like this in your own words is always magical and fun to reflect back on. It looks like a fabulous holiday and he clearly had a great adventure! Lovely post! I truly enjoyed the read!
Lovely story! Can’t believe that was his first time abroad, hopefully he has the travel bug now!
It is pretty cool to have had the opportunity to visit so many countries with your parents and even at least 3 continents !!! What is your favourite memory ? I see that maybe you will not recommend New York as it might be too hectic. Among all your trip which one was the funnier to share ?
I think my favorite has to be welcoming them to Canada that first time. The flew during the night here so when my Mum said my Dad was nervous I wasn’t sure if he was even going to show up, it was a nice surprise when he did. I think the funniest thing was seeing my parents navigate chopsticks in China and having no other option than to try. We lost a lot of food to the floor that holiday but they got good at it by the end of the trip
Seems like he’s making up for lost time waiting so long to get a passport! Hope to visit Canada with my own family soon 🙂
I love traveling with my parents. I’m like you, that I have lived separately from my family for the past 8 years (now back home). It has been so special traveling to so many places with parents! My hope would one day get my dad (and mom) to come with me to South America. They did Thailand and Cambodia with me last year which was a BIG adventure (similar to your China trip). Thanks for sharing
What a lovely post! It is so wonderful you can share your travels with your dad. Such a special experience that creates wonderful memories.
Such a great read. It is things like this that make traveling so special.
This is so adorable. I love seeing how much your family seemed to have the trip of a lifetime! I don’t think these trips are the norm, but maybe they should be ❤️
Aw I absolutely loved reading about all the places you visited with your parents Emma! It is so awesome how you were able to visit so many places with them 🙂 Where will you visit next as a family?
Oh, so good of your dad to come to Canada so that you wouldn’t be alone for Christmas. Love that he now enjoys flying.
Thanks for sharing, my parents do love travelling and go on more holidays than me! When we do go on holiday abroad together it’s nice to see a different country or place with them, as I’m a lone traveler 🙂
Such a cute story and adorable photos. The rainbow in the Niagra Falls pic is perfect! I love traveling with my parents. I have a road trip planned with my dad in a few months! BTW I love your map border, it looks great!
Oh my gosh your parents are so cute!! This is absolutely adorable. What a special way to travel. I bet dad loves getting so much time with his daughter!
I love this post so much. I have had the opportunity to travel with my parents as well. It is truly time that I wouldn’t trade for the world!
It’s amazing that your dad travels with you 🙂 I wish I had travelled more with my parents when I was younger. I think we only went to Portugal together which was nice! But, to be honest, they aren’t as adventurous as me.
What a great opportunity. Last year I took my mom to Italy and we traveled around for a while, it was magical. Such an inspiring post!
Aww that’s so nice that you are still traveling with your family! I haven’t done that since I am an adult and reading your article makes me regret it!
You have made awesome memories traveling together. Such inspiration to travel with my parents!
This really resonated with me! I also moved across the globe, we must’ve passed in mid-air, as I came from US to UK! I’ve cherished the travels I’ve had with my Mom since then. It’s incredible all of the places you’ve been with your Dad, and love to see that you’ve instilled such a love of travel in him.
Aww this is such a sweet story! I love it that your dad managed overcome his fears and became a world traveller! 🙂
Great post! I think it’s so important to travel with family. I even have great travel memories with my grandma and those are the moments that are with me forever:)
This is such a lovely story! I travel with my dad once a year because we both like to hike and no one else in our family does, and I have the loveliest memories from these trips. Absolutely loved this post xx
Thanks for sharing your experience! I love traveling with my parents. <3
Well this is Emma’s Dad. Thank you all for such positive messages and kind thoughts. I have always been close to my daughter, we went to cinema and concerts together before she lived in Canada. Love flying now and am so grateful to her for giving me the opportunity to visit places I’ve always dreamed of. China was amazing and yes I did have trouble at first with chop sticks. All the places have been amazing and enjoyable. My favorite to date was last year in Alberta at the Royal Tyrrell museum and the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary and feeding the wolfdogs, walking on Lake Louise & visiting the incredible Athabasca Glacier, finishing off our trip on the Rocky Mountaineer, so many varied things, a lot of fun and amazing scenery. So thank you Emma for some special times and memories.