Our Big Family Trip: Six Years in the Making

Photo by Julien Goettelmann

Sometimes a trip takes a little longer to happen than you expected.

This one has been six years in the making.

When Son #3 graduated from college in 2020, we had planned on doing a special graduation trip. Of course, 2020 wasn't exactly a year for travelling, and like so many other plans, that one was put on hold. In fact, 2021 wasn't much better, so we continued to wait.

By 2022, we were ready to start thinking about the trip again, but there was one important detail. His girlfriend was finishing her doctorate, and he wanted her to be part of the celebration too. We thought that was a wonderful idea, so we waited a little longer.

Then, in 2023, she finished her doctorate, accepted a job in Virginia (she is American), and the two of them got married. Somewhere in the middle of all that excitement, Son #3 began the process of getting his green card.

And that process took time.

For the next couple of years, planning a big family trip wasn't particularly easy. His interview could be scheduled with only about a month's notice, which made it difficult to commit to anything involving international travel. We didn't know when he would need to be available, so we continued to put the trip on hold.

There were several times when I suggested that perhaps we should just give him the money for his graduation trip and let him and his new wife decide what they wanted to do with it. They could put it toward a honeymoon, use it for their house, or plan a trip of their own.

But he really wanted to take a trip together as a family.

And so, we waited.

Finally, last September, Son #3 finally received his green card and officially moved to Virginia to be with his beautiful bride. After all those years of waiting, we could finally start making plans.

And this time, we were determined to make it happen.

His choice was an Adriatic cruise, which sounded wonderful to all of us. But as we started looking at the possibilities, the trip began to grow into something much bigger than a graduation celebration.

There would be Amsterdam, an Adriatic cruise, a few days in Malta, and then a transatlantic cruise home for John and I.

Before we knew it, we had the makings of a pretty incredible family adventure.

Getting Everyone Together

John, Son #1, Son #2 and I will begin the trip with several days in Amsterdam. None of us have been there, and I'm looking forward to exploring the city, enjoying some good food, and spending time with the boys before the rest of the trip begins.

After Amsterdam, we'll fly to Rome, where we'll be joined by Son #3 and our daughter-in-law. It will be wonderful to have all three boys together again, and this time, we'll have a new member of the family along for part of the adventure.

From Rome, we'll board our ship for the Adriatic.

Photo by Philipp Schwarz

Here's how the journey is shaping up.

The Adriatic Cruise

Day 1: Amsterdam

Day 2: Amsterdam

Day 3: Amsterdam

Day 4: Amsterdam.

Day 5: Amsterdam to Rome

We'll fly to Rome, where Son #3 and our daughter-in-law will join us. 

Day 6: Setting Sail

Day 7: At Sea

Day 8: At Sea.

Day 9: Split, Croatia

Day 10: Kotor, Montenegro.

Day 11: Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Day 12: Corfu, Greece

Day 13: At Sea.

Day 14: Naples, Italyend.

Day 15: Back to Rome

Son #3 and our daughter-in-law will spend one night before flying back to Virginia. They'll have a little time to explore Rome together before heading home.

The rest of us will continue on to Malta.

A Few Days in Malta

Day 16: Malta

John, Son #1, Son #2 and I will fly to Malta and begin our next little adventure.

Day 17: Malta.

Day 18: Malta.

Day 19: Malta to Barcelona

Son #1 and Son #2 will fly home to Canada, while John and I will fly to Barcelona.

We'll be boarding the Norwegian Viva for a transatlantic cruise that will eventually bring us back to North America.

Day 20: Setting Sail from Barcelona.

Day 21: Alicante, Spain.

Day 22: Motril, Spain

Day 23: At Sea

Day 24: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.

Day 25: At Sea

Day 26: At Sea

Day 27: At Sea

Day 28: At Sea

Day 29: At Sea

Day 30: At Sea

Day 31: St. Maarten

Day 32: La Romana, Dominican Republic

Day 33: Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic

Day 34: Falmouth, Jamaica.

Day 35: At Sea

Day 36: At Sea

Day 37: Galveston, Texas

We'll arrive in Galveston, where we'll disembark and begin the journey home to Canada.

And after all that, we'll finally be home.

So Much to Do

My To Do list is a mile long - not just of things we need to do for the trip, but with things to make sure everything is OK at home while we are away

With our elderly cat, Suki, still at home, we needed to make sure she would be comfortable and well cared for while we're away. So, we've arranged for my brother to move into our home and stay with her throughout the trip.

It also means our house won't be sitting empty while we're away, which is another nice benefit.

I have a few medical appointments lined up this week for my elderly mother resulting from an ER visit a couple of weeks ago.  

I’m currently squeezing in a last minute home visit with my brother who has special needs.  Normally he comes and stays over Thanksgiving, and it’s killing me that I will be away.  The good thing is that he doesn’t understand when the holidays are, but I know and I hate that he won’t be able to spend that day with us.  

Six Years Later

When we first talked about taking Son #3 on a graduation trip, I don't think any of us imagined it would take six years to get there.

But life doesn't always follow the plans we make.

After all the waiting, and planning, our big family trip is finally happening!