Do you dream of taking your entire family on a dream vacation? I dare say you do, and missionaries are no exception. Last week our Mexico dream vacation (with kids) came true as Jen Reyneri of WordTraveling.com partnered with Azul/Karisma Hotels to host our family and several others at Puerto Morelos – near Cancun, Mexico – for the inaugural week of their Ultimate Homeschool Vacation program.
(Disclaimer: we received a deeply discounted rate for the week in exchange for sharing with you our honest opinions of the experience.)
A trip for kids and adults
From the chocolate milkshakes awaiting us at the front door, and the giant personalized cookies in our rooms, to the children's enrichment activities, the gourmet meals and the resort staff, every moment we spent there was an experience to remember!
The Ultimate Homeschool Vacation is designed to give homeschool families awesome discounts, out of the norm learning experiences and plenty of quality family time all while relaxing in a beautiful no-stress environment.
A Pre-paid low-stress trip
One of the things we enjoyed most was the all-inclusive component. Remember the Love Fund I talked about last week? Well, with an all inclusive vacation like this, you know up front what the week costs and once it's paid, you don't worry about paying anything else.
We ate at the restaurants, we got ice cream cones at all hours of the day, the kids enjoyed the kids programs, and pool access and the evening acrobat shows, all without having to carry around and count out cash.
Activities for everyone
We knew they had kids programs available, but we honestly did not expect our children to want to attend. But with activities like treasure hunts, piñata bashes, coconut decorating and other crafts, marionette performances, sand castle building, spanish lessons, and a children's gym, they were begging to go back to the “Playhouse” each day.
This also gave Mom and Dad some adult time to spend with each other or the other adults on the trip. We even had time to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary!
If you can do it, do it!
Maybe you can't do it this year, maybe you can't even do this Ultimate Homeschool Vacation, but we definitely recommend that family time aways be made a priority. Maybe you can cut back somewhere to save a little extra each month to make it possible. Maybe you could go camping at the local state park for a year or two while you save for a dream vacation. Maybe camping IS your dream vacation.
Our family was so refreshed by the time together away from our routine and the new experiences we had (like swimming in a cenote and spelunking), we are looking forward to saving up for the next dream vacation.
Whatever your family dream vacation is, don't put it off, start taking steps today to make that dream a reality!
Please share your dream family vacation with us in the comments! Places you have been, as well as where you'd like to go! Can't wait to hear about it!
Maggie Miller says
This is great – thank you!
Jen says
Such amazing memories!
The best part of that trip- the friendships we made!
Excited for the next adventure together!