Episode 262: The Truth About Family Trips and Vacations

Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins.

You're listening to Habits and Hustle, Gresham.

Welcome back to another solo episode of Habits and Hustle, where we talk really about just whatever's on our mind, and maybe hopefully it's on your mind too.

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And with that being said, I want to show you guys something.

Multitasking.

By the way, I'm multitasking.

Yeah, this is hilarious.

I mean, isn't this something amazing?

I'm all about the multitasking.

I hurt myself.

And so this red light's really helping.

So the reason why I wanted to show it was if you see a red light beaming up, that's what it is.

Anyway.

I don't think they can see it, but it is actually really good.

What's not?

I thought you can can see the red light beaming up.

No, it looks like you're sitting normally too, which is hilarious.

Like your posture looks, yeah, and then they don't know that you have like a kung fu kick going to the side.

I'm like literally sitting in a hather lit

as I do this.

So, okay, I wanted to talk about something because I just got back from what I, it was a family trip.

And the reason why I'm saying the word trip, it wasn't a vacation.

It was a trip.

And there is a very big distinction, in my opinion, between the word trip and vacation, right?

when you're traveling with two small kids it's not a vacation it's not you know you have to feed them you got to make sure they're safe you got to be entertaining them constantly which then really isn't that much of a relaxing experience for the parents so when i hear the word family vacation i always laugh because I don't think there is such a thing.

I think it's a family trip, yes, but not a vacation.

I feel like family vacations can only really happen when the kids are older.

Like, I don't feel like you can have a young, you know what I mean?

It's impossible.

You know, I just, I think that's so funny when people are like, oh my gosh, like when you're saying, like, when you're like, oh, where'd you, where, where were you?

Where are you going?

We're like, oh, yeah, we're going to, I went to visit my family in Canada.

I had a wedding in Canada.

And everyone was like, oh, my God, that's so great.

A family vacation.

And they say it in this way, like, oh my God, so joyous and wonderful.

And I'm in my, and I'm like, like, am I, do I, will I sound really terrible if I'm like, sound like really annoyed and irritated if I don't have the same enthusiasm?

No, do these people have kids or no?

I mean, I was going to say, like, I know, I just think that people just automatically go to, oh yeah, that's such a nice thing, a family vacation.

But in my head, I'm like,

no, it was hardly a vacation.

In fact, I need a vacation from that trip because it was not a vacation.

It was more stressful and more, you know, kind of

busy and work and more work than just staying at home and doing whatever you would normally do.

So I always find that to be just a very interesting thing.

Like, are we just conditioned to do that societal, sweet, kind, oh, yeah, that's great.

Because I would imagine if you're a parent, you know exactly what I'm talking about and you know there's a distinction between the word vacation and the word trip.

And if you really want to have a vacation and you really want to relax, you don't go away with kids.

That's just the way it is.

I'm sorry.

And if you disagree with me, you can let me know.

But I think that there's a big disconnect between the two.

Absolutely.

I think the only way to get around that is going to, like, we used to go on cruise ships with my dad, me, my sister, my dad, and kids or whatever.

And they have, we have a kids center, right?

Yes.

That's the only way to get out of that because there's no, I hundred percent.

I need to ask my dad if he felt like those trips were vacations.

Cause I know he was relaxed because we used to sleep till like 3 p.m.

every day.

So he would have

the good first half.

In what world does he go at 3 p.m.?

Because we would go from LA to like abroad.

So

we're completely different time zone and we're children.

Oh, yeah, but I'm not, but he's not sleeping till 3 p.m.

Like

he's not.

We would, me and my sister.

It would be me, my sister, my dad.

So he would get like the full morning.

We would wake up and he'd already have done breakfast, laid at the pool, read a book.

And like,

so I feel like that was his reprieve.

And then we would go to the kids' center.

But I think if you do this any other way, like if there's no one that can, if there's no out, do you know what I mean?

For like time periods, it's almost impossible.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, no.

Like I remember, like my kid's now like, you know, eight and 10, so it's a little bit better.

But, you know, there was a few years where, you know, I would go away with, I would, you know, go away on this family vacation with my husband and my kids.

And it was like, it was torture because I had, it was like, I had to like, I never sat down for a second.

I had to constantly keep them entertained, moving, going, feeding, da, da, da, da, like on a very,

like, there's no relaxing there.

So then we decided, forget that.

We're going to go on to these like club meds, which was like, you have these kids' clubs.

So then you have the kids are entertained by strangers.

And it was way better.

And it became more of a vacation and less of a trip.

Right.

So like the only way to do this, in my opinion, to shift from trip to vacation when you have small kids is to go to these all-inclusive places where they have really strong programming for kids or else you're just literally screwed.

Yeah, you need like morning to night programming.

It's beyond.

And it's so expensive.

Can I just tell you this?

That's the other thing.

Like when you're traveling with kids in general, even if you're at an all-inclusive, but especially if you're not on an all-inclusive, it is so ridiculously expensive because you're buying every single piece of food, meal out and like every activity is so expensive.

Like, and now they're making it to the point where it's like impossible for people to go on vacation, like family vacations to anywhere because the prices are so insanely high across the board.

it's actually disgusting that what's happening.

I did a whole thing.

You can go back to the episode on price gouging on eggs.

That was a great episode.

Right.

Like I was ranting about the price of eggs and just in general, food and restaurants, but it literally is now become like across the board, just prices are out of control.

And when you have a family and you're trying to like do things together, like even going bowling, you know, going anywhere.

Like, do you know the prices of Disney World or Disneyland right now?

No, amusement Amusement parks are so, what are they now?

They were expensive when I was a kid.

I can't imagine what they're now.

I don't even remember.

I think it's like a $200 a ticket.

Like it's so crazy.

And it's, I think it's repulsive that they are doing that.

Like it's not, I don't know.

I think it's really bad because you're making it like people are literally going into debt.

where they should, they, they should be using that money for food, quite frankly, or other things that are much more

necessities.

But they want to show their kids, like they want to like have, they want their kids to have a good time and enjoy themselves, especially in the summertime.

And these are just like out, like out of control.

Like summer camps are even out of control.

Summer camps are so expensive.

Oh my God.

But it's true.

Cost of living is crazy right now, just across the board, but I can't even imagine traveling because it's not like you get discounted air flights and stuff.

You know, like kids pay the same amount, they're just another person.

So that was what I was going to bring up.

Like the air, I was going to say that, and I got on

my rant about just prices of amusement parks and movies

or movies.

Oh, yeah, movies are.

No, but movies are really like psychotic now.

It's crazy.

It's ridiculous.

But airfare, are you kidding me right now?

Like

an economy coach ticket in the way back that used to be to say $149 or even like $129.

Those tickets are going for like $600 now.

Yeah, it's crazy.

Because people are having less flights.

It's full.

So you can't even get a ticket.

Did you guys have problems at all with your flights?

Because, you know, United, first of all, United has been messing up all over the place, but airlines have been canceling like thousands of flights because they're completely understaffed and there's legal limits on the shifts that people can do.

So for example, if a flight is delayed, like let's say three hours, right, and a flight attendant is on the second half of her shift, if it's delayed three hours, it might push it just to the brink of when it would be illegal for her to get on the plane because then it would make her shift is too long.

So then they have to cancel the whole flight because they don't have flight attendants.

The whole thing is crazy.

My point is the airfares are astronomical across the board, even domestic, international.

It doesn't matter what airline.

So if if you're not going to even have a vacation, if it's going to be more stressed, like what's the point of even going?

Like, you know, everyone's like, we got to build family memories.

We're going to do this, we're going to do that.

But it's a memory of like fighting, annoyance, exhaustion, but it's still a memory.

It's a family memory.

Okay, as somebody who has yet to experience the parent side of a trip, right?

I'm only done the kids' side.

I will say those memories are iconic and ingrained in my brain.

Like I cherish every single trip that I ever took with my dad growing up.

He used to take us every summer because he had the Princess Cruz account.

So we would go on that and it was like a whole thing: me, him, and my sister.

And I will never forget those trips.

But now, as an adult who has experienced this very traumatic two weeks with my sister's kids, right?

I'm actually still you're still talking about that.

So traumatic.

Okay, this is

an example.

So Shawnee went to visit her sister and the kids of the sister.

And she's still, like, it was like two months ago.

She's still talking about the trauma of being with children on a vacation on a trip, not a vacation.

Okay, so then

that was really a trip trip because I was working, but yes,

but I wasn't like fully responsible for them either.

Like, I didn't sleep with them.

You know what I mean?

They weren't like my 100% responsibility, so I can't even imagine.

Okay, well, there you go.

Basically, I'm just curious if my dad actually had fun on these trips or not.

And in fact, I need to call him right away and find out.

I can guarantee the parents have a terrible time every time.

I would imagine.

This is what I think.

I feel like he had a good time.

I do think that the kids.

Yeah, you think that's a good idea.

Am I delusional?

Yes.

I think that the kids, it's a great memory for the kids because the kids don't know what goes on behind the scenes.

They do have, they remember very nostalgic when they're older.

It's like a beautiful memory and nostalgic.

Oh, I remember when I was here or there, wherever.

But on the parent side, yeah, like I think maybe over time, you in life, like I think it's human nature, we forget the negative anyway and we only focus on the positive.

However, in the moment, okay, while it's happening, that's what I'm saying.

While it's happening, let's not confuse the word trip with vacation and let's just leave it at that.

I agree.

Okay.

Now, before we go, I want to ask you guys at home or wherever you're listening to this podcast, can you remember when you went on a family trip slash vacation where it felt like a vacation or vice versa?

Let me know.

I'm actually really curious about that.

Maybe you guys have some ideas of how you can make the trip feel like a vacation because that, I think, is super, super useful information and hopefully actionable.

And we can share it with everybody.

Can you actually put up a poll?

Put up one of those question things on your Instagram story when we post this episode.

Because I'm actually really curious if people have good, like feasible advice that they that people can do to help on these things.

Because I think a lot of parents are craving this.

I would be shocked if you're a parent listening to this and you're like, oh, I have no idea what Jennifer's talking about.

I love every moment of the family vacations I take.

I would be shocked.

That's all I'm saying.

I also would be.

Yeah.