By Jing Lejano
Going on vacation is always a welcome treat. Vacations with family and friends give moms the opportunity to explore new worlds, experience new things, and taste new flavors. It also gives them precious moments to reignite relationships which may have become strained from the hassles of everyday busyness.
At times, however, vacations can become all too stressful for moms. That’s because they’re usually in charge of everything. They not only book the flights and arrange the itinerary, they also assist their children in packing for the trip. Some moms, after coming home from a family vacation, joke that they need another vacation. Oftentimes, they’re not joking.
It’s not surprising then that a good number of moms have taken a liking to the idea of a solo vacation. Such a concept would have been earthshaking a couple of decades ago, but not today. As moms realize the importance of taking care of themselves, they are also redefining the idea of me-time. Now it’s not just an hour to themselves every day, but a longer stretch of time to rediscover themselves.
Going solo
Going on a solo vacation is something that Sarah Irene Tirona, mom of one, could certainly go on board with. She explains, “Yes, definitely. There are certain things about yourself that you can only discover by venturing out alone. I believe that in order to be a good mother, we sometimes need to detach and give ourselves some time to recharge. Being a mom doesn’t give us the license to stop growing and improving our spiritual and mental selves. We owe it to our kids to try and be their best mentors, and travel provides a great avenue for learning and discovery.”
Monica Tinio Bascon, mom of two, agrees.
“Would I take a solo vacation? Meaning just me? No husband or children, family or friends? Yes, I would. I would take that trip solo because that would be the time to reconnect with myself – to retreat, examine, recover, refresh, and maybe reinvent.”
For her part, Susan Rivero Javier, mom of four, wants to take a solo vacation because she just wants a vacation!
She says, “I so deserve it. I’ve been a solo parent for 18 years and totally neglected myself. Work became my life, my passion, and I’ve become addicted to it, seriously. I have no life after work, but I have no regrets. Seeing my four children and one grandchild all grown up now, everything was all worth it.”
Dream getaway
Susan sees herself chilling out in a beach, a not so crowded one. Although she’s not much of a beach lover, she says, “Walking, watching the sunrise and sunset by the shore while sipping a fruit shake are enough to make my day.”
Sarah would choose a quiet beach as well, or a mountain, depending on her mood. She shares, “I climbed Mount Ijen in Java last month and fell in love not just with the beauty and wild nature of the volcano but also with the quiet and serenity of the peak. I have never experienced that kind of inner peace anywhere else.”
Monica says, “I would probably go to museums, those graphic art or type font ones that my boys or my husband find boring, the kind that display paper art or cut fabric. Or I’d go to the beach with an iPad downloaded with about 200 books, and just read all day long without having to worry about anyone.”
Moms give so much of themselves every day. And a vacation will allow them to rediscover those of bits of themselves which they may have lost while they were busy caring for others. While going on vacation now may not be doable, there’s no harm in thinking about having one… soon.
Monica admits that for now, the time for that solo vacation hasn’t come yet.
“So for now, I take my vacations happily and contentedly surrounded by family and friends – accumulating memories, absorbing life, packing every experience, feeling, and pictures (lots of it) in my head. When finally I take that solo trip, I can unpack some of these memories– happily and contentedly – to keep me company when I’m not reading or walking those galleries.”
Jing Lejano is a single mom of four and lula of one. She is the content head of Mommy Mundo, and is currently planning her next vacation.
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