This Is Your Sign To Take Mother Daughter Trips

There's something truly special about the relationship between a mother and a daughter. It's more than just a bond. Mothers and daughters are connected by the soul, and if your relationship with your mom is anything like mine, they are your everything. Your biggest cheerleader, your first phone call, and, for me, my most cherished teacher.

In my personal experience, as daughters grow up, the motherly role tends to shift into more of an undeniable and unbreakable friendship. Watching my personal friendship form between myself and my mother has honestly been one of the most beautiful transformations I've ever witnessed. I don't know what I would do without my best friend.

The hardest obstacle for myself and my mom is the distance between us. She lives on the east coast, and I live on the west coast, making quality time (that isn't through our phones) pretty hard to come by. That's why we came up with the brilliant idea of taking frequent mother daughter trips together!

Living on opposite sides of the United States has never been easy. We used to be so stuck in the idea that in order to see each other, one of us had to travel directly to where the other one lived. How boring, right? Not to mention, sometimes, it just wasn't possible with the flights and travel plans being offered.

But now, my mother and I have prioritized not only seeing each other, but most importantly, making memories together. We decided we wanted to create lasting memories, seeing and experiencing things our imaginations had only dreamt of.

That's where the spectacular mother daughter trips come into play.

The entire goal of a mother daughter trip is to reconnect and discover new things together. That said, as you sit down with mom to start planning your first of many mother daughter trips, there is one simple key to keep in mind... Don't overthink it.

It's natural to feel so much pressure to make each trip a big, elaborate production and shell out a ton of money. Of course, big, elaborate productions are always fun, but they're not necessary to achieve the goal at hand.

For example, my mother and I invested in a lethal combination: The Frontier All-You-Can-Fly Pass and the Six Flags Diamond Pass. This allows my mother and I to catch flights to basically any city of our choosing and go to any Six Flags park for a full year! And when you do the math, we're doing it all at a fairly affordable price whilst achieving the mission at hand.

There are so many ideas and ways to make mother daughter trips happen. Make them unique and catered toward your combined likes and preferences. It's not rocket science, and it doesn't have to cost a pretty penny. Just prioritize that special, quality time with mom. You'll never regret it.

It's always a good time to go on vacation, but summer, of course, is the official travel season. If you're planning a big trip, you're going to want to make sure to maximize your vacation. After all, traveling is supposed to be fun. That means not stressing out while planning or being on your trip. Let's get into some great tips to maximize your vacation.

Before we get to tips to maximize your vacation, let's look at vacation trends. A new AAA travel survey states that 84% of U.S. residents will travel in 2024. Also, 43% will take more vacations than last year. So traveling is a hot thing in 2024. "The travel season is already off to a hot start in 2024," said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA, The Auto Club Group. "Americans continue to make travel a top priority, and AAA travel agents have been busy planning a wide range of vacations from weekend getaways to world cruises."

If you're planning to take a cruise, note that according to AAA, more travelers are booking cruises farther in advance. Many spring break cruises sold out months before they were to set sail. "Last-minute bookings are possible, but prices may be higher and cabin choices limited," AAA notes.

What's more, a new study from AAA and Bread Financial has discovered that younger generations are into live event travel. Is that really new? I've been traveling for concerts for years, but it's apparently a new trend among Gen Z. They state that "three in five Gen Z (65%) and Millennial (58%) respondents confirmed they have traveled in the past 12 months and/or plan to travel in the next 12 months for in-person events like concerts, sporting events, comedy shows, and book readings that are more than 50 miles from home."

That's much more than with older generations, with is 43% for Gen X and 27% for Baby Boomers. Then again, older generations are more likely to want to be at home, because, well, they're older. They've been there and done that.

That same study found that Gen Z loves traveling for sports and music. They state that more than half (52%) of Gen Z travelers are gearing up to attend a music event in the next 12 months. In fact, one in five Gen Z travelers (20%) have traveled or plan to travel to see Taylor Swift live in concert.

As for sports, 38% of Gen Z travelers have traveled or plan to travel for the 2025 Super Bowl. Also, 32% have traveled or plan to travel to the 2024 NBA finals, and 19% have traveled or plan to travel to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.  Now, let's get into some great tips to maximize your vacation.

One great way to maximize your vacation is simply to save money. You'll feel so much better on vacation knowing that you're saving cash by doing things the right way. One major way to save money is to travel during an off season. Every vacation destination has its own peak time. So, look at the cheapest time to visit your destination, and go then. Find more tips on saving money on vacation, too.

Sure, you want to do some planning so that you don't miss the big tourist stops in your destination. But, don't book every blasted minute. Maximize your vacay by saving some time to be spontaneous. Take a day to just figure out what to do when you're there. Maybe some locals will recommend a secret spot for you to visit during your "day off."

While you don't want to overbook your trip so that you're always running from spot to spot, you do want to plan a bit. It's not a good idea to do zero planning and just feel things out when you get there. Plan some big activities ahead of time so that you aren't scrambling last-minute.

If you only have one big vacation every year, you might feel under a lot of pressure to make it the most amazing experience ever. So, take away that stress. Plan mini-vacations throughout the year, so you aren't under as much pressure to make your big trip the best thing that's ever happened to you and your family. For example, in the fall, if you live in an area with beautiful colors, make an annual fall color tour trip and just drive around the state.

If time and money allows, adding just one day to your vacation can open up a world of possibilities. Many people plan too short a trip, not realizing just how much they'll want to do in their destination. So, add an extra day. You'll be glad you did at the end of your stay.

Sure, you're on vacation. You want to soak up every minute of your trip. But, if you're up late every night partying in the clubs and then up early to enjoy the sunrise, pretty soon, you'll be too tired to enjoy your vacation. So, take time to get some sleep and feel rested.

They say, "Don't sweat the small stuff." That's certainly true on vacation. Nothing is going to go totally as planned. So, expect the unexpected, and roll with it.

When you get back from your vacation, don't plan to start work the very next day. Take an extra day or two off after your vacation to recuperate, so that you hit the ground running when you're back at work. The extra time at home will also give you a chance to savor your vacation.

People often find experiencing more rewarding that physical things. So, make sure to plan an experience with your trip. Maybe there's a huge concert you want to see on vacation. Perhaps it's a sporting event. Whatever it is, plan an awesome experience.

Finally, when you're home from your trip, decompress and look back on your vacation. What went wrong? What went right? Take notes and learn from your vacation, so you'll know what to do better next time.