The traditional way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to enjoy a delicious dinner with friends and family around a dinner table. But who says things can’t be done a little differently? Last year, my family and I decided to break tradition and instead take a road trip, creating the memories of a lifetime that I am so thankful for.
For those college students who can’t make it home for the holiday, this is a perfect way to spend time with friends and tell them just how thankful you are for having them in your life. All it takes is a little planning. Check out how we did our family road trip last year!
Being from the Los Angeles area, the trip began with a breakfast feast at IHOP. After that, the road trip really began. We headed down to Las Vegas for our first stop. There, we settled into our hotel room and headed down for dinner. As you can imagine, the list of things to do in Las Vegas is endless! My favorite part was watching the Cirque du Soleil show. It was amazing!
But Las Vegas was not the main stop of our 4-day trip; our true destination was The Grand Canyon. After driving another 4 or 5 hours, we finally arrived. The view was unbelievable. Photographs could not capture its beauty. It was the first time I visited and I was definitely not disappointed. Being in such a beautiful place with my family certainly put a lot of things in perspective. It was a time to take it all in and realize just how much is out there and remember what truly is important: the people you love.
My family and I spent a weekend full of laughter and joy in an untraditional way, but it was by far one of the most memorable Thanksgiving celebrations we have had in a long time. Spending time with my family without the stress of getting every detail right at the dinner table or spending hours preparing for the night was definitely a much needed change. We sang our way through the entire road trip with our favorite childhood songs. We laughed and reminisced on old memories, and we made so many new ones. We spent an amazing Thanksgiving away from home and I loved it.
I challenge you to do something different this Thanksgiving. There are endless ways to spend time with your family or friends. Take the time to appreciate them and tell them how thankful you are to have them in your life.
Photo Courtesy by Gloria Villalobos