You Get 17 Summers for Family Vacation. Don’t Waste Them.

Mama, sit down. I need to tell you something about family vacation that might wreck you a little. (I promise we’ll land somewhere hopeful.)

A new survey of 2,000 parents — conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Club Wyndham — found that 66% of parents say a single year with their child passes like at least two. And 91% of us agree that time moves faster the older our kids get.

You already feel it, don’t you? The way your toddler became a kindergartener in what felt like a long weekend. The way the high schooler in your house is suddenly the size of an actual adult. The way Christmas mornings start looking different. The way you’re packing for an empty nest you swore was a decade away.

If I could grab the version of myself who was packing up our first family vacation 20 years ago, and shake her gently, and tell her ONE thing? It would be this:

“You have less time than you think, mama. Go more often. Be more present. Pack the bag and GO.”

Why This One Hit Me So Hard

I’m a mom of four, ages 9 to 23. Which means I have simultaneously watched two kids age right out of the family vacation window — and I’m still living inside it with my younger crew.

I’ve been on both sides of this survey. And let me tell you, I have feelings.

The data says the average parent believes the “golden age” of family travel — when kids are old enough AND willing to enjoy a vacation with the family — spans just seven years, ages 7 to 14. SEVEN YEARS. And by age 12, kids’ interest in vacationing with the family starts to fade. By 13, it’s gone.

Read that again, mama.

SEVEN YEARS.

That’s it. That’s the window where everything aligns — they can carry their own bag, they’re past the meltdown years, they actually remember the trip when it’s over, and they still WANT to go with you. After 13? You’re competing with friends, social media, summer jobs, sports, romantic interests, and a whole new adolescent identity that doesn’t always include “vacation with mom and dad.”

44% of parents in this survey already have kids past that golden age. I’m in that 44% — twice over. Two kids already on the other side of it, with two more still inside it.

And I am NOT making the same mistake again.

What 89% of Parents Said -That I Wish I’d Heard 15 Years Ago

The most gut-punching stat in the entire survey:

89% of parents didn’t realize how quickly their children would grow up until it was already happening.

And:

86% of parents wished they’d taken more trips with THEIR own parents or older family members while they were still able to travel together.

We are watching this play out in two directions, friends. We didn’t realize how fast the years would go. And we didn’t take enough trips with the older generation while we still could.

Add in this one:

80% of parents wish they had taken MORE vacations with their kids when they were younger.

Eight out of ten. Past-tense regret. They didn’t know what they had until the window started closing.

The Quote That Made Me Cry

Annie Roberts, senior vice president at Club Wyndham, summed it up perfectly in the survey announcement:

“Parents often think about childhood in terms of years, but it unfolds in fleeting seasons. Our research shows that families are increasingly aware that those seasons pass quickly, which is why creating shared experiences feels more important than ever. In fact, 90% of parents told us that family travel is one of the best ways to build the memories they’ll carry with them for years to come.”

Fleeting seasons.

That’s exactly what they are, mamas.

The “tiny humans who climb into the airplane seat with you” season. The “kids who want to swim with you until their lips turn blue” season. The “let’s all order pancakes together” season. The “matching pajamas on Christmas morning” season. The “everyone in the car singing the same song” season.

They are SEASONS. Not permanent states. And every single one of them passes.

Why Parents Keep Putting Off the Family Vacation

The survey identified the things that get in our way, and they’re going to sound REAL familiar:

• 44% — cost (this one is brutal in 2026)
• 30% — not enough PTO
• 23% — packed social calendars
• The average parent has postponed a vacation four times because of work, planning overwhelm, or other factors
• 18% put off family vacations because they thought they’d have “more time later”

That last one. “More time later.” I’ve said it. You’ve said it. We all say it.

Spoiler: later never comes the way we think it will.

And When We DO Get A Family Vacation…

Here’s the part of the survey that gave me pause:

83% of parents are distracted by work or emails for most of their vacation.

Eight out of ten of us, physically on the trip, but mentally still in our inboxes. Showing up but not really present. Vacationing in body but not in soul.

This is the part I want to gently push back on, friends. Because the seven-year golden window doesn’t just need us to SHOW UP physically. It needs us to actually BE there. Phones down. Laptops away. Inbox auto-replied. Eyes on our kids.

The point of the trip is the people you’re with.

A Quick Reframe From My IIN Days

When I graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2019, the lesson that stuck with me hardest was the concept of “primary food” — the parts of your life that nourish you beyond what’s on your plate. Your relationships. Your experiences. Your sense of time and presence.

Family travel is PRIMARY FOOD, mama. The trips your kids will remember in their 40s are not the perfect Pinterest-worthy ones. They’re the ones where you were FULLY THERE. The chaotic road trip. The hotel pool with the cheap snacks. The bad weather day where you played cards. The afternoon at the springs. The cousins running around the rental house.

You don’t need a luxury resort. You need presence.

What I Did Wrong With My Older Crew -And What I’m Doing Differently Now When It Comes To Our Family Vacation

Here’s the painful honesty: when my older two were in the golden age, I was in corporate America and treated my job like MY business, I was raising a younger child, managing finances, dealing with everyday mom life. We vacationed. We had fun. But did I take all 7 of those golden years? No.

I was IN those years thinking I had more time. The same way 18% of the parents in this survey said they did.

So here’s what’s different now with my younger crew:

1. I’m prioritizing presence over perfection. Less planning the perfect trip, more just GOING somewhere.

2. I’m taking shorter trips more often. Long weekends. Two-night escapes. We don’t need a 10-day adventure to make a memory. We need to actually go.

3. I’m protecting the family travel budget like it’s a non-negotiable. Because in our house, it IS one.

4. I’m leaning into nearby trips. Florida has springs, beaches, theme parks, historic towns, and weekend escapes within a 4-hour radius. We don’t need a flight to make a memory.

5. I’m phone-down on actual vacation. Auto-reply on. Slack notifications off. My kids see me present, not partially absent. (I’m not perfect at this — I have a business to run. But I’m WAY better than I used to be.)

6. I’m taking more vacations than I think I “should.” The survey said parents take 2 family trips a year on average, but wish they took 3. I am DETERMINED to be in the 3+ camp this season of my life.

7. I’m using vacation clubs and membership programs to make this affordable. Club Wyndham is a great example — designed specifically to make repeat family travel more accessible, with locations that fit different budgets and family sizes. If cost is the #1 barrier (44% said so!), this is a real-world solution worth looking at.

What Parents Said They’re Feeling

When asked how they felt about the time they have left, parents in the survey shared:

• 45% feel hopeful for the future
• 44% feel motivated to be more present
• 41% feel thankful for the time they have
• 31% feel bittersweet
• 28% feel nostalgic

That’s the whole human range right there, isn’t it? Hopeful AND bittersweet. Thankful AND grieving. Determined AND wistful.

That’s parenting in a nutshell. Holding two truths at once. The joy of where they are right now. The grief of where they’ll never be again.

A Final Word From One Mom in the Trenches to Another

If you have a kid between 7 and 14 right now, mama — please hear me. You are in the magic window. Don’t waste it.

Take the trip. Pack the cooler. Drive to the springs. Book the hotel. Go somewhere with your kids. Even if it’s cheap. Even if it’s short. Even if it’s not “vacation Instagrammable.”

Show up. Phone down. Eyes up. Be there.

And if your kids are already past the window like my older two? Take the trips you CAN take. Adult family vacations. Long weekends with your young adults. Holiday trips. Whatever they’ll come on — go.

The window narrows. It does not close completely. But it changes.

And to the moms of toddlers who are not even in the golden age yet — start NOW. Start the muscle of family travel. Start small. Start cheap. Start anywhere. Build the rhythm now, so when they hit 7, you’re already wired for it.

We get 17 summers with these kids, friends. Each one feels like two when we’re in it, and then suddenly we’re packing the car for college drop-off wondering where the time went.

Don’t be 80% of parents wishing you’d done more. Be the 20% who DID. ✈️

🏖️ Learn more about family vacations →

More Travel + Family Reading on Orlando Mom

• ✈️ Our Travel content — for the families ready to hit the road
• 🌴 Vacation guides — for the bigger adventures + memory-making trips
• 🏖️ Our Ultimate Guide to Summer in Central Florida — every weekend, every event, every guide
• 🚲 Our Throwback Bike post — the magic of slowing summer down
• 🌅 Our Nostalgic Summer With Kids post — practical, mom-tested ideas
• 🌞 Sun Protection: What You Need to Know — the daily Florida-mom non-negotiable

Research methodology: Talker Research surveyed 2,000 parents of school-aged children who celebrate occasions and have gone on vacation within the past year with internet access; the survey was commissioned by Club Wyndham and conducted online between June 3 and June 12, 2026.