Family on the Go

I have been lucky enough to have three best friends for over 20 years (two of them over 30 years). When we were younger – and by younger I mean in high school, which at the time seemed like we were old – we would always talk about traveling together or exploring different places.

High school ended and I moved away for college, we got “big girl” jobs, got married, started families and it seemed like that adventure we talked about was just a far off goal about which to fantasize.

Then, the time came and we decided to make this dream a reality.

The mom guilt

As soon as we started seriously discussing this trip, the mom guilt set in and I started to worry about leaving my family. My boys were only going to be four and 18 months by the time we traveled; could I really leave them for an entire week?

Luckily, I have an extremely supportive husband and an absolutely wonderful support system. I was encouraged to go, and I’m so glad I did.

My boys were extremely well taken care of; I was able to spend quality time with three of my best friends, whom I only see for a few hours here and there these days; I experienced a new culture and explored a new country; and I enjoyed a vacation that left me feeling refreshed and gave me a greater appreciation for my husband, kids and family overall.

The opportunity and vacation

I’m honestly not completely sure how we landed on Spain, but it worked out perfectly and is a great place for a girls’ trip.

When my husband studied abroad in college, he was able to visit Barcelona and Madrid, so I also didn’t have added guilt about going somewhere he hadn’t been or we would want to visit together.

We made the decision to spend a few days in Barcelona, take a break for a couple days at the beach in Cadaques and end with a day and a half in Madrid. Once we started planning, it seemed everything fell into place.

Now, it’s not always the easiest getting four girls to agree on accomodations and things to do, but because we are more like sisters, we had a few planning calls, created spreadsheets and found hotels and excursions we all would love.

All-in-all, it was the week I needed with some of my favorite people.

The lesson

I’ll write another blog on all the things to see and do in Barcelona, Costa Brava and Madrid, but this is about what I learned and if I would do it again.

It was hard to leave my family for a week. I felt selfish, a little judged by some and I missed all my boys terribly. However, they thrived that week and so did I! I won’t leave them that long again within the next year, but I will most definitely take another vacation with friends.

We moms get so caught up in our role as a mom that we sometimes forget we had our own identity before taking on a new one as soon as we had children.

This vacation helped remind me of that. It helped me unwind, focus on myself a bit, and not only remember who I was but also who I am now and how much I need my family in this new version of myelf.

Follow _familyonthego_ for A LOT more photos, updates and stories from our Spain vacation.