Good Memories with Family Vacations.

A friend once said: "There is only one important thing we can leave our children: good memories." I think a lot about that especially since he passed away a year ago.

I have found, too, that the very best way to create special memories is the family vacation.

There is nothing like "getting away" and for a number of obvious reasons: great expectations bring about tremendous excitement, most people change for the better, stick together, and find they open themselves to experiences that cement family members more tightly. Of course the whole family learns something new, is exposed to various cultures and differences in the natural environment. In every case, also, these memories last a lifetime. There is nothing like the annual vacation to shake family members out of complacency, the daily rut and tiresome personality clashes. Children seem to get on better together, husbands and wives play more often, with one another and also with the kids. And always, a fresh new environment inspires one to think and do great things.

My kids bungee jumped off the world’s tallest bridge; I think more scary for me than it was for them. But the experience changed them: they are more confident, they bonded well because of the jump and they now have a story to tell for the rest of their lives. Stories are very important. All of life is made up of stories.

Some years ago we visited Australia and booked to swim with dolphins on a tour in Adelaide. I think the principles of The Secret were put into practise: we probably thought of little else for weeks before our departure. When we arrived at “the cousins” in Hobart, Tasmania, there was a surprise waiting for us. One afternoon my sister-in-law screamed from her veranda: there were dolphins in the bay. It took seconds for us to get to the water, just across the road, and the swim itself, as you can imagine, was life changing. The dolphins had spotted swimmers from far out, and suddenly we found ourselves basically circled by at least five of them. There is no doubt that as a human I was out of my depth: this was very much their world and they were very much in control. It was intriguing to see them under the water, glaring at us as they sped past, and touching when they managed to bypass all of us adults, and actually nudge each child.

The sight of two of them propelling themselves like mini rockets through the crashing surf, back out to sea from deep in shore, – a sight I was lucky enough to see as I dived under water with goggles – shall forever remain with me.

Whatever your experiences, it is unlikely that you will have ones as memorable as these at home. The family vacation, whether it be a cruise, a camp, a weekend away with your luxury resort membership: at a golf resort or ski resort, or the wholesale adventurous overseas epic journey like a trip to alluring Alaska, captivating Cape Town, stunning Scandinavia, sensuous Santorini or tantalising Tasmania makes for memories that go far towards making the man, shaping the woman, and evolving the kids.

They are truly worth saving for, planning assiduously, executing with gusto and filming for future record.

If nothing else they leave you with countless stories to tell. And stories are really important in life, for they are the waves upon which all your memories can ride.

One of the BEST ways to seek adventure and create memories is a timeshare resort; but beware there are huge disadvantages: expensive weeks, blackout weeks and HIGH levies each year that go up annually.

If you want to pay LESS than the annual timeshare levy for a full week at any of 5ooo resorts in 55 countries - all 3-5 star resorts, then check out this Vacation Membership. This is a travel opporunity that is guaranteed to change your life.

Let's the memories begin!