Family Travel Reset

Episode 198: The Family Travel ResetEpisode Overview If your family vacations have started to feel a little too predictable — the same beach, the same rental, the same “are we even relaxed?” feeling when you get home — it might be time for a reset. In Episode 198, Rob shares how to press pause on autopilot travel and rediscover the why behind your family’s adventures. It’s not about the next destination — it’s about what you hope to bring home: connection, laughter, and stories worth retelling. Inspired by his upcoming book, The Family Vacationer: A Parent’s Guide to Meaningful Travel (coming November 11, 2025), Rob introduces the concept of The Family Travel Reset — a simple, practical way to make travel more intentional, more joyful, and a whole lot less stressful.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why families fall into “autopilot travel” — and how to break free
• The one question to ask before planning your next vacation: What do we really want from this trip?
• How to balance structure and spontaneity to create real connection
• The three easiest ways to reset your family’s travel mindset
• A personal story from Disney that changed how Rob plans trips forever
• A simple “Family Travel Check-In” you can do this week to reconnect and reset

Three Easy Ways to Start Your Family Travel Reset

1. Involve your kids in the planning.
2. Ask them what they want out of the trip — more pool time, less rushing, more freedom. When kids feel heard, everyone’s happier on the road.
3. Build in slow mornings.
4. Vacations shouldn’t feel like a race. Linger over breakfast, explore without an agenda, and let curiosity lead the day.
5. Redefine success.
6. Instead of asking, “Did we check everything off?” try “Did we laugh together today?” Because that’s what really matters.

Favorite Quote from This Episode “Meaningful travel isn’t about doing more — it’s about feeling more.” — Rob Jones From Rob’s Upcoming Book This episode pulls from several chapters of Rob’s forthcoming book, The Family Vacationer: A Parent’s Guide to Meaningful Travel, releasing November 11, 2025. The book is filled with stories, practical strategies, and gentle encouragement for parents who want travel to be less about logistics and more about connection.Preorder information coming soon!This Week Comes with Homework! Do a quick Family Travel Check-In:

• Ask everyone: What’s your favorite travel memory we’ve ever made together?
• Then ask: What would make our next trip even better?

Their answers might surprise you — and might be the key to your own Family Travel Reset.
Connect with The Family Vacationer

• Instagram & Facebook: @TheFamilyVacationer
• Website: thefamilyvacationer.live
• Email: [e-mail]

Upcoming EventsRob’s Book Launch: The Family Vacationer: A Parent’s Guide to Meaningful Travel — coming November 11, 2025200th Episode Celebration: Join Rob & Traci for a live recording in Orlando on December 15, 2025 — details and tickets available soon!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
If your family vacations have started to feel a little
too predictable. The same beach, same routine, that same tired
feeling when you get home, it might be time for
a travel reset. This week on The Family Vacationer, we're
talking about how to bring more peace, purpose and connection
into your next trip. We're calling it the Family Travel Reset,

(00:28):
and it starts right now on episode Welcome to the
Family Vacationer with Robin Tracy, your go to podcast for
families on the moon. Hey friends, Rob here and welcome
back to the Family Vacationer, the podcast that helps families
make travel more meaningful and memorable. Now we are right

(00:51):
on the cusp of that time of year when your
calendars fill up with holiday plans, school breaks. Maybe that
we really should visit I'm on Grandpa this year conversation,
which you should. But before everything speeds up, I wanted
to take a pause together to breathe, to reflect, and
to talk about something that might just change the way

(01:11):
that you travel this year. We're calling it the Family
travel Reset. And this isn't about where to go next,
It's about why we go. Before you click book now
on another flight or cabin rental, take a moment to
ask what do we really want from our time away together?
If you've listened to the show for a while, you've

(01:33):
heard me mention this before, probably several times. It's actually
a theme that runs through several chapters of my upcoming book,
Shameless Blood Coming the Family Vacationer A Parent's Guide's a
Meaningful Travel, which is due November eleventh of this year,
And in chapter one, Why We Travel, I talk about
how easy it is to slip into autopilot travel. You

(01:54):
find a destination that works for your family, so you
do it again and again and again, and we're that way.
We can be rut travelers. We have been rut travelers,
same beach, same routine, and there's a comfort in that,
but over time it can turn into reruns instead of
new memories. Now, if you've come home from a vacation

(02:17):
feeling more tired than before you left, or if you
were wondering whether your family even connected on the trip
at all, that's not failure. That's a sign. It's your
cue that it might be time for a reset. The
whole idea behind a family travel reset comes down to
one simple question, what do you actually want to bring

(02:37):
home from your next trip. Souvenirs are great, Instagram photos
are fine, But connection, shared stories and laughter that's what
we're after. In chapter three of the book, perfect Trips
are a myth, I share that sometimes our best memories
are the ones that we didn't plant. The day that

(02:58):
it rained at the theme park and you end up
playing cards in the hotel lobby, the wrong turn that
led you to the best diner that you've ever found.
When we stop measuring success by how many things we've
checked off a list and start measuring by how connected
we felt, everything can change. All right. So you may

(03:18):
be thinking that sounds great, but how do we actually
do this? If your family could use a little reset,
here are three easy suggestions of ways to get started.
Number one, you can involve your kids in the planning.
This comes straight out of chapter four in the book,
Mapping Family Expectations. Ask them what they want out of

(03:39):
the trip. Do you want more pool time? Do you
want less rushing around? Do you want more time exploring?
If it's a teenager, do you want some time to
kind of look around on your own? You don't lose control.
By asking, you gain insight, and when kids feel heard,
everyone's happier on the road. Number two, build in slow mornings.

(04:04):
Chapter six of the book The Art of the Slow
Morning talks about how vacations shouldn't feel like a race,
although they sometimes do. Right, Let the mornings breathe a
little bit, linger over breakfast, go for a walk, Let
curiosity lead some of the days. And Number three, let's

(04:25):
redefine what we consider success with our vacations. Chapter five,
Planning without Panic, digs into this idea. Instead of asking
did we check everything off our list? Try asking did
we laugh together today? Did we learn something new about
each other? Because that's the kind of checklist that really matters.

(04:45):
And listen, I have to be honest, I've learned a
lot of these things the hard way, a lot of
our trips to Disney, for example. You know, I'm the
dad with the color coded itinerary, with the backup plans,
the plan for the plan, the plan be the plans,
the printed copies, you know, for everyone to have. And
then one year at Disney, things changed a little bit.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
For me.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
I realized maybe I overplanned a little bit. Every ride,
every meal, every minute, dragging the kids here, dragging the
kids there. It was efficient, but maybe not happy. Somewhere
between the front of the line passes dinner reservations, I
realized that maybe I'd built the world's most organized vacation,

(05:31):
but not necessarily a very fun one. I've told this
story many times. I tell it in the book as well.
We're at Disney. We're trying to hoof it over to
the Skyliner so that we can make our first reservation
of a long list of reservations for that day. And
one of my boys I can't remember which one, makes
a beeline for the sad little little playground at Pop Century,

(05:54):
just having the best time, and I, you know, go
over to them and I try to explain, we have
to to get to the sky Hunter so we can
get to this ride, to that ride, to this breakfast
reservation and so on. And he's like, Dad, there's no
lines here. I can just play. And it's one of
those parenting moments where you're really confused what you're trying

(06:16):
to accomplish. But that trip changed a lot for me.
It's the trip that also inspired this podcast, because meaningful
travel isn't about doing more, it's about feeling more. This
episode comes with homework. All right, I have a challenge
for you. This week. It's a quick family travel check in.

(06:37):
Ask everyone in your family what's your favorite travel memory
that we've ever made together, and then ask them what
would make our next trip even better. I guarantee you
will be surprised by their answers and you might just
find your family's next great travel reset moment. So again,

(06:57):
another shameless plug, but if the idea of resetting your
approach to family travel resonates with you, there is a
lot more where that came from in my new book,
The Family Vacation or Parent's Guide to Meaningful Travel, which
is out on November eleventh, twenty twenty five. It is
filled with real stories, practical strategies, and encouragement to help

(07:19):
families create trips that actually bring you closer together. It's
not me telling you how to travel. I am not
I am not a travel expert. I am a dad
trying to figure this out, just like you are, and
we would love to hear if you implement any of this.
We'd love to hear how your family travel reset goes.
You can send us a message on Instagram or Facebook

(07:40):
at the Family Vacation or podcast and share your story.
We might even feature it in an upcoming episode. So
until next time, friends, here's the fewer checklists, more connection,
and the little breathing room on your family's next trip. Remember, folks,
to keep your passports and your hearts open. Say travels everyone.

Speaker 2 (08:08):
I've got in food, all the beach places and the
hotel spaces, amusement park rides and water slides, mountain ranges
and seasonal changes. I'm here to serve. I'm the faery vacationers.

(08:31):
I've got in full on other beach places and hotel spaces,
amusement park rids and water slides, mountain ranges and seasonal changes.
I'm here to serve. I'm the faery vacationers.