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Family travel strengthens bonds of love.
According to statistics from the UK's senior health magazine Ageukmobility, approximately 70% of elderly people interviewed reported traveling 1-2 times a year. Countries like China, Japan, and Taiwan are also known for their high rates of family travel. In Vietnam, statistics on family travel often show low results, in contrast to the travel rates among younger groups.
Recently, due to the recovery of the tourism industry and the economy, many families have started to travel more confidently. A pandemic also helped people appreciate and cherish their loved ones, so more and more young people are tending to take their parents on trips and vacations.
Hoang Linh (25 years old, Hai Phong) shared a heartwarming and joyful family trip story. As a small family with two sisters, Linh's parents are very loving and often spend time traveling with their children.
"For me, traveling is the perfect time to strengthen family bonds," Linh said.
Hoang Linh's family trip.
Before each trip, Linh and her mother always prepare their suitcases meticulously so that the trip wouldn't be interrupted by missing anything. During a recent trip to Hoi An, Linh shared a memorable story: “When we went to Hoi An with the whole family, we lost track of Dad in the old town because the streets were quite difficult to navigate and looked so similar that it was hard to distinguish them. After trying to contact him and finding him, we were shocked to find that my older sister was also lost.”
Linh happily shared the reason for losing track of her sister: "My sister loves shopping. While looking for Dad, she saw some really nice shops and went in to buy things. Even though we called and arranged to meet her at a tea shop so we could continue our shopping trip, she bought so much that it took us a long time to move on to the next place."
The whole family was excited to board the plane to Hoi An.
As you can see, when going on trips with the whole family, many unpredictable situations often arise, such as getting lost, like the story above. Although it caused a lot of worry, the story became a memory for the whole family to cherish.
The worry about the cost and… the hardship.
Long (33 years old, a kitchen equipment business owner in Hanoi) shared: “My family rarely travels. My elderly parents don't like expensive trips; they just want to stay home, cook, and spend time with their children and grandchildren. Many times I've wanted to take them on a trip, but they always flatly refuse.”
As you can see, not every family can easily go on trips together. Many middle-aged parents are reluctant to travel due to poor health, making them hesitant to travel by train or bus, or because of their frugal habits that make them want to avoid activities that require a lot of money.
Another reason why family trips are rare is Ngân (25 years old, a clothing saleswoman in Quang Ninh). She confided, "Because I got married early and had children close together, I'm very busy with my sales job and taking care of two children. Sometimes when I have free time and want to travel, I don't know who to leave the children with, so I have to send them to their grandparents. My husband and I also work far apart, so even traveling together is difficult, let alone taking the grandparents along. I see other people having so much fun traveling to different places, but I can't go because every time I take a few days off, I have to work extra, which is very tiring."
Family travel is truly very meaningful.
Having young children is also a reason why many people find it difficult to take their families on trips. However, there are also many young people who can comfortably take their children on trips even when they are only 1-2 years old. This depends on each person's circumstances and conditions. And each family's story is different; no two are alike.
Hopefully, with the stories above, readers can see many different perspectives on family travel. A trip with two or three generations traveling together is always meaningful, fostering relationships and creating more memories. This is also how many children choose to show filial piety to their parents after a long period of hard, simple living, focusing solely on their children.
