A Weekend Getaway is Good for the Soul: Reflections from Camp Travel Mom

There's nothing worse than sitting around waiting for something good to happen to you. For the past few months I've been in that kind of funk. You know that feeling when you're just uninspired and you need a change? When I received an email from my friend Emily Kaufman, The Travel Mom, asking if I'd like to attend her Camp Travel Mom event in San Diego, I thought, YES!!! Her last travel event, The Travel Mom's Western Weekend Getaway was life-changing for me. Once again I was in desperate need of change- a change of direction, a change of company, a change of scenery. I had never been to San Diego before, so I was excited to grab my blogging bestie, Kid Congeniality, and head out to the west coast. It would've been easy to pass up a travel opportunity. I could make a million excuses for myself- it's too far away, it's too expensive, it would be too hard to coordinate everything (from childcare to school work to airport pick-ups and drop-offs). But I was determined to get there, and I'm so glad I did. And with 100% certainty I can tell you that weekend getaways are necessary and imperative. Don't believe me? Read on to hear what I learned about myself from a short trip away from home and all of the many responsibilities that held me down.

This post is part of a series on my site called Momma Musings, where I share personal thoughts and feelings. I hope you'll check out my other posts, too, especially if you enjoy this one.

Let me start by telling you a little bit about The Travel Mom. You might recognize her from television or social media. Here's a blurb from her website: "Over the past 20 years, Emily Kaufman, known as The Travel Mom, has built a loyal and engaged community of travel enthusiasts who watch her weekly on national TV shows as Good Morning America, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, The Steve Harvey Show, CNN, local TV stations, and online for the latest travel news, tips, and giveaways. Emily engages the community offline as well through experiential events, including The Travel Mom Weekend Getaways. The Travel Mom is a 360 degree media brand that touches TV, digital, & experiential all in one." I met Emily The Travel Mom in 2019 at an incredible conference called Social Media on the Sand at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort (you can read about that experience here). I am so proud to be a 'Beaches Mom,' and Social Media on the Sand was a life-changing experience for me, too. I learned so much from the guest speakers at SMOTS, especially Emily Kaufman. She's such a genuine, authentic person, who gives back so much to others and truly embraces life and everyone she comes in contact with. A life-changer, she is! I am so grateful to know her.

Camp Travel Mom

Camp Travel Mom was a 3-day event featuring dinners, dancing, karaoke, and numerous activities and fun at the beautiful San Diego Mission Bay Resort in San Diego, California. Guests at Camp Travel Mom included content creators, tv personalities, writers, journalists, artists, and travel enthusiasts from all over the world. Our weekend consisted of:

-cocktail hour and welcome dinner reception

-karaoke and cocktails

-Sunday brunch with juice and mimosa bar

-gentle yoga

-sound and reiki bath session with Jazmine Amelia

-facials, massages and gentle stretching from Massage Envy

-pool time with cocktails and ahi tacos

-bike rides or jet ski/paddle board time

-meet and greet the artist lunch (with artist Rubem Robierb)

-Disco Dinner cocktail hour

-Disco Dinner buffet and dance party

-farewell breakfast

The event was made possible in part by some incredible sponsors, such as San Diego Tourism, Noble House Hotels, Merlin Entertainments (LEGOLAND, Madame Tussauds, SEALIFE Aquarium), Visit Greater Palm Springs, RVShare, Travel Costa Mesa, Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, Massage Envy, TravelGuard, Expedia Group (Expedia, VRBO, Hotels.com), Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, Sonoma County, Paradisus by Melia, The Palm Beaches, and Plant Juice Oils.

A Change of Scenery

The last Travel Mom event in Arizona taught me so much about myself. It really helped me find the 'old me' again, the one who had been lost after becoming a wife and mother. I love my family dearly but I had tethered myself to them as a source of security, and because of that, I was missing out on many opportunities. I'm sure parents everywhere can understand, especially moms. We often put our families ahead of our own well-being. I can't is a common mom phrase! 'I can't go,' 'Looks like I can't make it,' 'I can't get there in time,' 'I can't miss the baseball game,' 'I can't find a babysitter,' 'I can't attend.' Sound familiar? So I knew I had to make this weekend getaway happen!!

As I mentioned, I desperately needed a change of scenery, and I think my teenage son needed a break from me. I arrived at this Travel Mom event much more confident than the last, and with a dear friend at my side. The people at Camp Travel Mom were amazing. Each so talented, full of life, energy, and purely positive vibes. These are people who welcome you back with open arms (literally) and are so genuinely happy to see you. Even me, the little blogger from Jersey? Yes, even me. Such good people!

Why Travel Matters

If you've read any of my Momma Musings posts then you know I struggle with anxiety, especially in social situations. I'm powerful behind a keyboard but I tend to be quiet in most social situations, and I remain under the radar, especially when there are larger-than-life personalities all around me. But I realize now that's it's okay if I'm not the best in the room. At least I'm in the room, and I can be the best at what I do. Everyone at Camp Travel Mom was talented- there were journalists, media personalities, content creators- all so creative and with their own personal flair. It's hard to compete with that, right? What I learned from this trip is that I didn't have to compete. We each brought something to the table in our own unique way. I absolutely loved talking to so many brilliant people about where they travel, what hotels they stay in, where they like to eat, and what advice they had for social media and promotion. Had I stayed home with another "I can't," I wouldn't have been exposed to all of these amazing people, experiences and other writers like myself.

And once again I am so very grateful to Emily Kaufman for encouraging this Jersey girl to get out to San Diego for the very first time! I even extended our stay at Mission Bay Resort for a few days so that we could see more of San Diego (more posts about that coming soon!), and it was truly incredible.

So when a travel opportunity arises...take it!!! And if it doesn't rise, make the plans yourself. I hope I've illustrated how important that getaway can be, how important travel is and why it matters. Get out there and travel again! When you surround yourself with the right people, good things happen. Absolutely nothing will change in your life if you sit around waiting for it to happen. Take the trip, and let it ignite a spark in you again.