How to make any vacation a nature vacation

Have you ever specifically planned to take a nature vacation?  Do you intentionally include nature appreciation when you’re on vacation?

According to Becki, in this latest edition of the nature connections series, you can find and appreciate nature at all destinations whether you’re visiting the beach or the big city.

A salmon-coloured sunset over water, text reads turn any vacation into a nature vacation

How to fit nature into your family vacation

by Becki Svare

Hey there!  I’m Becki Svare and I blog over at A Book Lover’s Adventures.  One of the things my readers enjoy is that you can find tips, encouragement and easy escapes for us moms with teen & tweens.

When Jenn asked me if I wanted to write an article about nature, I really wasn’t sure what I had to say about it.  I mean, I write about travel and books.  So, I wasn’t really sure what nature had to do with any of that!

I started looking back through vacation photos and was surprised to see how much nature plays into our vacations.  Even, apparently, when nature isn’t the star of the vacation.  I mean, sometimes we go to the beach on vacation, so obviously we are going to be in nature during that trip.  But, what about trips to London or Seville?  They don’t exactly scream nature vacation, do they?!  But, here’s what I found when figuring out how we fit nature into our travels.

 

Some trips will be easier to find nature than others!

A lot of our family vacations are to the beach.  We live in Florida, so a beach vacation is pretty easy for us! These trips are full of beach walks, shell seeking, and dolphin hunting.  We always come home refreshed after being surrounded by nature for a week or so!

Obviously, if your family vacation is to the beach or the mountains, you’re going to find yourself in the midst of nature pretty easily.  Hopefully some of your travels take you to these spots.  Spend lots of time recharging in the natural beauty around you!  Take walks or hikes, take a book outside, take a nap outside…just enjoy nature!  That’s why you’re there!!

Most cities have easy access to some sort of nature for you to enjoy!

Heck, even New York City has a big park to hang out in.  While in the London area, we found ourselves walking through Greenwich Park on a daily basis.  We pretty much had to go through the park to get anywhere.  The metro was on the other side of the park.  So, every single day we were there, we went through that big, beautiful park.  Some afternoons on our way back from a long day we would find a bench and just hang out.  Sometimes we would have a book, other times we would just hang out and recharge enjoying the beauty around us.

When visiting Museum, palaces, historic homes

I’ve found that our travels usually include visiting museums, palaces, or historic homes.  What I’ve also found is that most of them have an outdoor aspect to them.  So, when visiting museums or palaces, we always look for the garden area!  One palace had a fabulous maze that we wandered through, another had peacocks wandering through the gardens.  I noticed the peacocks kept following us around – turns out my son was dropping granola crumbs as we were walking, lol.

A peacock walking behind some people on the sidewalk

I’ve found that my kids tend to have a time limit when it comes to wandering through museums.  So, we found that a lot of museums have outdoor sculpture gardens.  These are really great to check out! The change of scenery is super helpful, and we can usually eek out a little longer if we take them outside!

State and National Parks

Our tax dollars go into these parks, so we may as well take advantage of them!  Here in Florida we have 164 State Parks and 3 National Parks!!  That’s a lot of nature to explore – and at a very reasonable price!  I’m surprised at how few of these we’ve actually been to.  But, encouraged that we have a lot left to explore!

Resorts tend to have lots of beautiful outdoor areas.

Every once in a while, we’ll splurge and stay in a fancy resort area.  I’ve found that you can find some really gorgeous areas tucked into the resort grounds.  So, grab a meal or just drinks and walk around the grounds.  Or, take a book and find a beautiful spot to enjoy and relax in!

a wooden park bench sitting under trees
The beauty of a park bench… a place to appreciate nature on any vacation

Enjoy the Benefits of Nature in your Travels

So, wherever your travels take you, make sure you seek out some nature to enjoy.  As I’m sure you know, there are many benefits to getting out into nature.  Being in nature is good for our physical health, our mental health, it helps lower our stress levels, and has been shown to improve academic performance.  So, make a point to get out and enjoy nature with your family.  It’s good for all of you!

I’ve found that it doesn’t matter if your destination is “nature” or not, you are still able to enjoy a nature vacation regardless of your destination!  So, whether you’re headed to the beach, the mountains, a State Park or National Park, or a big city, seek out nature.  Your whole family will benefit from being in nature, and you can make some fun family memories!  Look for fun and interesting ways to enjoy nature while you’re traveling!

 

A little bit about A Book Lover’s Adventures

I don’t know about you, but some days I just want to escape from real life ~ just for a little while! You’ll find lots of different “escape” options here on A Book Lover’s Adventures. Whether you escape runs to fun & interesting books to read, or a day trip that offers a great glass of wine! Oh, and if you happen to like Harry Potter, well then we’re practically best friends already!  You may want to check out What I’m Reading Now or Traveling with Teens.

What should you do now?

Check out the nature connections series to read how others find nature in the everyday.  Maybe you’ll be inspired to share your own story with us!

A family sitting on a park bench, text reads making time for nature on vacation
a sunset over water, text reads finding time for nature on vacation

 

An ocean sunset, text reads finding time for nature on vacation

 

<

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *