BHS students have survived the grueling winter months and are very deserving of the week that shall arrive in merely two days: SPRING BREAK. It is the week that the retirees of Florida dread because “those darn kids need to turn down that racket” and the Caribbean is flooded with partying teenagers and college students. OR, like most high school students, it is the week where you are forced to stay home because you have a sports commitment, so you end up sleeping until 1pm everyday, eating your weight in whatever you can find in the refrigerator, and catching up on all your homework.

For those of us who do go away, it is usually the annual visit to your grandparents’ house that your mother planned a week after you got back from last year’s trip. Just the usual…. Unless, of course, your are in my family where vacation never seems to go smoothly.

You see, my mother is the best planner. I know and she can find every deal known to womankind. She is also the type of person who second-guesses everything she wants to on said trip to Spain. So, using her handy dandy Tourist’s Guide to SPAIN! she goes through everything one can possibly do in the country and then goes through it again because the first time wasn’t good enough. And then there’s my dad who is concerned with the money (aren’t all dads?). Basically the conversation goes something like this:

Mom: “How about renting a car?”
Dad: “That sounds good, but how much does it cost?”
Mom: “How about going to a museum?”
Dad: “That sounds good, but how much does it cost?”
Mom: “How about going to another museum because I didn’t like that first museum?”
Dad: “That sounds good, but how much does it cost?”
Mom: “How about wandering around aimlessly for seven days?”
Dad: “That sounds good, but how much does it cost?”

Eventually, the conversation just sounds like the teacher from Charlie Brown… “Wah wah wah wah wah wah, wah wah.” Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents, but after sixteen years of hearing my parents plan a vacation, I have learned to ignore and just hope for a good time on the vacation. That is if we even make it to the vacation and survive the transport.

Flying is an ordeal whether we are two-years old or 32-years old. There are two things that I have accepted:
1. Planes cause air sickness.
2. Remember headphones.
Let me explain. Of the five people in my family, two of us don’t get airsick, myself included (thank goodness). But, we are outnumbered by the other three who do get sick…. Very sick. Considering he is the other good flyer, my dad’s main duty is to comfort my mom, which leaves my two sisters with me. Airplanes=not fun.

Which brings me to my second point. You should ALWAYS remember the headphones. All you have to do is plug them in and enter the wonderful world of music, that, if utilized at a loud enough volume, could potentially drown out the complaints of the people who are airsick and that one cliché baby that seems to be crying the entire trip.

After the horrendous plane ride is over, the past vacations part haven’t exactly gone as planned either. There was that one time when we were on a cruise and a crewmember committed suicide. We spent an entire night going in circles because they had to search for the body. And there was that other time that we were in the Dominican Republic and we lost my dad. We were about to begin a rescue mission ourselves, until we found him outside of our room. Turns out we had crossed paths countless times throughout the hour and a half. Then there was another time when we were on our way to Michigan and we decided to take a “short cut.” As a result, our car broke down in the middle of Canada. AND THEN…. Well considering our track record, this story isn’t going to end well either.

Despite all the crazy adventures my family has endured on our Spring Break vacations, we still enjoy each other’s presence by the end of the trip. And year after year, we have another story to add to the collection. Let’s see what “The Ziegler Family Vacation: Spanish Edition” brings.

I hope your journey is as memorable as ours… and don’t forget the headphones!