18 Summers – It’s All We Have

18 SummersThis past week I attended the Wisconsin Fall Tourism Conference for work. Not only did I have a great time networking with current and potential clients, I also received a good reminder of what life is all about; family. Millions of vacation days go unused each year. Trust me I know, there have been years that I did not use all of my vacation days. Sitting in a session this week, something touched me personally, it was hearing about Visit Idaho’s 18 summers campaign. I have heard the phrase and term 18 summers for the past few years, especially since I have a young son, we have just 18 summers with our kids before they grow up so we need to take time to make some memories.

I remember when I became a dad, people would tell me to enjoy every moment that they go by so fast and before I knew it I would be sending my kid off to college. I just nodded my head and felt sympathetic like I understood. Honestly though, I just thought that 18 years was a long time, and I would have plenty of time to do every thing that we wanted to do and accomplish as a family. Five years in, and boy was I wrong, time goes by even faster when you have kids. Most parents can relate to that. We’re so busy with the responsibilities and tasks of parenting that we forget to enjoy the journey. We’re busy and so are our children. Activity fills every space in the daily schedule. Having only 18 summers really brings it home and it’s also one reason why I wrote about why I value experiences over things.

I now know what I must do as a parent. I must make every single summer and year count. All eighteen of them, because it’s not a lot.

When I question whether or not I should use the vacation day and take the trip with my family, I will question ‘Why not’ take the trip. The answer will now always be take the trip with family, create a memory and enjoy the moment. I will only be young for a little bit, and there is so much for us to see and do as a family. There are many opportunities that await for us to explore beyond the limits of our own front door.

I will be fully submerged in the activity and vacation. The phone, social media, and work can wait, this is about family time and creating those memories for not only our child but for ourselves.

Not only will we make the big vacations and enjoy them, I will also enjoy the simple moments too. Those small weekend getaways throughout the year and summer that may not seem like much, but are big to our child.

I don’t remember the things that my parents bought me as a kid, but I remember the vacations that we took. Driving across the country to see the Grand Canyon, going to Disney, Washington D.C., to seeing Niagara Falls. Those road trips are memories that have stuck with me and things that I want to create for my child. For at some point we will have nothing left but the memories. The memories of how we made the best of those 18 Summers together.

Visit Idaho’s 18 Summers Campaign

During one of the sessions at the Wisconsin Fall Tourism Conference, we hear about Visit Idaho’s 18 Summers campaign, and I have to say, it is outstanding. It touches the heart and put every family on notice that you only get 18 summers with your kids and you need to make them count. As Visit Idaho says, “Summer isn’t the only thing that goes by fast”. Visit Idaho clearly understanding that some of the best family time happens during the summer when we use our vacation days, unplug and take family trips together. This campaign seemed to really around the simple truth that 18 summers is all that we have with our kids before they go to college, become adults, get jobs and start a family of their own. Our job as marketers is to inspire family travel with once-in-a-lifetime adventures that parents and kids will remember for the rest of their lives. Kudos to Visit Idaho, it appears to be a magnificent campaign and the video not only touch at my heart strings but it inspired me to take more family vacations.

We need to stop letting time pass and start making new family memories. As marketers, we need to create messaging and imagery that inspires consumers. Images that touches their emotions and one that puts the consumer in the messaging as if they can visualize them experiencing the activity / road trip. Families only have 18 summers to explore together, let’s make them count and give everyone the vacation and summer of their dreams.

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