Family Adventures in 2024: A Year of Travel and Memories
As another year of adventures draws to a close, we’re looking back on 2024 with full hearts. From skiing to beach days, camping trips to cozy weekends close to home, our family found joy in every season. Here’s a month-by-month recap of our favourite travel memories and the lessons, laughter, and surprises along the way.
January & February: Ski Days at Mount Washington
We embraced the winter season with a couple of trips to Mount Washington, or at least we tried to. With little snow and a lot of rain, we had less than ideal conditions, but no one remembers that part, just the good food, family games and laughter remain. Emma shifted from skis to a snowboard like her dad and still remembers how sore she was after these weekends. Armed with padded shorts, a Christmas gift from Nana, she was right back at it again this year.
March: Aloha, Maui!
March whisked us away to the sun-soaked beaches of Maui. Days were filled with snorkeling, whale watching, road trips, and even a sunset atop a volcano. We counted the animals we spotted, so many sea turtles, and ate our way across the island discovering shave ice under the Hawaiian sun. A sweet surprise? Yes, the easter bunny does find you on holidays, but needed a cooler to keep that chocolate from melting.
April: Tourists in our own Town
Staying close to home was no less exciting. We explored Victoria like tourists, visiting museums, enjoying high tea, and strolling through blooming gardens. Emma’s “surprise day” was a highlight—she planned our itinerary and navigated us to places we hadn’t visited before. Even in your hometown, you can discover something new!
May: Quadra Island with the Grandparents
A trip to Taku on Quadra Island with the grandparents was a spring highlight. We hiked, crafted, found a new mini-golf spot (mini golf balls really do bounce and hurt when they hit you in the head) and ate great food. Later in the month we narrowly avoided the rain as we camped at Little Qualicum Falls. We visited Coombs for dinner, took in the waterfalls and green West Coast landscapes and had some competitive marshmallow-roasting contests.
June: Milestones and Boating Days
June was all about celebrating Emma’s end-of-middle-school milestone! To mark the occasion, we had a family BBQ and got out on the boat for the first time to celebrate making it through another year of school. Emma had one last backyard campout with her friends at her grandparents house before helping them move.
July: Vancouver During a Heatwave
We spent a week in Vancouver while Jack took an animation course at Vancouver Film School and tried not to have too much fun while he was in class. Of course, we ended up visiting during a rare heatwave, so we cooled off at outdoor pools, ate lots of ice cream, and visited some air-conditioned spots, like the Lego Store, Flyover Canada and a musical. We also made it to the Richmond Night Market, which had been on our bucket list for the last few years and loved trying all the different food creations.
August: North Island Road Trip and Whistler
Our North Island road trip with the grandparents was a camping adventure filled with many new places, from Poets Cove to San Josef Bay and the Little Huson Caves, we were in awe of the beauty the North Island has to offer and can’t wait to head back there next summer. We were so grateful for paved roads, a shower, and running water by the time we got home.
In late August, we explored Squamish and made it to Whistler with friends and celebrated our anniversary with a sushi dinner and gondola and hike up the mountains. It was great to visit Whistler in the summer and enjoy the village in a different season.
September: Back to School
We headed back to work and school in September and marked the start of Jack’s final year of high school with a suit for graduation. Thankfully it only took one stop at the mall as he is not a fan of shopping. We got out on the boat a couple more times and had visitors from out of town and got to share a few of our favourite local spots with them.
October: A Cool Camping Weekend on Pender Island
Pender Island’s quiet charm was the perfect fall getaway. We spent a weekend with friends and enjoyed our days around the campfire, hunting for fossils, trying the local cider, beach combing and hiking. Pender is full of unique food stands to explore – the Cheese Cake Fridge was my favourite. A highlight was waking up to the sunrise and spotting otters playing outside the camper. We did come home and have to figure out how to get the smell of smoke out of our clothes but vinegar seemed to do the trick. I also had my first article published in Seaside Magazine.
November & December: Settling in for the Holidays
After lots of adventure, we stayed close to home, soaking up the festive spirit in Victoria. Decorating the house, baking treats, and celebrating birthdays and Christmas with family. Jack attended his winter formal and got his driver’s license.
Looking Ahead
2024 was a year of exploration and connection. From snowy slopes to sandy beaches, quiet island retreats to busy cities, each trip reminded us of the fun that comes from spending time together (and perhaps a mom who is trying to pack all the memories in before her kids leave home and don’t want to travel with their parents anymore, although they promise this won’t happen).
Here’s to another year of making memories in 2025—wherever the road takes us!
What were your favourite family travel moments this year? We’d love to hear about your adventures in the comments!