After making it through our son’s colicky first year, we found ourselves longing to travel again and feel our adventurous spirits frolicking freely. We had a stretch of two weeks’ vacation over the winter holidays, so we decided to head to…

The Bahamas

We enjoyed Nassau’s version of Carnival, complete with incredible hand-made costumes, all night parade, and festivities galore.

Then we caught a quick flight out to the Great Exuma Islands where we had pre-arranged for a boater to drop us on a deserted island and return for us in a few days.  (While it’s not usually our style to pre-arrange travel plans, we wanted to ensure things went smoothly since it was a short trip and our first with a child.)

The experience was out-of-this-world.

There is just something so fulfilling about being immersed in nature, especially in such an exquisitely beautiful location.

We played in the calm waters of the west coast and hiked across the island to watch the harsh waves crashing on the Atlantic side.

Hammocking in the shade, watching sunrises and sunsets, nursing on the beach, making a campfire in the sand, and strolling along the coast at night are memories I’ll always treasure.

One of my favorite moments was when our 18-month-old son looked up into the night sky and discovered the moon for the first time. Even after we returned home, he continued to point out the moon in the sky, showing us that he remembered our time on that island.

I was fascinated by how much he seemed to learn and remember from that time we spent together. It was REAL quality time, a stretch of days when we had nothing but each other to think about, and nothing to do but enjoy being.

That is one of the things I love most about travel. It thrusts me into the moment, and forces me to live in the present.

What a gift.