We've been to Kauai 3 times. I want to show my son new places, but I can't help booking a vacation there.

Every year, I inquire my family the aforesaid question, "Where should we spell this summer?"

I want to prime location new. Choosing a spot we've already been to seems for illustration a discarded of an opportunity for my 9-year-old boy to experience different places, cultures, and people. Plus, I want to spot caller countries and continents, too. But I support booking Kauai — we conscionable can't enactment away.

Over the past six years, my small family of 3 has flown from California to Kauai 3 times to sojourn the oversea turtles astatine Poipu Beach, hike gorgeous coastal trails, portion Mai Tais astatine edifice bars, and watch the sunset from our lanai.

I want to show my boy the world, but there's thing astir The Garden Isle

Every clip we get astatine Lihue Airport, we're greeted by chickens. I emotion them — my camera rotation is afloat of the feathered locals. Palm trees sway extracurricular the terminal, and the aerial smells caller and feels soft, particularly aft 5 hours connected an airplane. And pinch the windows down and Hawaiian euphony connected the radio, the thrust to our edifice ever marks the charismatic commencement to a week of swimming, snorkeling, hiking, and relaxing beachside.

We are a family that loves spending clip outdoors, and Kauai makes it easy.

We person a favourite hotel

I don't usually book the aforesaid hotel twice, but the Koloa Landing Resort connected Kauai genuinely stole my son's heart, and he's only young once. Here, tropical greenery is everywhere, surgery up by pops of red, orange, and white. Plumeria flowers screen the ground, and the floral scent is much relaxing than immoderate candle I person astatine home.

On much than 1 occasion, I've followed my boy complete a teak bridge, past a cascading infinity separator and waterslides tucked into the landscape, until he spots precisely what he's looking for: the lava grotto. There's nary easy measurement successful if you're trying to support your hairsbreadth dry. You either aquatics underwater aliases spell consecutive done a waterfall. It's my son's favourite portion of the monolithic 350,000-gallon main pool.

Long aft we've near Kauai, my boy ever asks erstwhile we get to spell back.

I'm torn betwixt caller adventures and family traditions

As a parent, I'm torn betwixt wanting to show my boy arsenic overmuch of the world arsenic imaginable and creating family traditions by coming backmost to the places we already cognize we love. I don't deliberation there's a correct measurement to recreation — possibly it's a operation of caller adventures and establishing traditions astatine aged favorites.

Sometimes, group get caught up successful the number of places they've been. I do, too. There are plentifulness of locations I'd for illustration to cheque disconnected my list. I haven't traveled to Japan, Greece, aliases the Scottish Hebrides, and I can't hold to visit.

But there's thing to beryllium said for returning to a spot that feels typical — a spot pinch things you're looking guardant to. For me, it's my Kauai greeting formation runs wherever I opt to perceive to the waves alternatively of my 80s workout playlist. I don't request to way my mileage because I've traveled the routes truthful galore times that I already cognize really acold I've run. My hubby loves the island's relaxed tropical vibe, and my boy tin aquatics for hours successful our favourite edifice pool.

I'm not judge wherever we'll recreation to next, but I do cognize 1 thing: I'd for illustration to acquisition caller places, but I'd besides emotion to dip into the grotto again.