Every year for the last 30 years, my mom and I have taken the same summer vacation. We stay in the same hotel, eat at the same pizza joint, and ski at the same waterskiing school. It’s like Groundhog Day, but repeating one warm, sunny weekend every August.
This tradition began when I was 4. I was starting preschool, and my mom wanted to plan a mini getaway for the last weekend of summer. She booked a room in Lake Arrowhead, a small mountain town about an hour from our suburban home in California.
We explored the tiny lakeside village, jumped in the pool, and made s’mores at the beach until my hands and face were covered with chocolate. The trip was so fun that we decided to do the same thing the following summer. And the one after that, too — in fact, we never stopped.
Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel
It takes the stress out of planning
When we tell people we take the same trip every year, we get varying reactions. My friends have asked why we didn’t spend that time going somewhere new. “What about Yosemite? Or the Grand Canyon?” I’d argue that people with summer houses and timeshares went to the same place year after year; why couldn’t we?
After all, there are advantages to our trip. It saves time and money — not only is it close, but we don’t waste money trying things out that we may not like. And it serves as a family tradition that my mom and I look forward to every year.
Plus, going to the same vacation spot can be soothing. For me, going to Lake Arrowhead every year is like re-watching a favorite TV show: it’s fun, easy, and I know what to expect. A 2024 study found that 19% of US adults say planning a trip is “very stressful.” That number bumps up to 26% for those traveling with kids.
And I believe it. When my mom and I did take other trips throughout my childhood, like the winter we went to New York or our vacation to Hawaii, she was stressed researching activities and restaurants in the weeks leading up.
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But in preparation for our Lake Arrowhead weekends, she simply calls the hotel and books it. No additional work, and no stress.
While seeing new places is great, even as an adult, whenever I go to a new city, seeing new sights and eating new foods, I come back feeling like I need a vacation from my vacation. But when I come back from my annual Lake Arrowhead trip, I feel relaxed, refreshed, and ready to get back to life.
Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel
It’s budget-friendly
Last summer, when I checked into the hotel for our annual trip, the woman at the front desk asked if I wanted to buy a $30 s’mores kit, and I, of course, politely declined. We always stop in at the same local grocery store when we drive in and pick up the same s’mores fixings, snacks, and drinks. I’ve never done this at other vacation spots, but Lake Arrowhead feels like home, so picking up groceries feels natural. It’s part of the tradition.
Right now, especially, being cost-efficient is important. Our annual trip is filled with small savings here and there because we know what to expect. We know which hotel is the best value and which meals will make our mouths water without overspending. And we rarely buy souvenirs because how many magnets that say “Lake Arrowhead” do we really need?
It’s hard to calculate exactly how much we save every year, but the few hundred dollars we spend on the outing is a fraction of what I’d spend on any other vacation.
Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel
Our tradition brings us closer together
When I was a kid, I loved going to Lake Arrowhead because I liked the activities we did there: getting up early to waterski, feeding the ducks, and buying giant cones of bubblegum ice cream.
But as I grew, I appreciated the trip for so much more. As my life got busy with work, college, and then grad school, I found myself counting the weeks until our summer getaway. There was no better way to forget about the stresses of adulting than to go to an ever-unchanging pizza parlor with my mom and stuff myself with the same garlic bread I’d been loving since kindergarten.
I know it means a lot to my mom, too. She always starts packing her bag weeks before, and once we get there, she’s always pointing out shops or landmarks that remind her of a memory from when I was young: The toy shop where I used to pick out arts and crafts kits, the playground where I used to swing for hours.
As we enter our third decade of trips, I’m now a parent myself, so my mom and I bring my kids on the adventure. We still stay in the same hotel, eat at the same restaurants. But now, when we make s’mores on the beach, it’s my kids’ hands and faces that are covered with chocolate.
People always say they’re going to return to their favorite vacation spot, but rarely do. Meanwhile, we’ve made a tradition of going to the same place for the last 30 years, and plan to continue for at least 30 more.
