It’s summer, and for most of us, that means vacation. As I look forward to this year’s planned adventures, I look back on other summer escapes. Because I am traveling to Spain again, I can’t help but reflect on my first trip to Barcelona some years ago with my mother.

A few months back, we road-tripped from Michigan to Texas. We spent many hours on the road (obviously), made many pit stops for a small boy to use the bathroom, snagged many snacks from gas stations, listened to a lot of music and had some in-depth conversations.

Currently, my partner and I are in the crucial phase of planning our big, summer adventure. Why crucial? One reason is because I have a “Type A” personality, so planning is required, and secondly, because two adults on their first European vacation as a couple plus one small boy equals, again, some advance planning.

I’ve driven back and forth from Texas to Michigan many times since I first moved south in 2008 – in every season, in every kind of weather. There’s nothing especially lovely about the drive itself; the scenery isn’t remarkable, the cities you drive through are by and large nothing to write home about. And yet, there’s something exciting about a road trip, no matter where you’re going; but I’m hoping that after this trip, my road days are done.

When life gets busy, sometimes the most travel you can fit in is a vacation in your own town. With school and work schedules filling up, we recently decided to catch a little adventure, rest and relaxation close to home.

People often ask me, “what is your favorite place you’ve been to?” This really is a silly question, because “favorite” has a tendency to change based on who you are there with and the purpose of your trip.

It had been a while since my last visit to the City of Light, but it always feels like coming home.

When people learn that I travel with my son fairly often, they always ask, “How does he do on airplanes? How does he handle airports and train stations?” And I can safely answer that he’s good as gold. The fact that so many people ask always catches me off guard – he transitions so well that it takes a minute for me to remember that for many people, traveling with children is stressful, difficult and nightmare-inducing.

When my divorce became final in December 2021, I thought I had considered almost every scenario I’d encounter as a single mom – all the weird little “alone” things that I used to share with my partner that I would be solely responsible for, now that we aren’t together.

This summer, I went on a day-trip to Tossa de Mar. My best friend, Patricia, lives in Barcelona and she and her husband make the hour-or-so-long trek to Tossa in the summer months when they are both on holidays. These small beach towns are a favorite with native Spaniards to escape the tourist crush on the beaches closer to Barcelona. She had been talking about the beauty of the beach, the quaintness of the village, the slow, relaxed atmosphere of the whole place. She’d also mentioned the local seafood and wine a time or two, and all of these details had stacked in my mind to create some pretty lofty expectations.

This summer, I took my son to Spain. It was my first time returning since before he was born, and his first time meeting his godmother who lives in Barcelona. Traveling alone is not for the faint of heart; but a trip abroad with a small child as your companion is only for the truly insane.

I’ve never known heat like a Texas summer. Humid, blistering, melt-like-Velveeta-in-the-microwave heat. It’s a heat that makes everyone irritable. Tempers flare, words come out harsher than intended, calm somehow deserts everyone. Babies cry, toddlers tantrum and teenagers’ eyes nearly roll out of their heads. It’s a friction-causing heat.