Gratitude & Getaways: How Travel Helps You Feel Thankful for the Life You Built (and the One You’re Still Creating)
Gratitude Isn’t Always Obvious
Gratitude isn’t always about the big, sweeping moments. Most of the time, it’s the quiet pause — a deep breath, a rare bit of silence, that small window of perspective that reminds you, “Oh yeah, this is my life.”
But here’s the problem: when you’re in the thick of it — juggling schedules, work, kids, house, maybe even running a business on top of it all — gratitude becomes something we intend to feel but rarely have space to notice.
Even when our routines are dialed in, life can still feel like a constant spin cycle of doing, managing, fixing, and planning. We get so caught up in the next thing — the next meal, meeting, errand, email — that we stop seeing what we’ve actually built. The family we’ve nurtured. The home we’ve created. The impact we’ve made in our work or community.
We don’t see it because we’re too close to it.
And honestly, sometimes the only way we can remember that is to step away.
That’s where travel — or what I call a Momcation — becomes more than a vacation. It becomes a reset button for your perspective.
How Travel Makes Us More Grateful
Travel has a way of slowing everything down — not just your schedule, but your mind.
There’s gratitude in the little things:
Waking up in a bed that’s all yours.
Drinking an entire cup of coffee while it’s still warm.
Watching a sunrise because you chose to, not because your alarm forced you to.
Sitting down to a meal you didn’t shop for, cook, or clean up after.
It’s not just indulgence — it’s freedom from decision fatigue. For a few days, you get to hand the mental load over to someone else. Someone else plans the day, cooks the food, and drives the van. You just get to be.
And in that space — the quiet moments between “what’s next?” — your brain starts to stretch again. It starts to notice things it couldn’t see before.
That’s why so many women come home from a trip with new ideas bubbling over. Suddenly they have a vision for a new morning routine, a shift in their business, a home project they’re excited about, or a habit they want to bring back with them.
Because stepping away helps you zoom out. You start to see your life from a bird’s-eye view — what’s working, what’s missing, and what could use a little more joy.
How Time Away Helps Families Feel Grateful Too
The first time I took a trip by myself, I thought I was doing everything “right.” I wrote out detailed notes for my husband, prepped every meal, laid out outfits for the kids, and basically tried to micromanage from 300 miles away.
It wasn’t until the next trip — when I didn’t pre-plan every moment for them — that I learned one of the biggest lessons of all: they’ll survive without me. And not only that — they’ll appreciate me more when I’m gone.
It’s funny how our families get so used to the invisible work we do that it fades into the background. Grocery lists. Permission slips. Prescriptions. Birthdays. Appointments. The thousand tiny things that keep a household running. It’s not that they don’t care — they just don’t see it because it’s always done.
Until it isn’t.
When I started leaving for a few days and letting them figure it out, I noticed something shift. They started realizing just how much I actually did. Not because I said it — but because they felt it. That’s not about validation or ego. It’s about recognition. About everyone in the family seeing the full picture of what “mom does.”
And when I came home after those few days? I was calmer, lighter, and genuinely happy to see them again. Which — let’s be honest — makes them grateful, too.
It’s like the battery analogy I’ve used before (in that one blog post that probably three people read, but I’m still proud of it): if your phone is at 2% and you plug it in but keep scrolling, it’s technically “charging,” but it takes forever — and it never really fills up. But if you plug it in and walk away for a bit, it recharges so much faster.
That’s exactly what stepping away does for us. When we try to recharge at home — surrounded by laundry piles, unfinished emails, and the sound of “Mom!” every 30 seconds — we’re still using the battery while it’s plugged in. It doesn’t work. But when you physically step away, even just for a few days, you actually give yourself the chance to fully recharge.
A little space really does make the heart grow fonder — and a few days away reminds everyone just how good it is to come home.
Gratitude, Growth, and Going Places
I’m endlessly grateful for what this business has become — not just for me, but for the women it’s brought together.
Some women come to me with a group of friends, finally ready to get that dream trip out of the group chat and onto the calendar. Others come alone, just knowing they need something. A change. A reset. A chance to remember who they are outside the roles they play every day.
I love hearing them say, “Thank you — this is exactly what I’ve been looking for.” Because the truth is, I was looking for it too.
I’m grateful that I get to plan these experiences — not just as vacations, but as opportunities for connection, reflection, and growth. I’ve met women who’ve become dear friends, shared stories that changed my perspective, and learned small lessons that have made life easier, softer, better.
And that’s the beauty of travel — every trip gives you something new to be grateful for. A moment, a memory, a mindset shift that sticks with you long after you unpack your suitcase.
As I look ahead, I’m filled with gratitude for where this is going — the trips coming up, the women I’ll meet, and the adventures still waiting.
Every mom deserves space to rest, reset, and remember who she is.
Your story doesn’t stop when you take a break. It just gets better.
Come see where we’re headed next.
Until next time, here’s to making time for yourself - you deserve it!
~ Jillian
#Momcations #DoEpicShit #MomsNeedBreaksToo #MomGetaway #TravelForMoms #ThePowerOf4Days #MoreThanJustAMom#MomsSupportingMoms
#ComeAwayWithMe #WomenWhoTravelTogether
#SoloButNotAlone #ConnectionOverChaos
