Seize the Day: Finding Joy in the Messy, Magical Moments of Travel
I was chatting with a friend recently about how different a trip can feel in the moment versus how it feels once you're back home.
During a tour, you might be exhausted, hungry, thirsty, desperately searching for a bathroom, or convinced your feet may never forgive you. In the moment you may think:
“This is the WORST.”
But once you're home?
Those uncomfortable, chaotic moments somehow become the very best memories—the stories you tell for years. The “worst” becomes “once-in-a-lifetime.”
And that’s why my philosophy will always be:
SEIZE. THE. DAY.
This is your reminder to:
Say yes to French perfume.
Enjoy the gelato and croissants (diet when you get home).
Sprint into a grocery store that’s open for only two minutes and grab wine for the adults and candy for the kids.
Jump into the Gardon River under an ancient Roman aqueduct—even if it means arriving to dinner damp, sandy, and probably a little stinky.
You only get one life. Make the memory.
What I Love Most About My Travelers
No one embraces this mindset better than my groups.
They say yes. They go with the flow. They find joy in the unexpected.
A perfect example:
We stumbled into a Bastille Day parade in Nîmes. We didn’t even know it was happening! We waited forever for it to start, but the experience was unforgettable. The French honored their history with a quiet, respectful celebration—completely different from American parades, but beautiful in its own way.
Travel teaches us that there’s no “right” way to celebrate, live, or gather. Just different ways—and that’s the magic.
Provence, Day 1: Papal Palace, Lunch Adventures & a Wine Tasting with 14 People
We kicked off our Provence adventure at the Papal Palace. Each of us received an iPad and headphones for a self-guided tour, and to the parents’ delight, several kids became completely absorbed in the history.
Lunch in Small Groups
We’ve learned an important trick:
Groups larger than 8 should always split up for meals. With 4 people, you can slip into any café. With 14? Not a chance.
My personal café strategy:
If I'm starving, sit at the first place that looks decent.
If I have time, I peek at menus and scan for happy-looking diners.
That day we were hungry, so we picked a cozy café off the main square. Two ordered quiche, two ordered French bread layered with prosciutto, tomato sauce, and mozzarella. We encouraged the kids to try new foods—because if they didn’t like it, the market was always Plan B.
The Great Wine-Tasting Tag Team
With 6 adults and 8 kids, how do you pull this off?
Teamwork. And gelato.
Our tour director, Raoul, let the wine shop know we’d be coming. While the adults rotated inside for tastings, Corby(chaperone extraordinaire) and I parked the kids (and their gelato) outside the shop. Kids waved, adults swapped places, everyone was happy.
This is group travel magic at its finest.
Avignon: Wandering, Fish Pedicures & Street Performances
Wandering a city with no agenda?
THE BEST KIND OF DAY.
One group discovered a fish pedicure shop (SEIZE THE DAY), performers filled the streets for festival season, and my favorite was a musical troupe performing songs from Hercules.
We wrapped up the afternoon at a quiet park behind the Papal Palace—a hidden gem we reached thanks to Raoul and a little Google Maps magic.
While waiting for the bus, we darted across the street to a tiny lavender field and took fun, artsy photos. Another memory made.
Nîmes: Cappuccinos, Ancient Arenas & the Perfect Picnic
In Nîmes, some of our group attended Mass while the rest of us found a charming café. I had the best cappuccino of the trip (Italy would be proud).
We toured the arena—something I’ve seen countless times—but watching first-timers marvel at its history never gets old. Their awe becomes my joy.
Carrefour Picnic
We then walked to the Carrefour market (10 minutes through a quiet, holiday-slow city). Everyone grabbed their favorites:
Warm, fresh bread
Prosciutto
Nectarines
Chocolate croissants
Hummus, Pringles, desserts for the kids
We picnicked under shady trees in the middle of a tiny roadway intersection. Perfectly imperfect.
The Gardon River: Shoes Ruined, Spirits Lifted
Swimming below the Roman aqueduct was pure magic.
Was it messy? Yes.
Did some ruin their shoes? Absolutely.
Did kids change behind makeshift blanket-walls? Of course.
Was it cold? VERY.
But the experience?
Unforgettable.
We could never do something like this without a group tour, a bus, and a guide who makes it all possible.
Dinner afterward ended up being our best meal of the trip. Despite a “kitchen incident” at our first restaurant, the second welcomed us warmly:
Lasagna, salad, wine in carafes (always the best), and cool AC. I ordered wine in French and crossed my fingers… success!
Evenings, Curfews & Watching Kids Grow
Nighttime with a group of middle schoolers is always… lively. But it’s also my favorite time to watch personalities blossom.
In the beginning, kids stay glued to their parents.
By mid-trip, they’re loud, silly, and forming friendships.
The quiet ones come out of their shells.
It’s a privilege to witness.
Even now, as I craft custom itineraries for couples, families, and groups, I’m always looking for that seize-the-day moment—the experience that might feel ordinary or even inconvenient in the moment, but becomes the story you tell for years. Those imperfect, unexpected moments are often the ones that turn into the very best memories. Watching families and students grow through travel is one of the greatest joys of my life.
Final Thought
Travel is rarely “easy.” It’s rarely “comfortable.”
It’s messy, unpredictable, exhausting—and absolutely worth it.
Because the moments that feel like chaos in the moment become the very memories we cherish most.
Seize the day. Always.
