I have always gone on “trips” more than “vacations”.

Trips are more like “adventures” in which you throw yourself into a new location and culture, expend huge amounts of energy trying to figure things out, but save a lot of money and feel like you saw the “real” place that you were visiting. Trips are full of uncertainty and novelty, and require making constant decisions and continuous planning. They are best taken in places where it is cooler, rugged and remote.

“Vacations” are the direct opposite: you go to a new location that is heavily curated for you by an established tourist-industrial complex. You pre-arrange everything and basically show up and everything happens without your involvement. There are few decisions or surprises, but you can actually relax physically and mentally.

After dragging my son around on trips to cold, coastal locations with forest and no WIFI, he informed me that he wanted to go to a beach. “Oh, like in Newfoundland? They have lots of beaches”.
”NO! A real beach with warm water and heat.”

And so….. March break saw us going to Cozumel and booking an all-inclusive hotel. My biggest decision was what (watered-down) drink to order next.

It was stressful, but I coped. My son, more importantly, thrived.

p.s. I also took advantage of Cozumel’s excellent diving opportunities. Below are some pictures that I clipped from video footage.