Why Travel Belongs in Your Financial Plan

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In my prior career as a Certified Public Accountant and in business consulting, I focused intensely on data —analyzing cash flows, profit margins, and balance sheets. My work revolved around precision: identifying inefficiencies, managing risks, and optimizing resources. This discipline has stayed with me, even now as a travel agency owner and advisor. When designing journeys, I consider not only the logistics but also the value and predictability that inform travel decisions.

However, travel is so much more than numbers on a spreadsheet. Over the years, I’ve come to realize it holds a depth no data can measure. Travel is passion, freedom, and the art of letting go. It creates space for laughter, connection, and joy to take root. Children often return from these journeys with newfound confidence and a deeper sense of being seen and valued within their families. It is through travel that growth flourishes, bonds strengthen, and even families separated by distance or busy schedules can rediscover closeness.

While planning provides the necessary framework, the true return on investment is found in the unscripted moments—stories shared around a fire, the awe of experiencing something new together, and the intimacy that grows as families build lasting stories of connection. Adults often look back years later and recognize how these journeys inspired their life choices and shaped the interpersonal skills that define how they live, love, and connect with others. These shared experiences become a compass for the future, guiding generations in ways that are truly priceless.

This balance between meticulous planning and the freedom to be present is what makes travel a profound investment in life. It is not merely an indulgence but an essential component of living well and should be integrated into every family’s long-term vision.

Travel as Part of Life Planning

Travel is often regarded as a luxury or a decision made impulsively, woven into the calendar based on passion or immediate desires, such as deciding where to go for a child’s spring break or planning a summer getaway. However, it is time to shift the narrative towards a more thoughtful and strategic approach to travel planning.

Just as we carefully consider investments in education or retirement, travel too should be approached with the same level of strategic foresight. Instead of treating it as an afterthought or a spontaneous decision, integrating travel into our long-term financial and lifestyle planning can significantly enhance its value. By doing so, we ensure that travel is not just a fleeting pleasure but a well-thought-out investment that enriches our lives and deepens family bonds.

Strategic travel planning involves setting clear goals, understanding the financial implications, and recognizing the profound impact that carefully chosen journeys can have on personal growth and family relationships. This approach not only elevates the experience but also ensures that each trip is aligned with broader life goals and contributes meaningfully to our legacy.

We encourage our clients to see travel as part of their life plan. It is as important to consider how you will spend time with the people you love as it is to plan what you will one day pass down to them. Travel is the bridge between the two—where resources are transformed into experiences, and experiences become legacy.

There are the near-term experiences that restore balance: long weekends, cultural getaways, and annual traditions that bring rhythm to busy lives. And then there are the milestone journeys: the celebrations that draw extended family together—a safari, a month in Tuscany, an experience at sea, or a pilgrimage to a place of deep meaning. Both matter. How you plan for them, however, may vary. Keeping a longer-term vision in mind makes the shorter trips feel more intentional and allows all journeys to complement one another. By anticipating the larger investments alongside the smaller escapes, families can diversify their experiences, create a sense of balance, and better manage overall costs.

What the Research Shows

We’ve seen first-hand, working with families, that a more intentional method of travel planning yields a more enriching lifestyle and reinforces the value of travel. Research strongly supports this, showing that travel is not simply leisure—it is an investment with measurable returns.

A 2025 meta-analysis titled “I Need a Vacation: A Meta-Analysis of Vacation and Employee Well-Being” found that vacations deliver a significant boost to well-being, especially when individuals disconnect from work and engage in physical or novel experiences. Importantly, the benefits persist for weeks after returning home, underscoring that the positive impact of travel endures long after unpacking your luggage and returning to daily routines.

ScienceDaily reports on the University of Georgia’s findings that longer, intentional breaks where travelers truly “unplug” psychologically create more lasting benefits than short escapes or vacations interrupted by work demands. This speaks to the value of thoughtful planning: carving out time where families can be fully present delivers a stronger return than simply squeezing in travel when convenient.

The family dimension is equally compelling. A comprehensive literature review from Texas A&M University found that travel improves family communication, strengthens marriages, and increases overall happiness for both children and adults. The authors concluded that family travel “fosters closeness, interaction, and shared memories that create stronger family capital.” Beyond shared memories, children benefit by learning adaptability, curiosity, and respect for other cultures—skills that shape how they approach their own lives.

Even before the first suitcase is packed, the act of planning delivers dividends. Research from the Institute for Applied Positive Research found that 97% of respondents reported being happier simply from having travel planned, and 71% reported lower stress levels when they had future travel to anticipate.This anticipation creates a sense of control, excitement, and direction, adding joy to daily life well in advance of the journey itself.

And as National Geographic reported, the anticipation of a trip is often as rewarding as the journey itself, boosting mental health, creating shared excitement within families, and giving people something to look forward to together. This cycle of planning, experiencing, and remembering travel creates ripples of happiness, health, and connection that extend well beyond the trip itself—impacting how we live, how we love, and how we influence others.

Together, these findings provide real evidence of the return on investment of travel. Beyond enjoyment, travel enhances happiness, strengthens health, teaches children lessons they carry for a lifetime, and magnifies the positive impact we have on others.

Travel Planning and Living the Investment

At Boutique Travel Advisors, we bring the structure needed to ensure that trips are thoughtfully designed—but we also know that the greatest wealth comes from what unfolds in the moment.

One grandfather and father came to us with a vision: they wanted to gather their family in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a week that would be seamless yet full of discovery. We planned the framework: a private barbecue inside Grand Teton National Park, a scavenger hunt crafted by their guide, evenings at a rodeo under the stars, and days filled with hiking and kayaking in breathtaking scenery. Every detail balanced adventure with time to relax, making sure that grandparents, parents, and children could enjoy the experience together. For more inspiration on how families can elevate their time in Jackson Hole, explore our five-night family adventure itinerary.

But the most valuable moments weren’t on the itinerary. Grandchildren tugging their grandfather’s sleeve to point out a moose. Laughter carrying across the night as stories were shared around a crackling fire. Even small disagreements—about which trail to take or who sat where at dinner—became opportunities to slow down, talk, and reconnect. For families who are often separated by distance or swept up in day-to-day busyness, this extended time together created space to listen and be heard. Teens returned home reporting greater confidence and independence, and parents saw new maturity in how their children communicated and participated in decisions.

Another family entrusted us with planning a month-long villa stay in Tuscany. Their ninety-year-old grandmother had long dreamed of visiting the Vatican. What made the experience unforgettable was a captivating moment when she met the Pope, close enough for that treasured photograph she now cherishes. For her, it marked the culmination of a lifelong hope. For her children and grandchildren, it became the gift of witnessing her joy and sharing in her fulfillment. Together, they spent their days lingering over meals, wandering through vineyards, and discovering the richness of Italy. Beyond the beauty of the setting, these experiences bonded three generations, leaving memories that continue to shape this family’s future.

We have also seen extended family members use travel as a way of giving meaningful holiday gifts. One aunt, knowing her family well, surprised her sister and niece with the mother-daughter trip they had always envisioned—Thanksgiving in New York with Broadway shows, ice skating at Rockefeller Center, and holiday dinner in the city. At the same time, she gave her nephew something entirely different, an adventure that matched his growing independence and love of the outdoors: a Backroads journey through Iceland filled with biking, hiking, and kayaking among glaciers and waterfalls. Each gift reflected not just generosity, but an understanding of what would resonate most deeply with the recipient—connection and shared memories for one, freedom and adventure for the other.

Families often involve children directly in the planning process. Some parents ask their kids to research destinations and present their findings—turning travel planning into a project that teaches responsibility, curiosity, and communication skills. The result is a trip that children feel invested in, making them more engaged during the experience and more likely to carry its lessons forward.

These stories remind us that while planning ensures the logistics are flawless, the true return on investment is found in the laughter, the inside jokes, and the memories that become part of a family’s collective identity. Unlike financial assets, the dividends of travel cannot be measured on a balance sheet—they compound in joy, wisdom, and legacy.

As Og Mandino wrote: “The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.”

Confidence Through Guidance

Still, many families hesitate. It’s not always about whether they can afford to travel, but rather not knowing where to begin—what the planning process looks like, what to expect in terms of investment, or how to balance travel with other financial priorities. This is where professional guidance makes all the difference, turning a vision into a reality.

A financial or estate planner can provide clarity about what feels comfortable and sustainable. A travel advisor ensures those resources are transformed into experiences of lasting value. Together, they give families the confidence to say “yes” to journeys that might otherwise remain on the horizon.

We often help families think about their travels across different seasons of life: the rhythm of annual escapes, the planning for milestone journeys every few years, and the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that deserve foresight. It is not about treating travel as an account to be balanced—it is about recognizing it as a vital part of living well, raising confident and connected children, and making space for it with intention.

As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Travel as Living Legacy

Financial assets are important, but experiences are what shape a family’s identity. Increasingly, families tell us they want to use their wealth not only to provide, but to participate. They do not want to wait until their estate is divided; they want to gift journeys while they are still present to share them.

Multi-generational travel has become one of the most meaningful ways families choose to spend their resources. Sometimes it is grandparents inviting everyone—children and grandchildren—for a shared journey that brings the whole family together. Other times, it may be grandparents taking their grandchildren on a special adventure while the parents enjoy their own vacation or simply relish a quiet house at home. These experiences allow families who are far apart to close the gap, strengthen communication, and even mend relationships that need attention.

At Boutique Travel Advisors, we see it often: families using travel not just to see the world, but to create the shared stories that anchor them. The children return home more independent and self-assured. Adults look back and see how these trips shaped their choices: the kind of careers they pursued, the communities they joined, the relationships they cultivated, and the family values they are now instilling in their own children.

As Kevin Heath so aptly said: “In the end, kids won’t remember that fancy toy you bought them, they will remember the time you spent with them.”

How to Begin the Conversation

When families begin to think of travel as part of their life planning, the first step is often simply starting the conversation—with both a financial planner and a travel advisor. It doesn’t need to be complicated. You might ask:

• What role do we want travel to play in our family’s life over the next decade?
• Which experiences matter most to us—restorative weekends, cultural immersions, or milestone journeys?
• How can we make space for those experiences in a way that feels both joyful and sustainable?

These are not questions about budgets alone. They are questions about values, about how you want to spend your most precious resource—time—and about how you want your story to be told. A financial planner can provide clarity on the “how,” while a travel advisor can inspire and design the “what.” Together, they help families ensure that travel is not an afterthought, but a core part of a well-lived life.

A Legacy Worth Living

I began in numbers, and I remain analytical. But what I’ve learned is that the most meaningful investments are not found on balance sheets. They are found in the laughter of a child spotting wildlife in the Tetons, in a grandmother’s radiant joy as she meets the Pope, in the meals shared, the sunsets watched, and the stories retold.

Travel is both structure and freedom: carefully designed, yet lived openly. It is not indulgence; it is investment in the truest sense—an investment in joy, in connection, in legacy.

If travel is not yet part of your life planning, something vital is missing. Because while you can pass down assets, the most enduring legacy you can leave is time spent together—discovering the world, strengthening bonds, and creating memories that grow more valuable with every retelling.

Or, as the old wisdom reminds us:

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” — Anonymous

A Note for Professionals:

If you are a financial planner, estate lawyer, or other professional, we welcome the chance to connect and share how travel can be part of the conversation around investing in a life well lived. As we learn how our clients and services align, we would value the opportunity to collaborate in thoughtful ways — whether through dialogue, education, or shared resources. We believe that travel, when planned with intention, offers a return on investment that goes beyond numbers — measured instead in joy, connection, and the lasting happiness it brings to families.

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