We’ve been on the road now for almost 5 years and due to misconceptions, fears or uncertainties, none of our family members have come to see us overseas…
Until now!
I’m very happy to report that my dad and his wife decided to travel to Grenada! They just left back to Canada on the 1st of September after an awesome two weeks of relaxing and exploring. The Caribbean isn’t the easiest (or cheapest) destination to get to, so we were both very happy that they made the effort to come this far south.
We both get so excited when we’re planning a trip or are about to try something new in our lives. Whether it’s a change of location or trying out a new career, we’re always open to unique places, people and experiences.
Over the years we’ve noticed similar responses from many of our friends and family back in North America when we tell them our big travel news…
“We’re moving to China for a year!”
“Why would you want to go to a place like that? It’s so crowded.”
“We’re backpacking through Southeast Asia!”
“That’s so far away and isn’t it dirty?”
“We’re going to Iran!”
“It’s too dangerous there!”
We find their responses somewhat hard to believe and we’ve always said that if our family would just come and visit us abroad, they would have a totally different outlook on the destinations we visit, and realize why we love travel so much.
I guess all it took was for Nick and I to travel somewhere “normal”?!
Living in Grenada for the past 5 months has been amazing and we were really looking forward to showing our company around this island paradise, and introducing them to Spare Dog!
Since this was our first time having family visit, we were both a bit anxious, nervous and excited (well, maybe that was just me…Nick was much more calm, cool and collected).
They were coming during hurricane season so I was constantly checking the weather reports and stressing out about every little detail! Not to mention the fact that we’ve never spent two consecutive weeks together. Would it be too long? Would we get on each other’s nerves?!
I wanted everything to be perfect for the big visit and decided that the best way to lay out all of the things to do in Grenada would be to put it all down on a whiteboard. We listed our favourite beaches, hikes, restaurants, activities, sights and must-try meals and figured they could have a look at the board and do as much, or as little, as they wanted.
Of course, as soon as we met them at the airport, all of my worries melted away and I knew we were going to have an epic visit. They checked in to the cottage right beside ours and they absolutely loved the property, how could they not?
(Looking for somewhere to stay on the island? Check out Mount Cinnamon Grenada – a stunning boutique property!)
The visit had a great balance of relaxation and activities, with some jam-packed days, and some chilled out ones. We hiked to various bays and points, visited waterfalls, swam in the sea, watched a crab racing match, listened to a local steel band, enjoyed sunset with cocktails, circumnavigated the island, learned about the chocolate making process, visited a rum factory, sailed and snorkelled up the coast, wandered through the colourful capital city, ate side-of-the-road chicken and ice cream, chilled at funky beach bars, visited nearby islands…and found time to relax at home with beers & BBQ!
Stay tuned for videos and articles about our adventures together in Grenada.
I really enjoyed being able to share with my dad what my life is like. He turned 60 this year and I turned 30, so this visit was also a late celebration of our birthdays. Spending a holiday together in the Caribbean gave us so many more memories and experiences than just sitting at home together in Canada would. I’m happy to report that we all got along, and that the weather was fantastic!
It was great to spend this fun time together and since Nick’s and my lives are now lived on the road, I hope that this is just the beginning of us having family visit us abroad…or us visiting them on their travels.
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