Week 26 & 27: Summer Camp, Southeast Asia, and Myself

Zero Dinners

This summer looked different. My kids went off to camp, something they’ve done with me every year of their lives and for the first time, I got on a plane without them and flew halfway across the world.

With the encouragement of my friend Holly from Go Mama Go Travel, I looked at trips I would not take my kids on. Destinations that are not moody teenager friendly. In the end I joined an Intrepid Travel group for their Cambodian Traveler and journeyed through Southeast Asia. It felt bold, even a little rebellious, to go somewhere I would never take my kids and had never considered going to before. At first, I thought I’d be traveling alone, but a friend of mine shocked me and decided to join me. Suddenly, I was on my biggest adventure ever.

We started in Vietnam, landing in Ho Chi Minh City, a city bigger than New York, buzzing with motorbikes that zipped onto sidewalks and people who crossed chaotic streets with a wave of the hand. From there we traveled through Cambodia, guided by locals who shared their history, food, and culture with us.

There was so much to take in: temples rising out of the jungle, the jungle growing out of the temples, bustling markets, and the everyday rhythm of people living life differently than I’ve ever known. My favorite snapshot wasn’t a postcard-worthy temple or a sunset. It was a man on a motorbike with his market stall part of his bike, while a hammock dangled in the back. Inside the hammock? A young adult, casually scrolling on their phone, swaying as they sped down the highway. That image has stayed with me: resourcefulness, resilience, and a kind of freedom I have never known.

But the real surprise of this trip wasn’t the scenery. It was me.

For the first time in years, I sat in silence. I walked through unfamiliar streets with no one asking me for snacks, no one needing me to solve their problems. I felt the heat of the Cambodian sun and made the conscious decision to keep moving even in discomfort. And in that stillness, I began to see myself again, not just as a mom, but as a woman with dreams, desires, and strength of my own.

Moms Need Time for Themselves

For moms, especially in the thick of raising older kids or navigating major life changes like divorce, it can feel selfish to step away. But research says otherwise.

• A study published in Journal of Family Issues found that mothers who take regular time for themselves report higher life satisfaction and lower stress: not just for themselves, but for their families, too.

• Psychologist Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, in her book Mommy Burnout, writes that many moms today live in “chronic survival mode,” and intentional breaks are not indulgences, but essential preventative care.

• Neuroscience research shows that the novelty of experiencing new places, foods, and routines actually rewires the brain for resilience and creativity (University College London, 2018). Travel isn’t just fun; it changes us.

As moms, we pour so much into everyone else that it’s easy to forget: we are people, too. When we step away and give ourselves permission to live fully outside of motherhood, we don’t abandon our children, we model what it looks like to live a whole and meaningful life.

Taking Charge of My Story

Since my divorce, so many changes have been thrust on me: changes I didn’t choose. This trip was different. It was a change I did choose. I could leave my kids safely in a place they love (summer camp), and give myself permission to go far: the furthest I’ve ever been from home, from them, from my old identity.

What I found in Asia wasn’t just beautiful landscapes or fascinating history. I found courage. I found connections with strangers who became teachers and friends. I found the start of my new self budding through.

Travel for moms isn’t about escape. It’s about renewal. It’s about remembering that we’re more than caretakers. It’s about coming home stronger, refreshed, and more grounded in who we are.

So to every mom reading this: if you’re feeling the weight of responsibilities, if you’ve forgotten who you are outside of motherhood please know: it’s not selfish to take time for yourself. It’s necessary. Your kids don’t just need a present mom. They need a whole mom.

✨ This week wasn’t about family dinners around our table. It was about nourishing myself, so I can keep showing up for my family.