News / Air & Airports

5 times my dad was the best travel partner

01-27-2016 10:30 pm

Dad was arguably cooler when I was a teen. Why couldn't I see it before?

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to review a resort opening in Mexico, and was able to invite a guest. Since my dad is retired, he was able to drop everything at the last minute and come along. While we’d travelled to resorts and gone on camping trips before, it was always with the whole family, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from a trip with just Dad and I - especially since it was for work, I was worried I wouldn't have much time to entertain him.

No doubt my dad will read this, roll his eyes, and say out loud that I ought to give him a little credit - and so I should have. By the end of our week together, he was not only the most popular person in my press group (no really, I can’t even explain how much they loved him), he had also revealed a part of himself that as his spoiled and well-loved daughter, I’d never really taken the time to see.

Here are a few examples of moments when my baby boomer dad was a way cooler traveller than me:

Camping with Dad

1. When he out-dressed (and out-classed) me

We took separate flights from Toronto and met up in Chicago. I got off my flight, sweaty, wearing sneakers and pants that could double as jammies, to find him waiting patiently at the gate in a linen blazer and slacks, with a sleek new carry-on. Total pro.

2. When he became everyone’s hero

When a member of our party slipped during an excursion and put his back out, my dad (who is ex-military search and rescue, not that I'm bragging) stepped in, performed First Aid like a boss, and helped our injured companion navigate the rocky terrain back to the hotel (he’s fine now, by the way).

3. When he stepped in at the bar

While sitting at an evening event with a colleague, an overserved resort guest approached us and tried to engage us in… let’s just call it unsavoury conversation. Almost from nowhere, Dad appeared with a plate of food for me, and said, “Here you go sweetie.” The man asked if he was my boyfriend (I mean, come on), to which he replied, deadpanned, “No. I’m her father.” Without skipping a beat, Dad then turned to my colleague and asked, “Do you need me to be your father too?” Needless to say, the man didn’t stick around.

During the trip. Weird... he was never this funny when I was fifteen...

4. When he taught me it was okay to kick back

Before we embarked on the trip, I told my dad multiple times that I wouldn’t be available to hang out with him too much, because I was there for work. And while he proved to me many times that he by no means required my company to have a good time, he also knew just when to drag me away from the computer and take me boogie boarding on the beach.

5. When he taught me it was okay to push back

I’m not a haggler. When someone tells me I’d be better off doing/eating/drinking/buying one thing, when I really want to do/eat/drink/buy something else, I’m not usually going to argue. After watching Dad repeatedly assert himself to vendors, cab drivers, airport workers and even resort guests in his casual, confident, I’ve-been-alive-a-long-time-so-I’m-going-to-do-what-I-want-yet still-be-polite-about-it way, I’m proud to say I’ve turned over a new leaf (well, I’m working on it).

It's a little embarassing, but I invited Dad to join me on my trip because a part of me wanted to impress him, like anyone who credits their parents for helping them get to where they are. The funny thing is, in the end, Dad was the impressive one, and he wasn't even trying.

Happy Father's Day.