First Family Trip To My Parents Hometown

Presidios, Durango, Mx

In August, we will be taking our first abroad trip as a family. It's an exciting but nerve-wracking time because of my 1-year-old baby. I've traveled many places as a single woman and with my husband, but this one is entirely different! I have become a pro of packing for a two weeks Euro trip in a carry-on. But, now, with a baby, that will change. Regardless of the packing and airplane situation that can arise with traveling with a child, the destination is where I am ready to be. Thank you, Ana from Monos Viajeros, for reminding me of that ;)

We will be traveling to our parent's hometown. I say our parents because my husband's parents are from the same place as well. Well, a few towns away.

This fantastic little place in Durango has my heart. I first traveled there when I was four years old, and the love for this peaceful place has remained. Back in the day, we used to go for a whole month during our school vacations. I even went to school there for the month I was there! This place brings me so much joy, and my dad would make the trip so much fun. We would stop in almost every little town driving from Durango to our little town named Presidios. I enjoyed hearing the stories of when my parents were younger and how beautiful the town must have been in its heyday. Now, it's a ghost town, but during the summer, it lights up with all the people going down for summer vacation from Chicago, Las Vegas, and California.

This is where we don't have TVs, cell phone connection is not stable, and peace comes to you to enjoy this magical city. There might not be much to do other than go to the one little store, church and walk around the plaza, but that's all you need when you're trying to escape. Though we are not going when it's the town's annual festival for its patron saint, I am still excited to go. Sometimes I enjoy the lonely streets with the locals that still call Presidios their home. It's therapeutic.

Now I get to take my child. It is pretty surreal because I always wondered how it would be like to be married, visiting my parents' hometown, and with my child. I want her to love Presidios as much as I do. I want her to love the traditions, the "fiestas del pueblo," and everything Presidios has to offer. I want her to get lost in the stories and imagine how beautiful it was even though the beauty is still there in its washed-down painted homes. My baby won't remember much from this trip, but it's just the beginning of many incredible adventures to Presidios, Carreras, and Los Pinos. She will learn to love the traditions that her great-great-grandparents did and all of the generations before them. I want her to be proud of her roots, traditions, music, and food.

Presidios is the town that saw my grandparents, parents, and myself grow; now, every time I take my daughter, she will have unforgettable memories of this gem. I can't wait for the adventure to begin.