'If you don't take this holiday now, you'll really wish you had'
Just like many of the best things in life, one of the absolute best holidays I've ever taken was a total coincidence.
It wasn't the sights that I saw, the food that I ate, or the activities I did that made it so good.
It was the fact that it was a spur-of-the-moment trip that I took with my mum - something I'd never done before.
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We spent just four days in the US on a whirlwind trip. Supplied
I was planning a quick solo trip to the US to see a Taylor Swift show in Austin, Texas. I didn't have many leave days for work, so I literally left on a Thursday and returned on a Monday.
I mentioned it in passing to my mum and she instantly invited herself along - she lived in Austin for a year in her 20s and was dying to go back.
And it ended up being the perfect trip.
We soaked up the city, exploring the neighbourhoods she used to spend time in with my dad back in the '80s. We went to the Texas state fair where she had her first corn dog, and we shared beers while listening to live music in a country bar.
Of course, we also saw Taylor Swift - my mum's first introduction to the artist she's heard me yammer on about since I was a teen - and created a core memory that neither of us will ever forget.
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We lined up all day to get a good spot for the concert. Supplied
In the lead-up to Mother's Day, research from the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) shows four in five Aussie mums would prefer a staycation or holiday over a traditional gift this year.
Now that I'm a mum myself, I realise that all mothers really want is to just spend time with their kids. When we're young, that mostly involved driving us to Saturday sports and listening to our long-winded, boring stories about our friends and school.
But as adults, we have the chance to actually hang out with our mums.
Though all of my childhood holidays were spent with my mum, there's something different about doing it in adulthood. We're both grown up, we have our own lives, interests, and ways of going about the world.
But our love of travel is something we have in common, and on the trip we could introduce each other to the things that make up our lives.
Can't go to a state fair and not try the corn dog! Supplied
I'll be honest, it wasn't perfect the whole time. Every daughter knows that no one can quite push your buttons like your mum can (and vice versa).
But on the other hand, I ended up having a completely different trip than I would if I were on my own or with friends. One of mum's favourite hobbies is chatting to strangers, so we had interesting conversations everywhere we went.
Plus I got the added bonus of hearing about what Austin was like 30 years ago, when she lived and worked there.
We explored Austin together. Getty Images/iStockphoto
This trip was ten years ago now, and I've since been to dozens of new places (and dozens of Taylor Swift shows), but that Austin holiday with mum has stuck as one of my best travel memories.
Thanks to time and life and a variety of factors, it's not something we're ever going to be able to replicate.
So to anyone who's considering taking a trip with their mum - even just a little weekend away - do it now. Otherwise, one day you'll really wish you had.
