Vacation! We all appreciate a restful break from the stresses and routines of everyday life. And because vacation time is hard to come by, we naturally want our time off to count: We want to ­return feeling relaxed, restored, and fortified with fond new memories.

One way we might try to maximize our time off is by taking a trip with friends or family. Yet vacationing with others — even our favorite people — is rife with opportunities for conflict. A dream vacation can quickly sour if the group lacks consensus on priorities and budgets, personalities clash, or individual needs remain uncommunicated.

Fortunately, a little planning can go a long way. Clinical psychologist Charlotte Russell, PhD, founder of The Travel Psychologist blog, offers some eminently practical suggestions for dealing with opposing needs during a group vacation — so everyone can get the renewal they’re seeking.

Stress Source

The group’s expectations do not align. There’s a wide spectrum of vacation styles, and we might be surprised by the likes and dislikes of our friends and family. “It’s easy to assume that people we know have the same preferences we do, but that can be far from the truth,” Russell says.

Perhaps one member of your group wants to sample every local adventure, while another prefers to spend all their time reading a book by the pool.

Members of the group have different assumptions about what traveling together means. Russell has observed that there’s a common expectation among travelers that “if you’re vacationing together, you’ll be spending all your time together, doing everything ­together. Yet many people will find that overwhelming.”

There is a generation gap. ­Younger and older vacationers likely differ in their interests, energy levels, physical abilities, and goals for their vacation. It can be tricky to find common ground between a 5-year-old and an 85-year-old.

The budget is a touchy subject. “This is a common source of tension,” Russell says. Travel budgets reflect not only various levels of financial freedom but also contrasting ­attitudes about spending.

Generational differences can impact attitudes about spending, she adds. Some grandparents may have more frugal habits than their kids and grandkids, for example. On the other hand, many younger people have less disposable income than their elders.

Personality differences become more pronounced. Vacationing with family or friends can be “a little more intense than seeing them in day-to-day life,” Russell notes.

Travel and lodging challenges — such as delayed flights, reservation errors, and unexpected weather conditions — can highlight the different ways people operate under stress and potentially strain the group dynamic. You’re also spending a lot more uninterrupted time together than usual, and overexposure can lead to friction.

People’s needs and desires may change midvacation. Maybe the quiet time an introvert initially enjoyed creates some loneliness halfway through the stay, and he’d like to socialize more. Or maybe the enthusiastic history-and-culture buff realizes that she’d like to spend more time on the water.

Conflict may come as a surprise. Some families or friend groups likely haven’t faced the kinds of conflicts that occur on vacation, and they’re completely unprepared for the problems that arise in a new context.

This article originally appeared as “Let’s Take a Trip” in the July/August 2025 issue of Experience Life.

“Wow, check out this little guy!”

I’m sitting on the stern of a solar-powered catamaran near Opal Reef, about 30 miles off the coast of Far North Queensland, preparing to jump into the Coral Sea. My husband and I are nearing the end of a three-week adventure through Australia, a trip that has included so many magical moments that it’s felt, at times, like fiction: throwing back fresh oysters with old friends in Melbourne, taking in a show at the Sydney Opera House, hiking through paperbark forests in Kakadu National Park.

And, incredibly, it’s not over yet. We’re here on our last day down under to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef.

In the water next to me is marine biologist Kate Slaughter, one of the guides on our tour with Wavelength Reef Cruises. She’s holding a hand toward me as I struggle to squish my feet into my rubber fins. On the tip of her gloved finger is the teeniest crab I’ve ever seen, its little greenish shell about the size of a fruit fly. Behind her goggles, Slaughter’s eyes are lit up in wonder. I watch as she turns her hand over and over, marveling at her new friend scuttling around on her palm. Oh, I realize. She’s just as excited as I am.

My hair isn’t even wet yet. Soon, I’ll witness the whole world churning beneath us, the anemone and cuttlefish and, yes, the reef sharks, and dozens of other weird and wild creatures, arguably far more interesting than this practically microscopic crustacean.

Still, weeks later, this will be one of my most vivid memories of the day: this young scientist holding her hand out to me, utterly dazzled by the little life she’s stumbled upon.

The Heart of the Ocean

That exchange between science and tourism is part of what makes Wavelength special. It’s the only reef tour company in Queensland that’s owned and operated by local marine biologists — which means that when they’re not showing people like me around the outer Great Barrier Reef (GBR), they’re taking an active role in conservation and reef restoration.

“We do a lot of research on the boat,” Slaughter tells me. “We have weekly surveys to keep an eye on how things are changing in the short term, and more in-depth quarterly surveys.”

That work is aimed at improving coral health, which has been suffering for decades due to warming ocean temperatures and acidification. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network reports that between 2009 and 2018 we lost approximately 14 percent of the world’s coral — an amount greater than all the living coral in Australia’s reefs. In 2017, the United Nations estimated that 70 percent of reefs around the world were under threat.

These numbers represent much more than the loss of a beautiful tourist destination. Coral reefs are a vital indicator of overall ocean health — and the backbone of one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth.

The GBR is the world’s largest living structure and the only organism that’s visible from space. Though coral reefs cover less than 1 percent of the sea floor, they’re home to nearly a quarter of all marine life, providing food, shelter, and breeding grounds for more than a million ocean species.

When I finally press my face under­water, it’s as though I can see them all at once: the parrotfish crunching coral between their jaws, the gobies sifting through the sand for critters to eat, the striped wrasses plucking parasites from the backs of sleepy-looking groupers. The sound is ­unbelievable — like a whole city bustling along its morning commute.

I swim through a school of blue damselfish; they sparkle around me like jewels. I spend several minutes floating above a giant clam the size of my office desk back home, watching the pulse of its body as it breathes in and out, like a heartbeat at the bottom of the sea.

A Growing Threat

What we think of as coral is actually limestone, a protective exoskeleton built by the tiny invertebrates that live inside. These coral polyps contain millions of photosynthetic algal cells that use light to provide the coral with oxygen and nutrients. The algae also produce the coral’s beautiful pigments, which vary depending on the spectrum and intensity of its light exposure.

When coral is stressed — by rising water temperatures, too much sunlight, or other changes in the ocean environment — it ejects its algal cells, losing both its color and its primary food source. Large-scale “bleaching” was once relatively rare, but the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association reported in May 2025 that nearly 84 percent of the world’s reefs had experienced heat stress since early 2023, accounting for the most widespread global bleaching event on record. It’s the fourth of its kind since 1998.

Slaughter first visited the GBR in the winter of 2016, following a particularly severe bleaching event throughout the northern section. “More than 80 percent of the reef experienced some degree of bleaching that summer, and I was swimming in the aftermath,” she says. “I was so excited to see the reef for the first time, and it was beautiful, but it was quite shocking to see it in that state.”

Corals have shown an incredible ability to repopulate and rebuild, she tells me, but they’re in a vulnerable ­position. As ocean temperatures continue to rise, the reef has less time to recover between bleaching events, putting the health of the entire ecosystem at risk.

Planting Hope

Despite these grave statistics, ­Slaughter says, there’s a lot of optimism in daily life on the GBR, where she and her colleagues are taking a hands-on approach to reef restoration, which they refer to as “assisted recovery.”

Our second stop of the day includes the nurseries on Opal Reef, which Wavelength grows in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney. This partnership is part of the Coral Nurture Program ­cofounded by Wavelength in 2018.

When corals break off from the reef due to storm or wave damage, they typically die in the sand. When they don’t, Slaughter and her colleagues try to capture and rehabilitate them at these nursery sites, which are open structures with lots of water flow to maximize coral growth.

“It’s just a middle ground for the corals to stay,” she explains. “And like a plant nursery, you can take cuttings from them.” They take these cuttings to bare spots on the reef and effectively replant them, using stainless-steel clips that Wavelength designed.

Over lunch on the boat, ­Slaughter holds up a coral clip for our group to see. It’s a simple tool, like a nail with a spring-loaded clamp on one side. But in its simplicity lies its brilliance: The clips require few additional tools and little training to use, and they represent a minimally invasive planting method that supports the reef’s natural ability to heal itself.

Over the last few years, the Coral Nurture Program has planted more than 100,000 coral fragments back onto the reef.

“We work alongside researchers at the University of Technology Sydney to ensure that we are using the most-effective methods possible,” Slaughter explains. “They’ve found that we have an 80 to 85 percent success rate, which is very strong. We would have been happy with 10.”

This is not simply about beautification, she tells me. The more coral cover and biodiversity a site has, the more resilient it will be to threats like rising ocean temperatures. It also means those corals can reproduce along with the rest of the reef.

Coral colonies typically spawn only once a year as the full moon rises, a nighttime phenomenon that ­Slaughter describes as something “like an upside-down snowstorm.” She and her colleagues have watched the corals that they personally planted onto the reef release all their reproductive cells into the water to be fertilized, eventually landing back on the reef to form new coral colonies.

“It’s the most profoundly moving experience I’ve ever had,” she says. “It means so much to know that we are assisting Mother Nature to maximize her perfect processes in the simplest way possible.”

A Yard Worth Tending

I took a double dose of nausea medication before we left the marina, certain I’d be seasick on the water, but I didn’t need it. We’re here on what the crew calls a “diamond day,” a synchrony of conditions that make for ideal snorkeling: low winds, minimal swell, plenty of sunshine for high visibility. My husband, who researched the weather and tidal patterns for weeks before selecting this day for our reef tour, is beside himself with glee.

“Did you see that blacktip?” he shouts to me on our final stop, a note of incredulity in his voice. He makes the sign the crew taught us for shark, one hand above his head like a dorsal fin. I’ve never seen him seem so much like the boy he once was, with a library full of books about the ocean and an encyclopedic knowledge of saltwater fish.

My vision blurs; I’ve been crying into my snorkel mask. I can’t believe how much life is teeming around us, how vibrant and real it all is. And how vulnerable.

Before we say goodbye, Slaughter tells me that she’s returned to those sites on the GBR that she first saw in 2016 — the bleached corals that ­inspired her career in marine biology — and some of them have bounced back. It’s not linear, she emphasizes, and much of the reef continues to struggle.

“Still,” she says, “I like to think the work we’re doing in our own backyard is helping on a small scale.”

The only way to save the reef is by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and lowering our carbon emissions. Until then, ecologically sustainable tourism organizations like Wavelength can work to maintain these sites so they’re worth visiting — which funds more research and conservation efforts.

“That collaboration between science and tourism is really important,” Slaughter says. “It makes sense to work together because we have the same goal. We all want to see the reef flourish.”

Sitting in the jury box of the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, Miss., in 2023, Anne Wernau had a spiritual experience. She was visiting the courthouse to learn about the 1955 kidnapping and murder of a 14-year-old Black boy named Emmett Till by two white men.

After hearing details of the brutal killing, the media spectacle of the five-day trial, and the brief deliberation of the all-white jury that acquitted the murderers, Wernau and other visitors absorbed what they had just learned. They then took turns reading passages from the county’s official apology presented to the Till family in 2007, when Tallahatchie County finally broke its 50-year silence and took responsibility for its role.

“We sat in the seats the jury sat in,” Wernau reflects. “Most of us could barely get through reading our passages. But it was almost like that little boy was there, saying, ‘I’m glad the truth is being told.’”

She and a friend were on a 10-day guided tour of four Southern states, visiting historic sites along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. A retired violence-prevention educator from East Lyme, Conn., Wernau, who is white, had lived through the Civil Rights era and always considered herself a supporter. But she also recognized she had little comprehension of what life as a Black person in America was like then — or is like now.

“I realized I needed to know the truth about that era, to be on the ground where this all happened, and to be able to feel a little of what people living at that time felt,” she says. “It was spiritual. It was emotional. It was intellectual. It impacted me in absolutely every way.”

History Up Close

Established in 2018, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail comprises more than 130 sites — museums, churches, libraries, schools, monuments, landmarks, lunch counters, streets, parks, and trails — across 15 states and the District of Columbia where activists in the 1950s and ’60s challenged racial segregation.

Four major museums along the trail interpret the movement: the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.; the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Ala.; the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta; and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Miss.

Travelers can create their own itineraries with resources found online, starting at www.civilrightstrail.com. (On a road trip? Download and listen to The United States Civil Rights Trail podcast.)

These are just a few of the landmarks you can visit to learn more about some of the troubling, powerful, and critical periods of our nation’s history.

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson, Miss.

Begin your tour of this sobering and awe-inspiring museum in the light-filled central gallery. Listen to a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine” — and take in the massive light sculpture of the same name. This folk song became an anthem of the Civil Rights movement, representing the righteousness, resilience, and resolve activists leaned upon during their struggle for freedom; the light sculpture metaphorically illuminates a dark period in Mississippi’s history.

The museum’s other galleries guide visitors through the Black experience in the state, from the years of slavery through the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; and from 100 years of Jim Crow through the Civil Rights movement to today.

Robert Russa Moton Museum, Farmville, Va.

Once an all-Black high school, this museum is considered the birthplace of the student-led Civil Rights movement. In 1951, more than 400 students, led by 16-year-old Barbara Johns, went on strike to demand better educational conditions and amenities. The court case that followed ultimately was incorporated into the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., Supreme Court case.

Even after the Brown decision, however, the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors kept its schools segregated, and in 1959 (after more court challenges) it closed its schools altogether and provided tax money to support private, white-only schools — denying African American students access to public education for five years.

This article originally appeared as “History Lessons” in the January/February 2025 issue of Experience Life.

For many people, the holiday season takes them away from home — but that doesn’t mean it has to take them away from their health and fitness routines. As a Life Time member, you have access to the other 170-plus Life Time locations across the United States and in Toronto when you’re traveling.

If you find yourself in one of the following cities this holiday season, consider exploring the local Life Time. Try a new class format, meet a new instructor, and stay on track with those healthy-living goals you’ve been working toward all year long. (Not visiting one of these cities? View all of Life Time’s athletic country club destinations to find one near you.)

1. Life Time River North at One Chicago

Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, Life Time River North opened in 2022 inside the premier One Chicago residential building. It’s on the corner of West Chicago Avenue and North State Street and just two streets away from the Magnificent Mile, the main retail and entertainment district in Chicago (holiday shopping, anyone?).

Visit this athletic country club for a swim in the indoor lap pool (which features a stunning sky light above it), a fitness class in one of seven dedicated studio spaces, a workout on the fitness floor that overlooks the city landscape, a pick-up game on the regulation-size basketball court, or healthier twists on Chicago’s favorite foods in the LifeCafe.

Learn more: “Step Inside: Life Time River North at One Chicago”

2. Life Time Walnut Creek

The first Life Time in the Bay Area, Life Time Walnut Creek opened in the fall of 2023 in this coveted East Bay community. It’s located in Broadway Plaza, the high-end, open-air shopping center in Walnut Creek’s walkable and bustling downtown.

Spend your visit challenging yourself in a workout of choice on the expansive fitness floor, playing a game of pickleball, or experiencing a relaxing service in the LifeSpa. If the weather permits, check out the rooftop beach resort — complete with an outdoor pool and splash pad — and take in the gorgeous mountain views of Mount Diablo.

Learn more: “Step Inside: Life Time Walnut Creek”

3. Life Time Miami at the Falls

Seeking sunshine and warmth this winter? Life Time Miami at the Falls, which opened in the summer of 2023, is a hot spot for fitness and social activity with resort-style amenities and offerings.

Spend your day swimming in or lounging by one of the pools — indoor and outdoor options are available at the Beach Club. Kids will love splashing down the outdoor waterslides, while the whole family can enjoy time under the cabanas.

There’s also an outdoor whirlpool for deeper relaxation when the sun goes down. And whenever hunger strikes, stop by the outdoor pool bistro or indoor LifeCafe for a menu of healthy options.

Learn more: “Step Inside: Life Time Miami at the Falls”

4. Life Time Midtown

New York City is magical during the holidays. While you’re out-and-about eyeing decorations and displays and shopping and dining, consider a stop at Life Time Midtown on 56th Street — it’s just one block over from Billionaire’s Row and three blocks from Central Park.

This club offers an oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city. You can take a class in one of the multiple fitness studios, travel the grand staircase as you move between the cardio and strength floors for a well-rounded workout, swim in the three-lane indoor lap pool, or unwind in the indoor whirlpool.

Learn more: “Step Inside: Life Time Midtown”

5. Life Time Dumbo

If your East Coast travels take you to the borough of Brooklyn, you’ll find Life Time Dumbo located at the end of America’s iconic Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge. This athletic country club opened in the fall of 2022 and offers beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline.

Life Time Dumbo features a NBA-regulation-size basketball court for shooting hoops, a 25-yard indoor pool for swimming, and areas for cardio and resistance training, stretching, and group fitness classes. You can also enjoy some moments of rest in the steam rooms, saunas, and whirlpools, which are inside the executive locker rooms.

Learn more: “Step Inside: Life Time Dumbo”

6. Life Time Lakeshore–Irvine

Open since March 2023 in the southern California city of Irvine, Life Time Lakeshore–Irvine is less than 10 miles from Newport Beach area and a quick detour off the 405 in Orange County.

This athletic country club offers a 24,000-square-foot Beach Club that features an outdoor, five-lane lap pool, along with a pool deck for lounging or socializing among lush landscaping. Prefer to work up a sweat indoors? Work out on the fitness floor, in a class, or by playing a pick-up game on the full-size basketball court, which doubles as a place to play pickleball.

Learn more: “Step Inside: Life Time Lakeshore-Irvine”

7. Life Time Scottsdale Fashion Square

Arizona — the Phoenix area, in particular — is a popular retreat from the cold for many who reside in northern climates. Life Time Scottsdale Fashion Square is in the Old Town Scottsdale community, situated among the stores and restaurants in the popular destination of Scottsdale Fashion Square.

The athletic country club spans four levels, including a rooftop concept on the third level with a 7,506-square-foot pool deck that features an outdoor lap pool, bistro, and lounge area. You can also venture onto the expansive workout floor or try a fitness class — unique to this location are two outdoor terraces where yoga classes are held, and that overlook the pool area and offer stunning views of Camelback Mountain.

Learn more: “Step Inside: Life Time Scottsdale Fashion Square”

How Does Life Time’s Travel Policy Work?

Life Time members have access to any club location during occasional, short-term travel outside of their home club or network of clubs within their state. For example, a member at Life Time in Pickerington, Ohio, who is planning a vacation to Irvine, Calif., could look to visit Life Time Lakeshore-Irvine during their trip.

This benefit is available for short-term travel (no longer than one week) and is subject to each club’s discretion. If you’re planning a trip, contact the club you’d like to visit for more information.

Note: Access to certain services, programs, amenities, or areas within a club (including outdoor pools and racquet courts) may be restricted, conditioned, or otherwise limited by specific terms and may require a separate or supplemental fee for access or use. See club for additional terms and conditions that may apply. Frequent business travel, long-term work assignments, and temporary residents will require a membership upgrade; visit your Membership Concierge for more information. Additionally, you cannot use your guest passes outside of your home club at this time.

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In Tanzania, Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro stands as the highest freestanding mountain above sea level in the world. Every year, over 30,000 climbers attempt to reach its peak — it’s a grueling trek that requires roughly a week of hiking for six to eight hours a day through five distinct climates. It’s not for the faint of heart, yet with the proper training, maintains Life Time Dynamic Personal Trainer Ashley Drazkowski, it’s more accessible than you might think.

In 2019, Drazkowski, who trains out of Life Time in St. Louis Park, Minn., was asked by a client to help them prepare for a trek to Machu Picchu in Peru. The experience inspired her to take the trip herself; that trip eventually inspired her to take on other adventures in Greece, South Africa, Costa Rica, Australia, and Tanzania, and she has now led eight group trips. In 2024, she will lead her second group trip to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.

“It was an amazing experience that I knew I needed to share with others,” she says. “I’ve always had a curious mind about the world and different cultures. Combining adventure travel with my athletic background is the perfect way to see the world.”

Building Your Physical Wealth

An active trip is also an opportunity to use your health and fitness to create even greater experiences in your life. “Healthy living allows me to enjoy traveling more,” Drazkowski explains. “It gives me physical wealth in terms of the energy and mobility I need to trek up mountains or for long days of sight-seeing. And it opens my mind and body to unlimited adventure options.

“I view taking care of your body as your physical wealth. Being in the physical shape to withstand varying travel conditions, hikes, or whatever it is you want to do, can make your experience so much more valuable and enjoyable. Just like an athlete preparing for their sport, the better conditioned you are, the better experience you will have.”

Nurturing a Growth Mindset

If you’re itching to go on an adventure but something is holding you back, Drazkowski emphasizes the importance of endeavoring in challenges that help you grow throughout your life. “We’re only gifted with one life,” she says, “and to be able to broaden our horizons in a way that allows us to say, ‘I did that!’ and have that memory and accomplishment — it’s a groundbreaking experience.

“As we get caught up in our day-to-day lives, we might forget about the possibility of these amazing experiences. But no matter your life circumstances or your age, you can do really big things in life. You just have to remind yourself that it’s possible.”

Summiting Kilimanjaro 2024

Drazkowski’s passion for adventure travel has inspired her next trip this winter: leading a group of adventure-seekers on a seven-day trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in January and February 2024 in partnership with Kindred Safaris, a luxury outfitter leading tours, safaris, and treks in Tanzania and Eastern Africa. The group then has the option to stay for an additional six days, in which they’ll embark on a safari through Kilimanjaro National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Serengeti National Park.

To help the travelers she’s leading prepare for the trek and safari, Drazkowski has created a 16-week training program. “It’s a virtual program, so anyone, anywhere can participate,” she explains. “To be able to train appropriately, it’s important to make time for it.”

The program includes full-body strength and cardio-training sessions that progress each week. If you’re currently participating in one of Life Time’s signature group training programs (GTX, Alpha, or Ultra Fit), you can continue your regular training with a few additional workout assignments each week.

“If you follow the regimen that we give you, you will be able to enjoy the experience and feel confident in every step you take on the trek,” Drazkowski adds.

Paying It Forward

In addition to being a trainer at Life Time, Drazkowski is also an active member of the Life Time Inclusion Council, an initiative dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion growth across the company and in our communities. She is committed to doing her part to help those who are underserved or marginalized. To live up to that mission, a portion of the proceeds for Drazkowski’s trips are used to help youth athletes in underserved communities get access to the coaching they need to succeed.

“Supporting these youth athletes has been life changing,” Drazkowski says. “We are working to create a better space for them to grow into strong and confident adults. One day, I plan to take a group of them on an adventure like this one to Kilimanjaro.”

Learn more about this trip and register to join online here, or contact Drazkowski directly via email with questions. Note: This offering is not owned or operated by or affiliated with Life Time.