Make the most of every moment

Remember when you went on that annual family holiday as a kid? You shared new adventures and created new memories. Those are the experiences to saviour – and to one day pass onto your own children.

For Joel and his young son, Taj, the journey is even more important than the destination. And this father and son journey is a special one. Joel is mindful of giving Taj similar experiences in the outdoors to those he had with his own dad.

“As a father to son relationship, my dad was my best friend and I really want to create that with my son,” explains Joel. “For me as a father, I connect with Taj so much more when we’re outside.”

Joel often takes Taj up to one of his favourite childhood destinations – Mount Hotham in Victoria, Australia.

Joel’s reasons for being a huge fan of Mount Hotham include:

• It’s underrated beauty
• His dad’s history on the mountain as a ski paramedic
• Being able to drive to the summit and walk along any of the mountain ridges
• Staying at his grandma’s house near the bottom of the mountain and waking up to see snakes, kangaroos and kookaburras in the backyard

“I went there heaps when I was a kid. My dad used to always take me down here on ski trips. We’d stay in the beautiful lodge, have a big campfire, drink some hot chocolates and go to bed – then do the whole thing again the next day,” clarifies Joel.

Many of us enjoy the journey of travel just as much as reaching our destination. For Joel it goes even further – he places more importance on the journey.

“I think you can get something out of every trip, every destination, every sort of journey, every sort of adventure – you'll always learn something. It might be a disaster, it might be a success, you might break a bone and you might not. But you'll always get something out of it,” explains Joel.

Relish more journeys with your kids by becoming a member of our Summit Club Family and enjoying the benefits of special experiences, deals and rewards.

Seeing new things and being inspired by new places is a challenge Joel constantly seeks. And now with Taj on board, exploring the outdoors is a whole new challenge.

“Every single time we get in the car and go travelling, it’s challenging us massively. It’s challenging our relationship and everything we feel towards Taj – and probably how he feels towards us,” remarks Joel.

“But if you can come out the other end of that car trip or that six hour hike, and you’re still in one piece, you still love each other and you may have learned something from that experience.”