The Boenitz family has traveled to a variety of places across the U.S. and a few places out of the country. The Boenitzes have been to South Carolina, Hawaii, Washington D.C., Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida and 12 other states.

Freshman Joel Boenitz’s personal favorite place his family has been is Panama City, Florida. The family camped there in an RV for most of fall break in 2014. While in Panama City, they took a pontoon boat around the Gulf of Mexico looking at the islands.

“My favorite thing to do in Panama City was to drive around on the boat to visit the many different islands in the Gulf of Mexico,” Joel said.

Joel’s mother Cathy Boenitz’s favorite vacation spot is Kauai, Hawaii, which they visited in the fall of 2009. In Hawaii, they went snorkeling, visited little towns, walked around a canyon, and even went to a big luau. This was Cathy’s favorite destination because she felt it was unique compared to other places they have been.

“Hawaii is just so different than anywhere I’ve ever been,” Cathy said. “The whole vibe of the place is amazing.”

Cathy’s second favorite place is Colorado, which is also her youngest daughter Della’s favorite place. The Boenitzes spent their time in Colorado on ski slopes in the Rocky Mountains, which was something the whole family enjoyed. They have been to Colorado several times during winter break.

“Whenever we went to Colorado we would do a lot of skiing, which is really fun for me,” Della said.

The Boenitzes may not agree on one favorite place to travel to, but what they can agree on is how it has affected them in a positive way. Getting out and traveling has allowed them to experience new environments and learn about the world.

“It is kind of humbling to see just how big the world can be and I’ve only seen a small part of all that’s out there,” Della said.

Cathy believes that traveling is the perfect way to spend time together as a family. It allows them to see what else is out there and make memories away from all the distractions of everyday life back home.

“It’s a time to spend together as a family away from all the daily distractions, so we can concentrate on us and make memories,” Cathy said.