Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu, Chair and Professor of Dept. of Tourism, Hospitality and Event | Director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute at the University of Florida
This holiday season, my family and I didn’t just travel, we rebooted. Not the frantic, checklist kind of trip. This one was intentional. Joy-forward. Memory-rich. The kind of experience that recalibrates your nervous system and reminds you what fun is supposed to feel like.
Our anchor stop was Epic Universe at Universal Orlando, and this park isn’t just themed entertainment; it’s engineered happiness.
From the moment we stepped into Nintendo World, it felt like walking inside a game console but without the screen fatigue. Color exploded everywhere. Movement, music, and playful chaos were choreographed. The Mario Kart–style AR ride deserves its flowers. This wasn’t passive riding it was full-body engagement. Augmented visuals layered over physical sets, turning us into active players inside a live game. Steering, aiming, teaming up, suddenly, the line between digital and physical play disappeared. No learning curve, no intimidation. Just pure, shared delight.
Then came the cartoon-inspired rides that were lighter, gentler, and sweet. These rides didn’t shout for attention; they hummed. Soft melodies, smooth motion, whimsical storytelling. During the calm pace and the familiar animated worlds, our adult selves relaxed enough to let our inner kids step forward. Shoulders dropped. Smiles lingered. Laughter came easier. It was memory without weight.
If Nintendo World gave us joy, the Harry Potter Ministry–themed experience took our breath away. This was cinematic immersion at its peak. The vision. The detail. The sense of stepping into a living, breathing world where ceilings loom, walls move, and time bends. The roller coaster elements were not just thrilling. They were disorienting in the best way. You weren’t riding through a story; you were inside it.
Add Christmas lights woven into every corner of the park and fireworks lighting up the night sky, and suddenly the day felt suspended in amber. Not rushed. Not overstimulated. Just… perfect. One of those rare days where you don’t check the time because you don’t want it to move.
The next day, we slowed the tempo. A nearby state park offered quiet trails, still water, and space to breathe. We found ourselves lingering, observing, letting nature set the rhythm. Along the way, we picked up a pair of colorful swan garden pieces. They now live in our home garden, adding flow, color, and a gentle reminder that beauty doesn’t need to be loud to be lasting.
That same theme carried us to a neighborhood horse-riding training park. There’s something grounding about horses including their beautiful eyes, their presence, and their authenticity. We met the sweetest beginner horses: patient, calm, intuitive. And then there was the competition horse. She is so beautiful, powerful, and aware of her own elegance. Watching skill, discipline, and trust move together was its own kind of poetry. No rush. No spectacle. Pure excellence.
Evenings were reserved for something beautifully simple: movies. No multitasking. No scrolling. Just stories for the sake of storytelling. High-octane fun like the latest F1 film showcasing our real F1 champions. Rewatches of Harry Potter. Timeless gravity from It’s a Wonderful Life and The Godfather. And a few Oscar-nominated films that reminded us why cinema still matters. Some inspired. Some purely entertaining. All shared.
And here’s the inspiration from December 2025: the best travel destination isn’t always stamped on a boarding pass.
The best destination is home. When home is filled with warmth, laughter, familiar rituals, and space to be fully present. When it restores you instead of draining you. When it puts a real smile on your face, not a curated one.
This holiday wasn’t about doing more. It was about feeling more.
Joy from play. Calm from gentle rides. Peace from nature. Strength from animals. Comfort from stories. Meaning from togetherness. That’s the kind of travel that sticks.
And as we step into 2026, we’re not just rested, we’re restored and ready. Ready with lighter hearts, sharper focus, and a blessed confidence that the year ahead is going to be fantastic.
Epic Universe {Image Credit: Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu}
