Admitted : I grew up in a family that valued experiences over possessions – they’re cheaper, more meaningful and longer lasting than material goods.

When our children were preschoolers, we debated taking them on a work trip to Hawaii. It meant taking them out of their beloved school, laying waste to the routines we needed to manage two overlapping 75% work schedules and the demands of raising two little, active people. Weighing letting them miss eight days of school (unlikely to destroy their academic careers), we cut a deal that included giving show-and-tell when they returned.

Within days, our daughter was floating alongside me as I walked in a quiet lagoon. Face down on a small raft with a clear window, she watched turtles scuttle along underneath her in the waist-deep water. Excitedly, she rose up on her hands and shouted “turtle!”, spilling her floatie and dumping our non-swimming daughter into the salt water. Her mother thought she was a goner. Years later, after many retellings, all she remembers is the allure of swimming with turtles and nothing of her near-drowning.

Thank you, limits of .

Because children’s brains, including their memory files, are continuously growing and being reshaped, there are limits to what they can actually recall about events that happened before the age of five or so. Only a few images make it through, especially ones stored with negative and positive emotions. But that does not mean families should forgo vacations until children can recall everything. Though pre-k travelers may not remember the itinerary, or even the destination, they are laying down an foundation that will help them enjoy the novelty, exploration, problem-solving exercises, and frustration that make periodically leaving home for an adventure with people you know and love feel more like a treasure than a nightmare.

We are all just different on vacation. Parents tend to be more present and in the moment, and they are often less and more playful. Although children may not recall the context of such moments, they recognize how they feel and enjoy the familiarity when a memory is repeated later. The U.S. Travel Association surveyed 2,500 adults and 1,000 youth about family memories and found that the “most vivid memories” of family life were often centered on vacations, even when the details were fuzzy.

So, save the dates, make a plan, and hit the road with your three-to-six-year-olds. It doesn’t need to be fancy: It’s the going that matters, not the budget. Here are some ways to make your next family trip fun-and just possibly more memorable: