My husband and I had gone to Peru on our honeymoon and always wanted to return. This year we felt that the boys were old enough and would enjoy a similar trip. On day one of the Santa Cruz Trek through the Andes Mountains in Peru, we were all four very nervous. This was the first time we had ever done anything like this as a family (actually our guide said that this was the first time he knew of that anyone as young as our children, ages 7 and 9, had ever trekked this route).

As we began the trek, our oldest child mentioned several times that he missed the comforts of home. I was trying not to push him too hard, but understood that we had 30 miles and 5 days ahead of us. At one point, I began to question my decision to take our children to a place as remote and different as Peru.

After we walked a little further, the complaining stopped. Almost in an instant we began noticing the extraordinary beauty of our surroundings. You really couldn't help but be blown away by the Andes 20,000 ft plus snow covered peaks, a blanket of wildflowers, the sound of the wind roaring through the valley.

Something else happened that first day. We began talking to each other, about experiences and thoughts that were just waiting for an opportunity to surface. I realized that at home we are often so caught up with daily tasks, that we forget to really listen to each other. My younger son (who is the "quiet one") had so much to tell me, so many questions.

As I laid down that first night, I realized that what really drove this trip was a deep desire that we, as a family, better understand each other and our world. To go to a place where the only "toys" are sticks and rocks, where families live in one-room houses (or in our case, a one room tent), where there is no television, no Sponge Bob. It is so comforting to know that places like Peru exist in this world, places so very different from home, just waiting for us to return. It was a true adventure.