"Family, are your bags packed and ready to go on 4th of July holiday?" dad asked.
"We certainly are!" the kids responded in unison. "It'll be awesome to leave all this heat and dust behind." They all agreed; then nodded while wiping the dust from their brows.
"Who's in charge or the luggage...and don't forget the sunscreen!" mom yelled.
"You're funny, mom, stop worrying."
"Just checking the list. Don't want to leave any essentials."
"We've only got a few hours before the portal allows the final pass through; else we'll have to wait till next year," dad warned.
"The smallest Meerkat blurted, "will there be lots of water and fireworks, dad?"
"Wait and see!"
Dad motioned for mom to round the gang so they could head toward the portal and a much needed vacation.
To create the background setting of the theme for the much-needed holiday trip, I started with the photograph provided by 
The contest photo will be the starting point to show where the adventure started in a dry, desolate place. The children are desperate to leave their home as you can see they are solemn looking:
Image used with permission of contest owner for contest
Next, to create the Meerkats' holiday , I knew I needed to locate a secluded oasis. I found an awesome vacation get-away spot for the family. This island setting will satisfy all members of the family.
Image by Julius_Silver at Pixabay
In order to pull it all together and create the collage, I uploaded both the contest photo and the background image into Canva. I like to utilize Canva to compile my collages. I purchased an Annual Pro Member Subscription with Canva. With it I have available premium images. Also, features are available such as background removal, resizing, and filters.
I positioned the contest photo so that it would appear that the Meerkats came through the portal from their home to the vacation island.
I then placed a magic door that opened to allow them to enter.
Then, I added the following images to create a vacation scene:
Door to Paradise by santiagotorrescl95 at Pixabay
Meerkat Family by meineresterampe at Pixabay
Wooden Bridge from PNGMart
Luggage by LPuo at PurePNG
Table and Chairs by Waldemar Brandt at Unsplash
Meerkat sitting by Nikiko at Pixabay
Meerkat standing up by Barni1 at Pixabay
Meerkat lying in sand by PoldyChromos at Pixabay
Meerkat Patting Another on Shoulder by quhl at Pixabay
Sailboat by Kumaran at PurePNG
Pink Drink at PNGMart
Blue Drink at PNGMart
Seven Drinks at PNGMart
3d Sunglasses by LPuo at PurePNG
Fireworks at PNGMart
Below is the final result.
Image created in Canva by 
Hope you like my collage. If you'd like to learn how I created my collage, just let me know in the comments below. I'd be happy to assist.
CONTEST RULES
Happy rest of the week everyone with whatever your endeavors.
SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines.
f) Thumbnail Image of Contest Entry created by
