Sounds like a great trip, and yes, human beings are highly social animals. We all absolutely need connection and support in order to feel contentment and belonging. There's a huge dearth of that in the US right now, affecting lots of people. Too much time on our phones/computers, and not enough old fashioned socializing, hanging out, and talking about our lives to each other. Parenting is hard and time consuming but the ones who give themselves some of what they need as far as adult connections (and/or time alone) have more patience and bandwidth for their kids.

I love the advice of asking people how they'd like to be supported because it may be different for different people. Tell people how you feel about them is another great one - but all good thoughts and advice!