Come Travel With Us
When I quit my job after my third child was born I really had no desire to re-enter the workforce. With 3 kids under the age of 6, and the oldest not even in kindergarten yet, I was frankly exhausted. But that didn’t stop people from asking me what my plan was and when I’d go back. I always said that I would only go back to work for my dream job, but I didn’t even know what that was. Until now.
My dream job combines a handful of the things I love: my family, writing, photography, and travel. I have a passion for travel and I’m trying to instill that in the rest of my family (I like to think I’m doing a good job!). I always like to have a few trips on the horizon, and when we aren’t traveling we are exploring all there is to offer in our own backyard. Part of the fun in traveling for me is all the upfront research and planning. I’ve constantly got my nose in a travel magazine or book and I love to scour travel blogs and other travel sites looking for the perfect hotel, restaurant, hike, museum or activity. And once we’re at our destination we love to immerse ourselves and really get to know the area. We ask locals for their favorite spots and always find new things that we weren’t expecting.
We started traveling more extensively a few years ago with our kids who are a bit older now (12, 10 and 7) and more portable. We no longer travel with strollers or carseats, and everyone can pack their own carryon and pull their own suitcase. In the past few years we have been to Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ireland, Turks & Caicos, Florida, Kauai, Maui, New York and Washington DC, as well as quite a few places all over California. This summer we will be heading to Ecuador; The Galapagos Islands; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; the low country in South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and our annual “family camp” trip to West Virginia. I think that traveling opens all of our eyes to different ways of life, teaches us to appreciate and respect other people and cultures, and instills a sense of adventure & curiosity. I want my kids to learn to look beyond what’s right in front of them in order to find amazing adventures & hidden treasures wherever they are.
I don’t claim to be any good at writing or photography, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying it and sharing it with others. My hope is to combine all of my research and travel experiences and share it on this blog to inspire others and to be a source of information that others can benefit from. There are a ton of travel blogs already out there so this concept certainly isn’t anything new. What I hope to bring to the table is a fresh outlook to some favorite destinations, some new destinations that we are just trying out, and specifically how we travel with kids and find things that both adults & kids can enjoy. Because let’s be honest, traveling with kids can be challenging at times. But I find the reward is completely worth all the hiccups along the way. And it’s quite possibly the hiccups that make the best stories and we remember the most!

**Top image – Hiking the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail in Poipu, Kauai (February 2016)
5 comments
Carrie, so happy to find your blog. I, too, started a travel blog, but haven’t kept up with it. We’ve been to Costa Rica as well, and to Ecuador. Couldn’t afford the Galapagos, but did the “poor man’s” version. We rented a condo in Cotacachi, Ecuador, for $600 a month which we split with our friends! Great month-long vacay. Have travelled to Amsterdam, France, Italy, Greece, Belize, Guatemala, and Nancy and I went to China. I highly, highly, recommend the China trip! My blog is Travel Like a Scotsman. Travellikeascotsman.blogspot.com
I think you’re so right about broadening your children’s experience and letting them learn from their own experiences that there’s more ways to do things than the way we do things in America. Hopefully they will even consider careers that will take them to other countries and cultures. Make sure they learn another language!
Love to your Mom and Lisa. And Happy Mother’s Day to you,
Dorothy (Nancy’s mother)
Dorothy – I’m so happy you found my blog. As you can tell, I’m just getting it started and I hope to start posting more regularly. I had a personal blog which I also couldn’t keep up with – I think because it didn’t have a lot of focus. I took a look at your blog and hope to spend a little more time checking it out. I love the clever name – my dad’s family is Scottish so I get it 😉 – Carrie
You’ve inspired me, so I’m going to straighten mine out and add the posts that I have notes for but never posted.
Think about the Arizona trip.
Dorothy
I’m also in the same situation with the same passions and it’s refreshing to know I’m not alone in this. Our kids are the exact same age too (plus my oldest, who is 23 now)! I’ve been wanting to write a travel blog, but never got around to it. I look forward to reading yours and hopefully get inspired to start writing. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Gail! I appreciate your support and would love to read about any of your travels! Wow, I can’t believe Kaila is 23 now! Time flies!