Today Is Monday! And we all know what that means….our Regular Monday Featured Travel Blogger ~where we get to ask more questions about another travelling Family and find out their secrets/reasons why they travel.
Today was also different for us as David decided to take me out for lunch. With.No.Kids. Yep lunch in Mackay with no children at all. Something we have not done for about six months, and something that we are going to do more often.
We had two boys at school, and two stayed safely in our Motorhome! Actually the two that got to stay “Home Alone” walked to a petrol station for lunch and then had ice-creams, came back to our bus and watched DVD’s. They even asked us if we could please go out again next week so that they could experience it all over again!
Well enough about our day, here is hoping you had a great day as well! Now let’s get down to business……Sherri May happily answered my questions and provided a lot of great information about “Why” they live a life of travel.
Monday Featured Travel Blogger :: Sherri May
Q:- When did you and your son start your first travelling trip?
The first time I traveled with my son he was eight months and we spent a week in Arizona. Despite traveling with all the big things that go along with a little one, the trip was pretty easy and even offered up some laughs when he practiced crawling down the aisle of the airplane stopping to touch some lady’s leopard suede boot.
Even though our first trip went smoothly and was a lot of fun, we really didn’t travel a lot until my son entered the third grade. Third grade was when the subjects of social studies and science were really introduced and I found that going to places that he was studying about really enhanced his learning.
First Educational Vacation –
George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon ~
Love The Smiles on Mum/Son faces!
(oh WOW ~ That reminds me of the time I travelled with my older son. I went from Mackay to Sydney on a plane.
My older son pinched the air-hostess on the bottom! She turned around and thought it was me!!! So wished we had thought about travelling when our boys were younger ~that is full-time travelling!)
Q:- How do you plan your travelling trips?
Besides planning trips around what my son is studying in school, I have also been using Frommer’s 500 Places to take your kids before they grow up. It has been a lot of fun to check out many of the places listed and many of them are educational.
So far we have checked off a 101 places, so we still have a ways to go! One of the main goals of our travels is to learn something we didn’t know before, so in addition to historical, scientific or literary pit-stops, we also like to go to places where we learn a new skill, like blowing glass or archery. Of course, I do try to keep a balance and include a little “R & R” and enjoy days in national parks taking in nature.
Atlantis, Bahamas ~
LOVE the look of that view!
(gosh that is impressive ~ checking off 101 from the list of Frommer’s 500 places to take kids! Incredible)
Q:- Is there one place that you or your son loved that much that you would like to return to one day?
My son would excitedly say the Atlantis in the Bahamas. He loved the trip and loved swimming with dolphins, snorkeling, and feeding the sea turtles and stingrays. I on the other hand, am a city girl and love Washington D.C. and London and could go back often since I am a culture and history fanatic.
Trafalgar Square ~ London
( I think my boys would agree with your son ~ sounds magical swimming with the dolphins and feeding the sea turtles!)
Q:- Have you travelled before having a family, or started because you wanted your son to experience more out of life?
I did travel before I had my son, but not extensively. To be honest I really didn’t start to travel until my early 20s when I moved to New York City from Louisiana after college.
Moving to NYC opened my eyes to different cultures and made me curious about the world. One of my favorite trips was to Italy with one of my best friends. Seeing Rome was wonderful, but traveling to Sorrento, Pompeii, Pisa and Siena was amazing because it was low-key and my friend Tracie and I were able to spend time with the locals. It was these trips that I reflected on as my son started growing.
I realized the only way my son was going to understand different cultures and diversities was to experience it first hand. The world really is a book and seeing a place like Stonehenge in real life is amazing. There is no way to grasp how large the stones are unless you really see them. You can’t get that from TV or a book.
Most recent trip ~ Washington Monument ~
I love seeing the different stages of Sherri May son growing up
in different travelling experiences!
(My late Grandma believed the same thing….that travelling is like a book! So much can be learnt from travelling to other countries ~ much more than watching it on TV!)
Q:- How do you travel – do you travel to places and book accommodation?
I am a big fan of road trips because you are able to see so much more and also your money can go a little further so you can do more instead of spending on how you get there. Of course we do fly often too, so I typically use sites like trip advisor, expedia and hotels.com and always take advantage of rewards programs.
Q:- If you were to dream big and could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go and for how long?
I would love go on a Smithsonian Journeys Tour. Specifically, I would love to go on their “Cultures & Cuisines Tour” to Asia, the Middle East and Europe. After I finished the tour, I would love to stay in Europe for six months to a year bouncing around and with extended time in France. Now If I would only win the lottery or meet a millionaire! LOL!
Sherri ~
What a Gorgeous Smile and looks so very young…wonder what her secret is for younger looking skin? !!
About The Author ::
Sherri May is passionate about traveling, history and new cultural experiences. As a single parent, she has put a lot of effort into planning and budgeting so that she can travel often with her son.
She has been blogging about her family’s educational day trips and vacations since May 2011 and is based in the greater New York City area.
Connect with Sherri on Facebook and Twitter ~where you can follow their amazing travelling journey….wonder when the trip to Asia is going to be, and wouldn’t it be funny if she did met her millionaire (or even win the lotto!). Never know what can help with the LOA!!
Do You Love How Sherri May and Her Son Travel?
Do You Think World Travelling Teachers Children More Than TV?
Cheers
Lisa
PS:- Here are the Previous Monday Featured Travel Bloggers….
Monday Feature Travel Blogger :: Newschool News – Jenn and Family from Newschool News!
Monday Featured Travel Blogger :: Albany Kid – Sandra and other travellers from Albany Kid!
Monday Featured Travel Blogger :: Travels with a Nine Year Old – Theodora and her amazing son who is no longer nine years old from Travels with a nine year old!
Monday Featured Travel Blogger :: Road Trip For Families – Sherri and other travellers from Road Trip For Families.
Monday Featured Travel Blogger :: Ytravel Blog – Caz and Craig from Ytravel blog!
Monday Featured Travel Blogger :: Bohemian Travlers – Mary from Bohemian Travelers
Monday Featured Travel Blogger Travel Mamas – Colleen from Travel Mamas
Monday Featured Travel Blogger Special Needs Travel Mom – Karin from Special Needs Mom
Monday Featured Travel Blogger 1 Dad 1 Kid – Windwalker Duo from 1 Dad, 1 Kid
Featured Travel Blogger Travel Experta – Marina from Travel Experta
Featured Travel Blogger – Rachel from Our Wee Trip
Monday Featured Travelling Blogger Revealed – Natalie from Family in a Van
Monday Travelling Blogger Featured – Tracey from Life Changing Year
Travel Blogger – Jess from With 2 kids in Tow
Featured Travel Blogger – Jan from Budget Travel Talk
Featured Travel Blogger At New Life on the Road – Lisa From Gone With The Family
This Week Featured Travel Blogger – Keryn from Walking On Travels
Monday Featured Travelling Blogger Journey – Jeremy from Living The Dream
Featured Travel Blogger Monday – Suzi from Two and A Half Travellers
Its anninteresting concept about travelling enhancing lear ning. i can really see how it would!
Little Gumnut recently posted..The posts I never wrote
Hi Sophie,
Travelling is so cool – as it does help with learning about real life, instead of reading from a book and learning about things that dont matter!
Cheers
Lisa
I very much agree that children learn from travelling. As a child I loved geography at school. In those days we had to draw a map of Queensland and mark all the towns on it, and know what they were famous for.
As we repeatedly drove from Townsville to Brisbane and back, all I had to do was think back to our trips, to get it right.
My brother and I were given the map in the back seat and we tracked our journey on the map. That made it easier to relate to where we were.
I think Sherri and her Son are on a winner!
jan recently posted..Capture the Colour!
Hi Jan,
I love your idea of tracking where you are going (on a map) as you are driving! What a great way to remember locations 🙂
And yep Sherri and her son are incredible.
Cheers
Lisa