Today is Monday! The start of the week – and it means our regular Featured Travel Blogger! There are some amazing families that are travelling around Australia and the world….and what better way to connect with them all! By asking them questions and finding out a bit more of who they are and what they do.
Monday Featured Travel Blogger :: Albany Kid
I have been asked “How Do You Find So Many Other Travellers” – easy! I asked on a facebook fanpage (that is all about travellers) – if anyone was willing to answer a few questions! Amazingly all the hands that came up – love the connection online.
Not sure who set the FB page up but so glad I was invited to join awhile back. Normally I don’t post much on the page – but I do read what everyone is up to and where they all are.
Here is our Featured Travel Blogger!
Thanking you Albany Kid for letting me ask you a few questions…..
Q:- When did you start Family Travel blog and what inspired your motto “Adventures Abound At Home & Abroad”
Albany Kid Family Travel came out of a previous project, The Journey Mom, which focused on homeschool adventures. On Albany Kid, I wanted to show that travel with kids – whether local or further afield – can be both fun and educational. While we hope to inspire lifelong learners to travel the world, learning adventures are everywhere. Thus, our motto is that “adventures abound at home & abroad.”
(I so love that Motto “Adventures abound at home and abroad” – after all many adventures can be explored from our own back yard!)
Q:- You have five different writers for your blog, how do you decide what to write about, and how many countries have you all been to?
We work independently, but we also pitch ideas in a group forum, and then see where that leads. Mostly we figure it out as we go along. As for how many countries we’ve been to, that’s a tough question. Somewhere in the double digits, but who’s counting?
(Amazing – how five different bloggers can work so well together!)
Cie and Extended Family ~
Love those smiles!
Q:- Is there one place that you all could recommend being a “Must See” destination for families with young children?
We all agree that there is no one “must see” place. Cie McCullough Buschle says, “A must see place is too personal to say there is only one. For my kids, I wanted them to “must see” Williamsburg, Virginia, because I loved visiting there when I was a kid. But more important than any one place, I want my kids to experience travel – new places, people, food, sounds…experiences.”
Gina Martin, who travels with a tween and teen, said her must-see is “New York City. No contest. My kids were born in Albany, and I’ve been taking them to New York since they were toddlers. It’s where I lived, and met their father, before we moved upstate, and it will always feel like home to me. Over the years, we’ve gone to lots of different parts of town – from the boat pond in Central Park (where Stuart Little sailed!) to the usual museums uptown to quirky stores and restaurants in the East Village and Brooklyn, and my hope is that they always feel comfortable visiting as they grow up and go out on their own. And if one of them happens to move there in the future, I hope they have a pullout couch for Mom to crash on!”
As for me, it was important to share our heritage with our children. One year we visited Buenos Aires so that my children could learn about my side of the family. Another year, we traveled to Prague with my in-laws so that they could experience their Czech heritage with their grandparents. My father-in-law passed away a couple of years later, but the kids will always have that memory.
(I agree – I think there are so many places to visit – I LOVE lots of cities but think that I will full in love with many more as we keep travelling!)
Visiting Lego~
Our boys favorite toys are Lego…amazing how much they can make with it!
Would love to see a Lego Display.
Q:- What made you all decide to travel, blog and join forces together?
Our blog has grown organically as writers joined the team. Although we share common desire to promote in educational travel, we come at the topic with different interests and experiences.
For example, Cie likes to write about the history behind everyday objects, while Caroline Barrett writes about food and family. But we also tackle group writing projects such as our recent post on how to enrich family travel. And we’re having fun. We get to write about travel – which is fantastic in itself – and we get to share ideas and learn from each other. Blogging is so much more enjoyable when you do it with a team!
(Team work sure beats blogging alone! And there is so much more to share with different families visiting different places. Sure makes for great content!)
Skipping Stones ~
Every child loves to try a hand at this!
Q:- Do you think that you will all want to experience new adventures forever?
Gina says, “As the kids are getting older, I find the adventures keep coming – and the ideas for new ones get grander. Right now, we’re working on how to do a trip to Europe, and Tokyo is on our bucket list. The kids want more input on what we do, and where we go, which adds richness along with complexity. As each of us has different interests, we look for the spaces where they overlap, and when it works, we all find ways to stretch our horizons, happily.”
Cie says, “Ever since I can remember I have believed that life is a journey, not a destination. That sounds so cliché that I prefer to quote Neil Peart “The point of the journey is not to arrive”. When we as humans stop experiencing new adventures we die; not literally, but inside.”
And I’m in total agreement; in fact, my previous blog was called The Journey Mom. It was inspired by C.P. Cavafy’s Ithaka, a sentiment that never ceases to ring true, we “hope the voyage is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery.”
(Oh so true – I feel like we are not growing when we are stuck in one spot for too long! And I feel like our family needs travel to learn about life – instead of reading about it in a text-book!)
Visiting Places ~
means that you get to see Trucks like this!
Q:- Have you all travelled together with your families, or do you like to travel separately and then write about different places?
Since we’re always traveling in different directions, it’s difficult to get together in person. But our individual family travels allow us to cover a variety of destinations from different perspectives, whether it’s traveling with young kids, teens, or even the family dogs.
About The Author ::
Albany Kid inspires lifelong learners to travel. Based in Northeast New York, Albany Kid articles are written by parents who are passionate about enriching local and global travel. They share fun and educational things to do with kids, day trip ideas, travel tips,and the best family vacations connect with them on Facebook and twitter!.
Albany Kid is all about showing that adventures about at home and abroad.
Thanking you so much Sandra for sharing more about “Albany Kid” and who is behind the scenes of your travel blog! It’s so good to know more about you all 🙂
Do You Want To Ask Albany Kid Any Question?
What Do You Like About Learning More From Other Travellers?
Cheers
Lisa
New Life on the Road
PS:- Here are the Previous Monday Featured Travel Bloggers….
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
Thanks for featuring Albany Kid! It was so much fun to participate in the interview; I think we learned more about each other just answering these questions together.
Sandra @ Albany Kid recently posted..German Exchange Program Returns After a 10-Year Absence
Hi Sandra,
Thanking you for sharing more about you and your wonderful travel writers! I love hosting our Featured Travel Monday bloggers!
Cheers
Lisa