Today is Monday! Where we have a Featured Travel Blogger at New Life on the Road. Super excited because this crazy idea is starting to work…..where other amazing families share their travel journey. Last week we had Keryn from Walkingon Travels. The week before that we had Jan from Budget Travel Blog.
Today Featured Travel Blogger
New Life on the Road is proud to share Lisa From “Gone With the Family”
Q:- How long have you been travelling for?
I grew up in rural Canada and we never went on a family vacation that didn’t involve a drive to stay with relatives but I dreamed a lot about all the places that I wanted to go. After completing my university studies (20 years ago!), I finally had the resources to start to see a bit of the world
Their honeymoon in Paris – March 1995
Q:- Did you travel before you had a family, and if so is travelling now different to compared to what it used to be like?
There was a 4 year period between the time that I graduated until our first daughter was born and my husband and I took several trips during that time, however, for more than 15 years now we have been traveling with kids. We took our older daughter, Katie, on her first flight when she was 4.5 months old early in 1997 and we haven’t looked back since.
I have been traveling with kids for so long that it’s difficult to remember what it was like pre-kids, however, I’d have to say that having kids as travel companions may mean that you have to sacrifice a bit in terms of spontaneity and the pace of your travels in order to accommodate the youngest family members.
And you can pretty much forget about long, leisurely dinners for awhile! Any sacrifices are well worth it though as there is nothing that can compare to exploring the world with your child.
Katie and Emma in Arizona, U.S.A. – March 2005
Q:- When you are planning your trip, do you have it all planned out or do you like to just go and work it out as you travel
I love the planning part of a trip so I expect that I spend more time planning than the average person does, however, I don’t believe that I am rigid about it. Once I have decided the basics like travel dates and accommodations then I start thinking about what we want to do while on vacation.
I start with a list of places that are MUST SEES and places that would be nice to see if we have time. I then figure out which places are near each other geographically and make sense to see on the same day so that we don’t waste time criss-crossing a city.
I call it a flexible itinerary because I know what places we want to see and have a general idea about which day but my plan can easily be altered depending on weather or other circumstances. My family needs to have a general plan in mind or we would waste time every morning debating what to do.
Emma at Catherine’s Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia – August 2009
Q:- Will you continue your travel or do you have a set time frame for your travels?
We aren’t long-term travelers – we travel a few times a year when the kids are out of school and my husband can take time off work. Generally, we travel during Christmas holidays, spring break and in the summer with a few long weekends sprinkled in here and there. I anticipate traveling like this until my husband retires and travel is something that I envision us doing as long as we are physically able to.
Our family at the Eiffel Tower in Paris – March 2012
Q:- If you could do anything differently what would it be?
If I could do one thing differently it would be to have started traveling farther with my kids at a younger age. I was a bit of a nervous traveling Mom when Katie was little. We kept our travels to within Canada and the United States and I tried not to book flights that were any longer than 3 hours or so because I was worried about the length of the flight and the possibility that she might misbehave and annoy other passengers.
By the time that Emma was born (when Katie was almost 7), I was getting the urge to see more of the world and we exposed her to more at a much younger age. There is so much of the world that I want to see with my kids and with Katie going off to university in two years, I think we missed the opportunity to travel as much as we could have with her.
Our family at Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada – August 2006
Q:- What is the one bit of advice that you could give another family to help them with their dreams of travelling?
The one piece of advice that I would give a family that is dreaming about traveling is to just start. Ignore everyone that tells you that you can’t travel with kids and just pick some place and go. It doesn’t even have to be that far from home – just pack up your kids and go.
The first time is the hardest but once you have taken them anywhere then you are going to have more confidence that you can do it again. And don’t buy into the idea that kids only enjoy theme parks. We have been to our fair share of parks but I find that the older I get the more that I can only take them in small doses. If you want to go somewhere else then take the kids – they are bound to enjoy it too.
There are very few places that aren’t kid-friendly – after all, families are raising their children in communities all over the world. My only restriction is that I won’t take my kids anywhere that I think might be dangerous.
With my daughters in Mykonos – August 2011
About This Week Featured Travel Blogger:-
Lisa Goodmurphy is a lawyer living near Toronto, Canada who left the corporate world to stay home with her two daughters, Katie and Emma (now aged 15 and 8). Badly bitten by the travel bug years ago, Lisa considers herself fortunate that her husband and kids are equally enthusiastic about exploring the world.
You can read about their family’s travel adventures on her blog at Gone With the Family and connect with their Gone With The Family “About Page“. You can also follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoneWithTheFamily1 and on Twitter at @GoneWithFamily.
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Thanking Lisa and family for sharing their Travel Journey. Its so good to see your amazing Photos and to read about your journeys with all the places you have explored. Please connect with Lisa from Gone With The Family.
Have You Got Any More Questions for Their Family?
Cheers
Lisa
Hi Lisa, I plan my trips exactly the same way that you do! Maybe one day we will see you on the road. It was great reading about your travels.
jan recently posted..BAC HA MARKET TOWN
Thanks, Lisa for having me as your Featured Travel Blogger this week! 🙂
Thanks, Jan – nice to know I’m not the only one who likes to have a plan in mind. I know my family would spend half the day debating what to do if I didn’t give them a little direction! I also think it would be lovely to be traveling and meet up with some of the people that I have met online – one of the best things about blogging has been meeting wonderful people from all over the world!
Lisa recently posted..Enjoying a Spring Day in Paris’ Jardin des Tuileries
I totally agree with Lisa that you need to have a rough itinerary or you’ll waste the morning deciding what to do! I also love her advice to stay flexible though. Plan & adjust! Plan & adjust!
Colleen Lanin recently posted..Hilton Garden Inn Father’s Day Giveaway