Why I Believe in Traveling with my Kids

Last Monday I had the opportunity to do a Live Stream on an awesome YouTube channel called Pusa Studios, where we chatted about my own YouTube travel channel, bucket lists, travel in general, and a variety of other topics. It was my first Live Stream and I was a little nervous, but Pusa Studios were great hosts and put me right at ease. If you want to check out the video, I'll post the link here bookmarked to my entrance (there is an hour of Live Stream before that, which you are welcome to watch as well!).

Part of our conversation focused on the topic of traveling with children, and how travel has affected my children thus far. We haven't taken Avy and Parker on a big international trip yet. (Although Avy did come with us to Costa Rica when she was 10 months old, but Parker had not quite joined our ranks yet. He was still a three-month-old fetus then!)

We have done several lengthy road trips with the kids, stayed at a cabin in British Columbia every summer since they were born, and I take them with me all the time on fun day-trip adventures. They are with me when I take notes on sights we see, and are usually a big part of my YouTube videos.

After I completed my chat with Pusa Studios, I took some time to really think about WHY traveling with my kids is so important to me.

How I Plan and Organize a Trip: A Step-By-Step Guide

I have a big announcement today regarding my 2018 travel plans! It is so exciting, and I can't believe how spoiled I am. My husband and I have almost finalized all of our travel plans, and now I can share the news with you: in October of 2018, we get to visit England, Austria, and Italy! We are headed for a couple days to the English countryside to stay with some friends, then will be off to Vienna for a week and Venice for another week. I am so ecstatic; I've been aching for a big trip like this for awhile, and here it is!

To keep myself sane, I've been trying to funnel all of this excited energy into trip planning - because if you are a regular reader of this blog, you already know that planning trips is my number one hobby. Even when there are no trips on the horizon, I like to sit and make pretend and extremely detailed itineraries for future trips that may or may not happen. Since I know this particular trip is indeed happening, I've been having a blast planning it all out.

We are traveling with another couple to Venice from Vienna, and my friend Jess was asking how I go about doing all of my planning. She came over one evening, and we sat down together to determine our dates of travel, flights and accommodations. While we were muddling through it all, Jess was asking about the things I do to get trips planned and how I keep it all organized. I was more than happy to share my tips and tricks to avoid feeling overwhelmed!

Explore the Reynolds-Alberta Museum: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

For every car, truck, motorbike, airplane, and locomotive fanatic out there, this post is the one for you! (What else has an engine inside of it? If I've missed anything on my list, just add it, because I'm sure it will be covered here at some point!)

We just returned home from a day trip to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in the city of Wetaskinwin, Alberta. It is a sprawling, three-building museum complex loaded to the brim with historical vehicles, including but definitely not limited to antique farm equipment, fancy cars, and old-school biplanes. My kids and I literally spent three hours combing through the galleries, admiring the displays, engaging in the various children's activities, and pretending to drive everything from race cars to helicopters. 

This museum was a super fun way to spend an afternoon, and I learned more about cars than I really ever need to know. You don't even have to be a vehicle or airplane enthusiast to enjoy what the Reynolds-Alberta Museum has to offer. If you aren't sure about visiting, read through this online museum tour - I'm sure you'll be convinced by the end!

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology: Virtual Museum Tour 2018

One of the most famous places to visit in Alberta, Canada (other than the mountains) is the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology located in Drumheller, Alberta. The newly-renovated museum, dedicated to all things palaeontology, has a massive collected of over 130,000 fossils, a working palaeontology lab, a botanical garden, and so much more.

Even better, the museum is located about 30 minutes from my parents' house, so I have been able to visit multiple times. The last time I explored the museum, I put together a virtual tour for those of you wanting to see what the museum has to offer but are unable to make the journey yourself.

Read on to discover what makes the Royal Tyrrell Museum such a fascinating attraction, and be sure to watch the video at the end to see what it is like to wander the halls!

Fondue (Or Fondon't) at Banff's Grizzly House Restaurant

I don't usually write about restaurants. This isn't a foodie blog. It is a travel blog. But sometimes, while on your travels, you encounter a unique restaurant that actually deserves its own spot on a travel blog because it isn't just a restaurant, it is a destination.

That's how I feel about the Grizzly House restaurant in Banff, Alberta. This place isn't just a tasty, unique, and fun experience, it also has a super juicy history that has to be shared!

Read on to learn about Banff's premiere restaurant to fondue, and er... frolic?