{"id":3493,"date":"2012-12-21T05:00:38","date_gmt":"2012-12-21T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=3493"},"modified":"2012-12-21T08:05:51","modified_gmt":"2012-12-21T15:05:51","slug":"travel-tips-travel-blogger-jessica-from-suitcasesandsippycups-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=3493","title":{"rendered":"Travel Tips from Travel Blogger Jessica of SuitcasesandSippycups.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meet & Learn about Jessica of\u00a0Suitcasesandsippycups.com<\/a><\/h2>\n

Jessica, the author of Suitcasesandsippycups.com<\/a>, is a blogger who travels with her children. \u00a0Their wanderlust has taken them across the globe, and four children haven’t stopped them. \u00a0Her witty writing, mixed with travel tips, will be useful. \u00a0We invite you to subscribe to her blog.<\/p>\n

\"world<\/a>

Jessica and the kiddos<\/p><\/div>\n

Tell us about yourself – how did you catch the wanderlust?<\/h2>\n

I think true wanderlusting-the kind that makes you feel more alive when you are exploring a\u00a0new place-I think you are born with that. But, at some point, that fire has to be ignited, and\u00a0that happened for me in the eighth grade. That year, our class was a guest in the library as\u00a0the librarian shared photos and stories from her most recent trip to the concentration camps\u00a0of Europe. As she described in vivid detail the sights, sounds, and smells of the trip, I was\u00a0enraptured by the idea that I could get on a plane and go to the places that I had read\u00a0about in books.<\/strong> Even though I had never been on a plane or even left my home state, I was\u00a0hooked.<\/p>\n

As a made for TV movie ending, I actually married that librarian\u2019s youngest son, and we went\u00a0on to wander together as a couple, and then as parents of four boys, ages 12-3. Having children\u00a0has done nothing to curb our wanderlust. In fact, it has intensified it! As a parent, I have the\u00a0most awesome task of framing my children’s perception of the world. They are counting on me\u00a0to provide them with experiences that generate growth. Whether it is the first taste of a new\u00a0cuisine, or a trip to an ancient monument, travel is a living lesson that they are citizens of a world filled with wonder. Traveling is a way to say without words: “Go! Grab Hold! Savor every\u00a0moment! Be Inspired!”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

How do you save for\/pay for your travel?<\/h2>\n

We are, quite possibly, the cheapest people ever! We are relentlessly stingy about spending\u00a0money on \u201cnormal\u201d things, so that we can save all our money for travel. We haven\u2019t always\u00a0been this way, but when the economy took a downturn, we realized we could either \u2018keep up\u00a0with the Jones\u2019 or travel. So, we chose to travel. Even though our family was still growing,\u00a0we moved into a smaller house. We drive unbelievably trashy cars. We buy our clothes\u00a0secondhand. We repair things over and over again, rather than buying new. If you looked at our\u00a0normal life, you would be shocked to know that we had traveled all over the world. It\u2019s because\u00a0of the one that we are able to afford the other.<\/p>\n

\"mirror<\/a>

Family at the Bean<\/p><\/div>\n

What resources do you use in planning your trip?<\/h2>\n

Trip Advisor is my go to research tool, but in a perfect world it would be easier to access blogger\u00a0posts about hotels and itineraries. Travel bloggers know travel!<\/p>\n

Describe your favorite foreign food encounter<\/h2>\n

Okay, lobster is not normally thought of as a foreign food, but if you are a kid living in the
\ncenter of Texas, whole lobster is apparently very foreign. While we were in Maine recently, we\u00a0took advantage of the cheap whole lobsters and treated ourselves to two. When they arrived at\u00a0the table the kids were mortified, horrified, and disgusted. There were dry heaves all around,\u00a0as one of them exclaimed, \u201cIt actually has eyeballs!\u201d Two of the boys actually had to excuse\u00a0themselves to the restroom. We were completely unprepared for their reaction. I think it is safe\u00a0to say we can never show our face in that restaurant again!<\/p>\n

Share with us your most interesting\/nerve-wracking\/epic travel experience<\/h2>\n

On a trip to Athens, airport delays dictated that we arrived way after dark. We hoped that our\u00a0late arrival would not be too problematic. Wrong<\/em>. We could easily see the lights of our hotel.\u00a0But, as we looped under the overpass, we would pass the hotel on the other side and head off\u00a0in the opposite direction while watching our hotel disappear in the rear-view mirror. More than\u00a0once we tried to make the loop with no luck. My husband I were discussing (read: yelling) about\u00a0which way we should go next as we pulled up to a familiar corner. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you stop and ask\u00a0those people,\u201d says a little voice from the back. Standing on the corner were two professional\u00a0women. In order to make their availability quite clear, they were beckoning to us to come closer\u00a0in such a way that made their occupation unquestionable. \u201cDo you think they are cold?\u201d asked\u00a0a practical little voice from the back. \u201cIf you go to sleep, I\u2019ll pay you $5,\u201d I begged, hoping that the questioning would stop. I slumped down in my seat, and implored Gary to please drive faster.<\/p>\n

He was inappropriately amused at my discomfort with our situation. Having been a traveler\u00a0all his life, he had been exposed to all varieties of corruption, so he was unabashed. It seems\u00a0impossible, but it took us three more loops around the hotel before we finally found the secret\u00a0entrance. Each time we passed the ladies on the corner, although by the third time around we\u00a0had revealed ourselves as stupid lost tourists and not interested customers. Honestly, if I had\u00a0thought they spoke any English, we would have taken the little boy advice and asked them for\u00a0directions.<\/p>\n

\"hard<\/a>

Jessica with the Kids at the Mine<\/p><\/div>\n

What is the best beach on earth?<\/h2>\n

Ko Olina<\/a> Lagoon in Oahu. It\u2019s a \u201cprivate\u201d beach that is part of the Marriott Resort that is
\nnearby, but locals visit the beach all the time for the luxury and the protected swimming the\u00a0lagoon offers for families.<\/p>\n

What is the most intriguing cultural experience you’ve ever had?<\/h2>\n

There are so many, but the ones that stick out in my memory are when my kids interacted with\u00a0kids in other countries. Kids are just so open an unencumbered by the things that hold us back as\u00a0adults. One time, we were picnicking near the Roman baths in outside Rome, and the kids were\u00a0playing among the ruins. They spotted another little boy about their age and soon he was joining\u00a0in their play. They spoke English, he spoke German, everyone around them spoke Italian, but\u00a0somehow they found a way to communicate through the universal language of \u201cplay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Share an “absolute-must-do” trip itinerary<\/h2>\n

Alright, we\u2019re headed back to Hawaii, but this time, to the North Shore. You can do all this in\u00a0one day or space it out over several days. Driving around the area of Oahu that the locals call\u00a0\u201cthe country\u201d is the best way to get a feel for the authentic Hawaiian culture. Stop first at Dole\u00a0Pineapple Plantation-it\u2019s touristy, but its fun for the kids and you can eat pineapple ice cream.\u00a0Then, you want to tune your radio to a Hawaiian station and get ready for some amazing vistas.\u00a0The first town you will hit is historic Haliewa, a genuine surfer town where you can shop for\u00a0authentic souvenirs. Shrimp Trucks and Shave Ice are two treats you will want to sample on the\u00a0way. Next stop is Turtle Beach, where you can actually see giant green sea turtles playing in\u00a0the waves and sunning themselves on the beach. After that, you\u2019ll head to Waimea Valley, and\u00a0take a chilly dip in the sacred Waimea Falls. Turtle Bay Resort is the next stop and they have a\u00a0perfect cove for novice surfers to take lessons or try out a board. The last stop is the Polynesian\u00a0Cultural Resort for a luau to end the day.<\/p>\n

What travel gadget could you never do without?<\/h2>\n

GPS, no question. I have directional dyslexia. And, yes that is a real thing. Look it up.<\/p>\n

\"beautiful<\/a>

Family Photo at Chihuly Festival<\/p><\/div>\n

What book(s) have you read which really provoke the wanderlust?<\/h2>\n

Jack Kerouac\u2019s On the Road<\/em> and Thoreau\u2019s Walden<\/em>. Although, I can only read Thoreau in small\u00a0doses. Man, that dude could talk!<\/p>\n

Do you have any legendary travel souvenirs?<\/h2>\n

Yep, our youngest son! He was a souvenir we brought home from a trip to DisneyWorld. After\u00a0waiting for two years and being told that having more children was medically impossible, we\u00a0think he is pretty legendary.<\/p>\n

Once again, we encourage you to visit her blog and subscribe to her engaging writing style, and wonderful picture. \u00a0You can find her at suitcasesandsippycups.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Enhanced<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet & Learn about Jessica of\u00a0Suitcasesandsippycups.com Jessica, the author of Suitcasesandsippycups.com, is a blogger who travels with her children. \u00a0Their wanderlust has taken them across the globe, and four children haven’t stopped them. \u00a0Her witty writing, mixed with travel tips, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[472,819,443,92],"tags":[143,701,872,876,80,878,786,877,874,875,873],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1DhXV-Ul","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3493"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3493\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}