Michelle has always had a wanderer's soul, and that certainly hasn't changed since she's had a family. She thrives on adventure and finding out of the way and just plain crazy things to do with her family of four boys. She shares her ideas for finding excitement at home and far away at her blog, A Local Wander and I am excited to have her here to share her sense of wandering. Michelle and I have so much in common ( four boys, love to travel, crazy enough to travel across the country alone with kids), but I also wanted to find out what makes her unique as a mom, traveler, and writer. Here's what she had to say about her travel style:
Quick! You’ve got 30 seconds before your toddler dumps your bag all over the airport lounge. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
I’m a vagabond in a suburban housewife’s body. My husband and I met working in Alaska and we moved to Utah while he finished school. 12 years later we’re still here and adventuring now with our 4 boys (Age 8, 5, and 2-yr-old twins). We are homeschooling and love it. My husband works second shift so we play and explore all day, then “do school” after he leaves. We hike and camp, love geocaching, and get excited when new people want to come do those things with us.
Okay, let’s do some easy questions:
Car or Airplane? Car
Beach or Mountains? Mountains
Carry-on or Checked? Checked
Early bird or Night Owl? Night Owl
Museums or Hiking Trails? Hiking Trails
Now, let’s get serious. What’s your favorite trip you’ve ever taken?
2 years ago, a 4-month cross-country trip with just me and the kids (5, 3, & 9-month-old twins at the time). My husband was working in Alaska and would have gone crazy sitting at home waiting for him to get back. We camped on the Oregon Coast, then made our way down through the Redwoods and all the way to Monterrey before heading East and making it all the way to Illinois, culminating with a week in a teepee. The boys got to be boys and I had nothing else to do but play right along with them. It was amazing!
What is one place you are dreaming of visiting?
Channel Islands National Park off the coast of California. It’s the epitome of being outdoors, far away from civilization with nothing to do but explore by land and sea.
If you could pick one quote to sum up your feelings about travel, what would it be?
Make your goal to go to bed each night with the ability to say, "I lived this day!"
Hello from a fellow Local Wanderer follower. Excited to follow Michelle here on her new adventure!