Submitted by Travel with Monsters
Two local women have launched a new travel website called Travel with Monsters aimed at family travel tips and destinations around the world. While the articles will include plenty of adventures to far-flung places, it will also include many things to do right here in Western Washington.
Founders Suzette Iverson and Kristin Kendle met in the mid-1990s when they both lived in Tokyo, Japan, as high school students. Both are from nomadic families and both were raised by mothers who somehow managed to keep it all together as they herded their children across international borders, onto red-eye flights, and through countries from Oman to Kenya to Ireland and beyond. After high school, they moved far away from each other, but in a strange twist of fate, both ended up in Western Washington, living a mere 10 minutes from each other.
Suzette had kids first and made it a priority from the start to travel with her three young boys. When Kristin had her first years later, she asked for advice, and the idea to start a website was born.
“I wanted to start a website once I realized how much I had to say about traveling with my little monsters,” says Suzette. “Traveling with our kids has always seemed natural to my and my husband, but after we get back from trips, we are often approached by other parents who want to know how we did it, where to go, what was manageable and what wasn’t, etc. We have lots more places we want to take our kids so it seems natural to share what we learn from our trips. I also couldn’t find anywhere on the web that talked about traveling with kids the way I wanted to talk about it, which is realistically.”
Travel with Monsters does not focus on perfect families with perfect kids taking perfect photos in pristine destinations. Both mothers embrace the chaos that comes with the territory of traveling with little monsters as well as what it really takes to get kids out of their daily routines and enjoying new places.
“Both of us wanted to help traveling families everywhere realize that traveling with kids isn’t always what it looks like in Instagram photos,” adds Kristin. “We wanted to offer solid advice, but also itineraries of our favorite places, off-the-beaten-path ideas that still work for families (even if you have a stroller in tow), and ways to help young travelers learn to experience the world.”
Both Suzette and Kristin grew up all over the world so often their vacations of choice include international travel, but that’s not always possible…especially with kids. So Travel with Monsters features not only articles about where to stay in Costa Rica, but also day trips to Seattle and jaunts to the Oregon Coast.
Check out Travel with Monsters, or join the growing community of parents who want to travel with kids on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.