Most weeks of the year, I’m your typical Midwestern working mom: I teach full-time; chauffeur my two small, active kids to Cub Scouts meetings and tennis lessons; and try (and fail) to squeeze in enough quality time with my husband, friends, family, and self. I have a busy life I love, but like a lot of you, I also love escaping it! My family tries to get away at least one weekend a month, and we take 5–6 week-long or longer trips a year.
I started this website because the only thing I might love more than traveling with my family is planning our trips. However, I’m often frustrated by how deeply I have to dive down the rabbit hole to compile comprehensive, real-world travel knowledge, and by how often I can’t find the specific information I want. I wanted to create a one-stop shop for other meticulous planners and travel dreamers.
Whether you’re planning your annual trip to Walt Disney World, a cruise to Alaska, a once-in-a-lifetime tour of the Greek islands, a road trip to the U. S. National Parks, or a weekend staycation, this website is for you—the everyday working parent who doesn’t have a ton of time to plan but who wants a fun, joy-filled vacation with their kids and to get the most for their time and money; the anxious traveler (like me!) who wants detailed trip reports and an abundance of photographs, maps, and resources to make travel feel less stressful; and the vicarious traveler who can’t get away as often as they’d like but who loves to read about new places and experiences.
Travel: My Lifelong Obsession
Travel has always been an important part of my life, even when I was a kid and my family didn’t have the money for big expensive vacations. We mostly road-tripped to visit family, sleeping on couches or air mattresses, and did free/cheap activities like hiking in the Appalachian Mountains, swimming at public beaches, and camping in state parks. Occasionally, we’d spend the day at a theme park, like Dollywood, SeaWorld, or the Magic Kingdom.
I loved these experiences, but I also dreamed of seeing the world—backpacking across Europe, hiking in the Andes Mountains, visiting ancient temples in India. And because the possibility of visiting these places seemed so remote, I traveled there in my imagination, reading books that whisked me away and planning detailed travel itineraries for “someday” trips. My love for travel was so profound that I chose my college primarily for its study abroad opportunities, and after I graduated I went on to complete a PhD in travel literature!
Today, you can still find me reading mountains of books set in far-off lands and (over)planning for trips my family may or may not take. But I’ve also traveled to four continents, 37 U. S. states, and more than 25 countries and territories, and I’ve picked up a few tips, strategies, and recommendations (and done a whole lot of research!) along the way. I know how time-consuming travel research can be, so I aim here to share not only my own experiences and recommendations, but also all of the research I’ve done. That way you don’t have to sift through thousands of search results to find the best information.
Let’s Connect!
I love to hear from and connect with readers! If you ever have a travel-related question or idea for content you’d like to see, please email me at lacy[@]thecptraveler[.]com. You can also follow me on Instagram and Pinterest @thecptraveler. Most importantly, subscribe to my monthly newsletter for a roundup of all the best travel resources I find, free packing lists and travel planners, kid workbooks, and more!
