Little Travelers

Traveling mother Angelina Hart is mother to two beautiful girls who are the stars of her darling DVD series The Little Travelers. Today she is going to share some of her personal travel experiences and memories with us.

1. Did you travel as a child?

My parents are both German immigrants that met here in California, so all of my relatives are German. The first time I went to Europe I was 8. We got a Eurail Pass and stayed for the summer. We spoke German in our home and had to go to German school on Saturdays so the language was not a real barrier. Many of my relatives had already vacationed at our house in California with a ‘backyard pool’ but there were lots more I had never met before. It’s kind of a weird experience meeting someone who is introduced as your cousin when your worlds are so different.

In Italy we met up with an exchange student who lived with us the year before whose Dad happened to work for Martini and Rossi. This meant the only thing there was to drink in the house was wine. Yes, even at 8 I was expected to drink wine with lunch and dinner. My sister was 10 and the two of us were near tears trying to get down wine with each meal. We’d try to add water to it but that just made it more. We also completely misjudged the amount of food we’d be served as we’d never eaten in a real Italian home before. We all thought we were having soup for dinner so when seconds were offered we accepted and all felt good and satisfied. To our utter dismay we had another 8 courses to go! In the end we were all laying on our beds in our room — both my sister and I crying and my mom trying to figure out if there was a way we could make ourselves barf to release some of the pressure without anyone hearing us. I think these both turned out to be very valuable lessons in my life as today I rarely overeat and am a near teetotaler.

My mom took us to Jederman in Salzburg and Mozart’s The Magic Flute in Vienna. These things are still some of her most magical memories ever. My sister and I slept through both in their entireties.

When I look back at the experiences of my childhood it is clearly the times we were in someone’s home and really experiencing the culture first hand that stand out as exceptional memories. My sister and I still get much mileage out of the wine stories. And now that our own children are 8 it of course puts an entirely new spin on the whole situation. I knew that when I traveled with my own children I wanted to focus more on those intimate experiences rather than touring sites. By the time I reached high school I was working jobs during the school year to travel during the summer.

2. What inspired you to begin filming your travels?

When I was a child I was really interested in other places but it seemed like there wasn’t that much interesting stuff out there for kids. It was always so ‘educational’ and boring. When I started looking for materials for my own children I was pretty amazed that little had changed since I was a kid. Either I found it incredibly irritating and condescending to children or too focused on the boring stuff — population, land mass, etc. I couldn’t find anything out there that had me connecting to the people in the country that was appropriate for children. So, when we were about to leave for Japan the idea came to me to capture the experience for other children like myself that wanted to know more from an experiential point of view, rather than a scripted one.

3. What is the most exotic and memorable location you have traveled with your girls?

I suppose the most exotic to the American eye would be Bali. It’s hard to say as those things are so subjective. All of our travels are memorable to me. I find quaint little English towns as delightful as watching fire dancers in Bali. Each experience has its own lure, its own inherent beauty. That’s why I love what I do so much in that my locations are always changing. I was never good at staying in one place or having a job longer than 2 years. Producing this series gives me that change without having to quit my job!

When the girls were really young traveling to different places didn’t really impact them at all since the entire world was still new to them. A trip to the backyard is as magical to a toddler as visiting an Emperor’s palace. On our last trip to Ireland they were 5 and 7 and started to really notice the difference between where we were and how it is at home. This was particularly evident when we were able to drink water straight from streams while hiking. We live near an incredibly toxic creek in California and have to wash hands after touching the water. The delight they got from drinking clean water is one of my favorite memories because it was so special to them. As with most things with my girls, it’s usually the most mundane things that they see in a way I do not that surprises me and is hardly ever what I would expect it to be. The drinking of water was more thrilling to them than spending the night in a real castle for example.

4. Where do you call “home” and what is your next adventure?

I usually call California home but were hanging out with the grandparents in Arizona for a while. Our next trip will likely begin at the end of October, but after 5 months of paperwork we’re still trying to get visas situated. Once everything goes through the location will be announced on our blog through a trivia contest counting down to our departure.

5. What advice can you give other parents regarding traveling with their children?

The thing I always tell parents is to not over schedule. The very same thing I recommend when at home. I’ve been a teacher and parenting instructor for years, so it’s hard for me to not give that advice to every parent I meet! But even parents who tend to be more low key in their life at home often want to get their money’s worth when traveling and try to pack in as much as possible. Plan long park stops or beach stops between the sites. Most tourist sites also have beautiful gardens or open areas attached to them. Sit down and just let the kids run around for a bit. I see parents get so uptight about weird things like getting dirty while in their vacation clothes — it’s absurd. All the shrines and temples in Japan have gravel grounds and you’d be amazed at how much time I spent sitting on a rock while the girls played in the gravel. People often say to me, “Your girls seem so well behaved.” And on the DVD it would appear that they are always very eager to explore something new. What does not make great film is showing them playing in gravel for 2 hours between their eagerness.

Just like at home make sure to build in active and passive activities. If you’ve just walked through an entire castle and your child is under 9, take at least one hour for a downtime activity that is self-directed. That means, they are in control of their own experience. Go to a forest, a creek, find gravel, look for bugs in the grass, let them climb a tree — and just stay out of their business for a while. After a snack or meal they’ll be ready to go again on your schedule. But I really do not think it’s fair to put children on an adult’s schedule for an entire trip. Travel days will happen and there are days that are hectic, but then balance them back out the next day and have a down day. For my girls it’s very important for them to have ‘No camera’ days. Days where they don’t have to brush their hair, match their clothes or go anywhere. Then they are ready and fresh again the next day.

6. Anything else you would like to add?

The aspect of doing this series that I most enjoy is the response I see from children. After watching one of our DVDs a child will often approach me afterwards begging me to take them to that country. That to me is the best review I could receive and tells me I’m on track with my life and what I ought to be doing with it.

Thanks for joining us today, Angelina. Happy Travels!

Jamie Pearson is a mom who loves to travel, making her a real (albeit “virtual”) friend of the Vacation Gals. She’s a travel blogger too, and in a bizarre coincidence, she knows the mom who lives two houses down the street from me. Jamie was originally a bond salesperson in a Wall Street investment bank, but found things to be more interesting when she began writing hotel reviews for a family travel website. From there, it was a short trip to founding Travel Savvy Mom. It’s what she calls the perfect marriage of her interests: Writing, traveling, drinking vast quantities of coffee, and parenting. I like all those things (especially coffee) too! With so much in common, it just seems natural that she sit for a Vacation Gals interview.

I hear you do some fun trips with your kids. How do you decide where to go with them?

We tend to favor cultural odysseys over theme parks, beaches, and the great outdoors. I personally don’t like to be too far from good medical care, or too close to spiders. My children demand access to petting zoos, ice cream, and schlocky souvenirs. And to complicate things, my husband likes to get haircuts in countries where he lacks the requisite language skills.

Which has been your favorite travel experience so far?

We always have a blast in France. I’ve had 7 years of French language instruction, and I still manage to make an idiot of myself there on a regular basis. We especially love the Dordogne with its prehistoric cave art, cinematically beautiful rivers, and perfect food.

Is there any advice you can give a Vacation Gal regarding trips with kids?

My top three pieces of family travel advice are 1) Never leave home without peanut butter, 2) Virtually no child is too big for a stroller, and 3) Bring lots of new toys. $50 for 3 pounds of plastic crap will seem like the deal of the century at 3:00 AM in a London hotel.

What destination is tops on your “dream vacation” list?

We’re off on a custom guided trip to Costa Rica next Spring Break (all organized by Jenny Jensen at Global Family Adventures). I’m a little worried about spiders, to be honest, but I also can’t wait to see the kids’ faces when they see a jungle for the first time. We’re planning a trip to China in 2010, and I can also feel a dude ranch vacation coming on.

Hopefully, readers can see why we Vacation Gals love Jamie Pearson’s blog so much. Her warmth and sense of humor really comes across in her writing, making for a completely enjoyable travel blog. We read it all the time, and hope that you will, too.