Interview with a Traveling Mama – Jamie Pearson

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Jamie Pearson with kidsJamie Pearson is a mom who loves to travel, making her a real (albeit “virtual”) friend of the Traveling Mamas. 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 Mama 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 Traveling Mama 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?

Jamie Pearson with kids

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 Traveling Mamas 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.

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September 15, 2008 | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Family Travel, Mama Interviews 

Comments

8 Responses to “Interview with a Traveling Mama – Jamie Pearson”

  1. Mara says:
    September 15, 2008 at

    Nice interview! I love Jaime’s blog and subscribe to her philosophy of kid-friendly exploration (and also the necessity of peanut butter, although somehow we managed to get through three weeks in France without it recently).

    Of course, my children like to find spiders and bring them to show me. They would go nuts in the jungle! Sounds like a great time that your kids will always remember. I’ve always wanted to go to Costa Rica myself.

  2. Rich Pearson says:
    September 15, 2008 at

    Adding on to Jamie’s advice: Avoid Korean haircuts no matter how cheap. I entered a quasi-stylish barber shop in Seoul expecting to be offered korean hospitality (kimchi anyone?) while I waited my turn; instead, I sat for 30 minutes paging through soap opera magazines and was rewarded with a nick on my ear and a dennis-the-menace cut that required multiple fixings.

  3. Nancy Brown What a Trip says:
    September 15, 2008 at

    That was a fun interview and I found it via Twitter. Don’t you just love the internet?

    Now that my kids are 13 and 16, I have to say that there does come a point when some children are too big for a stroller. Notice I didn’t say that my children are too big for a ‘time out.’ LOL

    If you ever want to interview a traveling mama about teen travel, I’m hear for you. Traveling with teens is a whole different gig!

  4. jamie says:
    September 15, 2008 at

    I thought I couldn’t love the Traveling Mamas and their wonderful web site any more, but I thought wrong.

    Thank you for this opportunity to talk endlessly about myself–I enjoyed it more than I can say.

    Off now to vote for you in the DivineCaroline contest, because I just can’t help myself (and you’re beating the pants off me anyway!)

  5. Jane says:
    September 15, 2008 at

    I love your website, Traveling Mamas. This is a great interview.

    Jamie is a very funny, talented writer. TravelSavvyMom has made me want to travel the world with my kids!

  6. Nate Long says:
    September 15, 2008 at

    Amen to the peanut butter tip. I don’t even have kids (yet), but I know the importance of peanut butter! My wife and I bought a bottle in Poland and took it with us on the trains when we traveled from city to city. It was great when, one night, we didn’t get to our apartment until midnight after having been on a train all day. I told my wife, “Let’s just eat peanut butter and figure out the rest tomorrow!”

  7. Soultravelers3 says:
    September 19, 2008 at

    How nice to see 5 of my favorite traveling mamas here!! Great interview with a funny lady!

    I had to laugh in recognition at the souvenirs and haircuts. We have to get our hair cut on the road and we never know what we are going to end up with. lol.

    Luckily on our open ended world tour, we can only get miniature souvenirs. This year pins are working out well! ;) Still our mini traveling mama kidlet never met a souvenir store that she did not like. LOL!

    Thanks for the giggles! Waving from Sweden to you two traveling mama’s in my old neck of the woods!

  8. darngooddigs says:
    October 21, 2008 at

    Love the interview! As a traveling dad, I’m a big fan of Travel Savvy Mom. Jamie’s advice about buying lots of plastic crap really hits home – we hate collecting useless ’stuff’, and we like to pack light on our travels, but it’s amazing how far a cheap yo-yo or a plastic frisbee will go to keep our little boy happy in his stroller – it worked when he was 18 months. It still works now that he’s three!

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