5 reasons I love traveling with my mom

Imagine yourself, stepping out of your taxi and walking up the steps of the most stunning hotel you’ve ever seen.

You’re greeted with champagne and a colorful necklace of flowers, the hotel’s signature welcome. Walking into your room you notice rose petals on your bed, more champagne and a tub that oddly seems to be in the middle of the room with no intentions of hiding behind any closed doors.

Then it dawns on you, you’re staying in the honeymoon suite… with your mom.

I can’t tell you how many times I find myself at romantic hotels with my mom. At this point it’s HILARIOUS. She’s my number one travel companion and you better believe we’re poppin that champagne in the room as soon as we drop our bags.

For those of you who are new here, let me explain my travel dynamic.

Meet Linda:

She’s my mom, best friend, travel buddy, role model, partner in crime, the list goes on.

In 2018 I left my 9-5 job and started traveling full time with her.  Aside from being a total bad a$$, Linda is a travel advisor and helps to plan curated trips for clients around the world. We are each other’s number 1 travel buddies and I couldn’t imagine seeing the world without her by my side.

We’ve always been close, so traveling together is a no brainer.

So this Mother’s Day, I thought I’d share 5 of my favorite things about traveling with my mom. Plus I’ll share some funny REAL LIFE moments from our recent travels.

But, don’t get it twisted. We love each other, but some days (like many moms and daughters) we want to kill each other. So pleaseeeeee don’t read this and think we’re perfect. We just got lucky that we became best friends as well as mother & daughter.

WOMAN NEVER FORGETS ANYTHING

It’s kinda crazy how moms have this inherent ability to remember all the things we forgot. When I forgot to check into a flight, Linda’s already done it. When my stomach hurts and I forgot to put my tummy pills in my purse before dinner, Linda has them in hers. When you’re cold at a restaurant and didn’t bring a wrap, Linda has an extra one. Seriously, how do moms do it?

This is kind of a selfish reason for loving to travel with her but it really does allow me to slack off a bit sometimes knowing she’s got my back. Not only that but there’s just something so awesome about someone who walks around with a Mary Poppins like bag that has EVERYTHING you could ever need inside.

SHE’S ALWAYS THERE TO LEND A HAND

I can’t tell you how many things Linda does just to be helpful. Whether it’s taking my bag down from the overhead bin or wearing the extra hat I bought on the trip on all the flights so it doesn’t get crushed. There are only so many things you can ask a friend to do, your mom just does them without being asked.

*except for all the times I ask her to switch with me when I have the middle seat...

COMIC RELIEF

Want a good laugh? Just sit next to Linda after she’s had a few glasses of wine and endured a 15-hour flight.  Most likely she’ll be asleep at the dinner table but other times she’ll be doing something totally weird and funny.

It never fails that when we travel together there are moments when something so absurd happens and we’re set off. Those doubled over moments of laughter are THE BEST. And I love that I get to share things like that with her.

*Like the time I was trying to help get chocolate off the side of her mouth and told her to pucker her lips. But she just got botox and couldn’t do that and instead made the craziest face ever. We were laughing for a solid 15 minutes.

SHE’S DOWN TO TAKE PHOTOS

Okay, sometimes she’s down to take photos. You’ve just gotta catch her at the beginning of the trip and butter her up. But honestly, what I love about her is that she wants to help in any way she can with my blog. And she’s genuinely interested in becoming a better photographer (SCORE!). I love that she’s always willing to learn and grow rather than pretending to know everything.

*Funny side story… On our trip to India, Linda and I got into some SILLY fight on the day we were set to visit the Taj Mahal. Inconvenient right? LOL. We sat at the lunch before the visit not speaking to each other. I knew the whole time that no matter who was in the wrong, I needed to be the one to apologize if I had any hopes of her taking 1 single photo for me at the Taj.

Whatever I said must have worked because my photos from that day are fabulous. THANKS MOM!

SHE’S ALWAYS UP FOR AN ADVENTURE

The thing I admire most about my mom is her sense of adventure. She is pretty much always game for something new. And not only that, but she wants to go to the most off the beaten path places. She’s eager to learn about new cultures and experience them first hand.  Honestly, I think she’s more adventurous than me sometimes.

Her spirit is what inspires me to get out and see the world.

BONUS REASON:

If it weren’t for her job & my new career, I wouldn’t be able to tag along and travel to all the insanely cool places she gets to visit.

There’s not one second where I take that privilege for granted. I know that most people my age aren’t jetting off to new countries each month. I really can’t put into words how grateful I am to my mom for opening the doors to the world of travel. It’s my passion and my purpose to see and explore the world. And I most certainly wouldn’t want to do it without her by my side.

Wishing all the moms, cat moms and dog moms out there, a very Happy Mother’s Day.

I feel so lucky to be able to spend this day with mine. I didn’t always get to be home on this holiday and I can’t tell you how happy I am to actually hug my mom and celebrate her in person. Not everyone gets to do that and we can’t forget that. Take a moment to do something special for your mom today, if you can. Even if it’s just a phone call.

Xx