Meet Mara
I don’t know when or where I got bit by the travel bug – perhaps it was in Italy when I was nine? In France when I was nineteen? Or India when I was twenty nine? But having children has done nothing to cure me of it. In fact between June of 2003 and July of 2004, my husband Matt and I took our (then 1-year-old) son Tommy on a trip across six states, three countries, and two continents. Since I started The Mother of all Trips in 2004 we’ve done a lot more traveling and I’ve chronicled the move from packing diapers to pleasing a middle-schooler on the road.
Of course, I still like to look back on the original odyssey that started this blog. This is the three of us on our stop in Tuscany during that trip:
This is Tommy in 2011:
The arrival of Teddy in 2005 did nothing to slow us down. Whether it’s to Wisconsin or Arizona, Paris or Vermont, we all love to hop on a plane or hit the road. Teddy particularly likes going places where we can see animals. That’s because he often pretends to be a little chick. Or a paleontologist. Here he is standing in a dinosaur footprint:
I travel with my kids because I believe that the more places I take them, the more they will experience both the reality and the possibility that lies around them. I think it prepares them to be global citizens and perhaps one day to work to shape the world to be a better one. And I write about traveling with my kids because I love to write more than anything.
Except possibly traveling with my kids. And eating ice cream.
About this blog
The Mother of all Trips is part travelogue, part memoir, part meditation on motherhood, with just a dash of how-to. I share stories about trips I’ve taken with my children and those I hope to take. My goal is always to entertain and inspire; along the way I hope I offer some wisdom and insight that you’ll find useful. And most of all, I hope it’s a lot of fun to read (and that maybe the pictures are nice to look at too.)
You might have noticed that my tagline is “bringing the world to your kids and your kids to the world.” That’s because the goal of this site is to offer you inspiration for your own adventures, whether they may be large-scale trips or adventures in the next town. You see I believe that any journey that takes you out of your day-to-day routine counts as travel whether it’s up the block or around the world. And I also believe that anyone can travel with children. That’s right – even you.
First time here?
Please allow me to suggest a few posts you might enjoy:
- How to pack only carry-on bags for airline travel
- Seeing London by bike
- Thirteen months on the road
- MidAtlantic Fun: The Reading Terminal Market
- Good bye summer…But before you go, a few road trip tips
- Dreaming of Florence
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I've taken with my children and those I want to take. Explore and you'll find family travel tips, information about vacation destinations, and lots of stories about our adventures! 
