It’s Thursday and so that must mean it’s interview time! Whoop Whoop! This week’s interview is with Travel Savvy Kayt, an internet Twitterati (that means someone famous on Twitter, if you didn’t know) and an all-around super cool traveller. Let’s here what savvy insights she has to offer and get introduced to that cute little guy that’s with her….
Why don’t we start by briefly introducing yourself?
Hello, my name is Kayt and I’m a travel junkie. Some women spend all their free money on shoes. Some on designer handbags. Some on making their home picture-ready for “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine. Me? I’m pretty much spending mine on plane tickets to new places. It’s an addiction – but one that I’m happy to admit I have. I’m also a professional freelance writer and Mom to a four-year-old (and travel wunderkind himself), Chet. I blog about our adventures at Travel Savvy Mom and on Twitter as @TravelSavvyKayt.
What does “Travel savvy” mean to you?
That’s an interesting question – and believe it or not, the first time I’ve been asked it! Dictionary.com defines savvy as “shrewdly informed; experienced and well-informed; canny.” So for me, being travel savvy is simply getting out there and doing it. I think this is especially critical when you are talking about traveling with kids. You can read books or blogs. You can talk to your other Mom friends about great places to go and things to do. You can scour every piece of marketing collateral you can find. And it helps. What’s that GI Joe line? Knowing is half the battle. But when it comes down to it, that other half, especially as a parent, means gaining personal and firsthand experience of what it’s like to travel with *your* kids *yourself*. You learn what works for your and your family over time – usually from incredibly huge (and later very funny) messes from the stuff that doesn’t work at all. But aren’t those usually the most memorable lessons anyway?
Andy’s Note: This isn’t the first time someone has said “oh, no one has ever asked me that…” Guess it’s just a thing I do. Anyway, moving swiftly on…
You’ve taken your son to over 19 countries. He’s probably one of the most well-travelled children I know! Does he always travel with you?
Chet is now up to 26 countries at 4 years of age (mainly because we just keep hitting new places in the countries surrounding Germany). I’m guessing he’ll soon overtake his Dad in numbers. And I’d say 95% of the time, he goes with me. But I am a professional writer and there are some assignments or conferences where it just doesn’t make sense for him to tag along. He wouldn’t really be traveling – just stuck in a hotel room with a babysitter or bouncing around from press trip site to press trip site. So instead he hangs out with his Dad or with his grandparents. But, more often that not, he’s still traveling at those times – just not with me. For example, this weekend I have an assignment in Amsterdam that I’m tackling solo. Chet’s already been to the Netherlands, so he and his Dad decided to take the free weekend and visit Krakow, Poland. I’m a little jealous.
Andy’s Note: Some people would call this the Jet Set Life. Others would just call it Jet Lag. Take your pick. 
Have you ever been anywhere that just wasn’t child-friendly at all? How did you cope?
I can’t say that I’ve been anywhere that was completely unfriendly. Kids are universal and many places are actually a lot more accommodating when they see you traveling with a kid. Especially as a solo Mom with a child. I call Chet my little ambassador because people are just immediately curious about him. And that curiosity has netted us some very interesting invitations over the years.
And having a child along can offer you perks at some of the most surprising places. I mean, if you have a stroller, you get to jump the queue at the Guinness Storehouse in Ireland (and it’s usually a very, very long queue). Who would have thought that? Perhaps they just know parents need a Guinness more than those without kids. I don’t know. But I’ll take it!
But back to the question at hand, I would say that places are not unfriendly. But some people can be. And when they are, we just let it roll off our backs and keep doing our thing. And if they don’t like it, they can move. After all, they don’t have to lug 24 diecast CARS toys, a 30-lb. backpack and a stroller in order to do so.
Alternatively, where have you been that were just perfect for children?
Again, I hate to be unspecific but I truly believe that all places can be perfect for children! Honestly, if you can find a good, centrally located place to stay, can keep your child to as much of their normal schedule as possible, and be a little flexible on what you do when, you can go and visit all of the places you might go to without your kids. I honestly and firmly believe that. I may not get to go to all the museums I’d like to see and our dinner may be some bread and fruit at a local playground instead of a nice restaurant, but we’re still out there doing it. Flexibility is key.
You’ve mentioned before that your favourite travel destination is “the next one.” Great perspective – but surely there’s been a place for you in the past that was truly inspirational?
Jordan was truly inspirational. Maybe because I wasn’t sure what to expect or how I’d be treated as a solo woman traveling with a small child. But the entire journey was magical. Everywhere we went, people were incredibly kind, open and lovely. And the sites? Just awe-inspiring.
Chet and I spent the bulk of our time in Petra. Even though it was very busy and had lots of tourists, it hasn’t developed what I think of as the “Disneyland” feel. You know how sometimes you go to a famous site and it almost feels a little fake? I mean, it’s not, and it’s all for the sake of preservation, but it’s like you queue up to see little bite-sized pieces of a magical place now covered in Plexiglas and “Please don’t touch” signs. It sometimes feels very surreal, as if you aren’t really there but simply in some kind of 3-D hologram. You shuffle in, shuffle out and wonder at the end what you really experienced.
But not Petra – it’s still wide open. You can walk along the Roman Road and jump from cobblestone to cobblestone. You can climb into the Monastery and yell to see if your voice will echo. You can climb atop of a camel or donkey and see how fast you can go. You can breathe deep and smell warm sand and horses. And the best part? As you do, you can fully activate your imagination and really consider what it must have been like when it was a thriving city in its own right. Even without costumed actors walking around, offering to take a photo with you for $5.
I think the most magical part of that journey, however, was Chet managing to make music with a Bedouin guide. I wrote about it for Travel Savvy Mom. Just hearing my son and this man find this strange and beautiful way to communicate – coupled with some of the most gorgeous natural scenery I’ve ever experienced – is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
So, what is next on your travel to do list?
I’m a little ADHD when it comes to planning trips. With so many great last minute deals out there, many of our recent trips have been literally planned only a few days out. I get inspired, I look around for deals and before I know it I’m clicking “purchase.”
One of my biggest problems is that I’m a voracious reader. I finish a book or a great blog post and think, “Wow! I need to go there.” For example, one of my favorite books is Kurban Said’s “Ali and Nino.” I just recently reread it and then someone from Tbilisi started following me on Twitter and I thought, “I wonder how much it would cost to go to Georgia and make our way up to Azerbaijan!” My curiosity gets piqued and then I just have to find the right deal. But two trips we’ve definitely started really looking into is a return trip to Turkey, this time to explore the central part of the country, and then somewhere (anywhere!) in the South Pacific. And in the meantime, there are plenty of little places in Germany and France to explore, too.
Wow, Kayt, I knew you were a hardcore traveller but instead I believe you (and Chet, of course) are truly a force to be reckoned with!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Well-traveled, well-read. Well, I’m jealous. Nice interview with Kayt! Very impressive responses and inspirational.
@Jackie – I’m slightly jealous of them too, but don’t tell them that.