Nomadic Neen Tracking a contagious bug
I sat around thinking about a fun first blog post talking about the amazing, defining moment about when I realized I had an obsession to see the world, but nothing was coming to mind. I thought about this for what felt like forever and then it hit me. I figured out exactly where my travel bug came from, and I cannot believe I didn’t realize it sooner.
To cut right to the chase, I owe every ounce of my travel compulsion to my mom.
Growing up, my mom always planned exciting adventures to ensure my brother, Peter, and I got to learn about and experience as much as possible. From simple days at the beach to quick day trips around the New York area to getting on our first flights.
I went on my first vacation at just 3 years old. Props to my parents for bringing two toddlers on a plane with them. I can only imagine how fun that was. We were visiting Dad’s parents who were snowbirds in Florida, and Mom figured this would be the perfect opportunity to take us to Walt Disney World since it was close by. This was just the first of many trips to down to Florida to visit my grandparents with a quick trip to Disney added in.
Next came California, when I was probably around 4 years old. My mom’s parents had a business convention to go to, and she decided it would be fun for us to tag along! Great idea in my book. Apparently, Pete and I convinced my dad we should rent a convertible while we were there too – total win.
Then there were trips to Sesame Place, more trips to Florida, Hershey Park, Montauk, Upstate New York, Bermuda, the Caribbean…
Without rambling on about every family vacation we took, you can see my mom started showing us the world as much as possible very early on in life. Lucky for us, she never stopped. Throughout my childhood she planned so many incredible vacations, I honestly cannot believe she’s not a travel agent to this day. She puts all of her efforts into her travel research to know everything possible about where we go, and knows all the great places to see, restaurants to eat, and of course, all of the best photo spots. I learned all of my planning (and even packing) tips from her.
So to wrap this up – thanks, Mom. I don’t know if I would have the appreciation for exploring the world if you didn’t instill it in me when I was a young kid. Thank you for showing us the adventures we can take small and large, and sometimes even right in our own backyard.
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