BabyTravels and Hilarye in line at "It's a Small World"

When I was a kid (and not so much a kid), Disneyland was the greatest of all greats. It was something to look forward to and I remember having butterflies each morning as we got near the park. Soon the butterflies were squashed as we tried to conquer all the rides, see every site, and explore every area. It was not a satisfying trip to Disneyland if we hadn’t hit every major ride there. It’s funny how things change so quickly once you have a kid.

This time it wasn’t about me enjoying the “happiest place on earth”, it was about watching the magic unfold in my 16 months old eyes.  This time it was all about her. Taking her on It’s a Small World and watching that cute pudgy little index finger shoot out in all sorts of different directions as she cooed at the chanting children of all ethnicities just melted my heart. We probably made it on less than 10 rides total that day, dealt with random rain storms, exhausted my feet and my shoes, and spent $50 on mediocre hamburgers, but it was all worth it hearing BabyTravels excitement over those same silly songs and characters that I too loved as a child.

Isn’t that what’s great about parenthood? You get to relive your childhood over again through their eyes and excitements. It reminded me of why we love traveling so much. To have fresh experiences and explore new cultures it makes us feel so alive and so young, like anything is possible. And now I think that a trip to Disney World is in order. Oh Walt Disney you have done it again.

Reid, Hilarye and BabyTravels in Alaska

My goal for this year is to make this blog a little more personal. I want to make connections with my readers so they feel they know me and in turn I can know you and we can make this a conversation. I have never wanted this to be a place where I brag about my excursions. I want this to be a place to share information, stories and experiences. I want it to go both ways. So I am putting us out there a little bit to help you get to know us.  Here is a list of things you may not have known:

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Aruba Marriott Resort

The holidays are a great time for giving back, and also a great time for remembering the needs of others. We here at DTM enjoy giving more than receiving. The true holiday spirit is one of love, warmth and compassion- those traits that truly represent our Savior, the one who we celebrate this Christmas season.

That’s why we are happy to support the Passports with Purpose mission and announce it to our readers. Last year Passports with a Purpose raised enough money to build a school in Cambodia, this year their efforts are focused on building an entire village in India! We can do it, but we need your help!

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The holidays and gift-giving season are upon us. It’s true and there is no hiding from it.  And while there is a plethora of holiday gift guides and wish lists out there to clutter up your google readers and mailboxes, we at DTM thought we would throw another one your way (well two since there is a baby version on our DTM Baby site). This one however has actually good gifts that most people in our age bracket (20-40 years old) could appreciate. All these gifts featured are with the heavy traveler in mind, but really they could be for everyday use as well.  These are all also gifts that we would really appreciate seeing under our tree this year (hint-hint) and none of them are paid endorsements and no I am not a amazon affiliate- if any of them happen to be amazon links.

Going from left to right, starting at the top and working our way through the bottom:

Bare minerals foundation makeup. Ok seriously there is no better makeup out there. I have used this for almost three years (and am really overdue for a refill) and it actually has improved the quality of my skin. It’s makeup that if I’m on a 12-hour flight, I don’t feel greasy when I get off the plane. It’s amazing. I used to hate traveling with it, but now they have finally caught on and included click and go tops to keep the minerals from spilling everywhere when you open it.

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This past week was all about change and decisions. Two things I don’t know much about and don’t enjoy. But one particular decision I did really enjoy! I pretty much got to look at a map and pick ANY place on this earth to go and visit. Just let that sink in for a moment. ANY place on this earth (that’s accessible by commercial airplane). So I sat there for a long time picturing myself looking at ruins in Greece, laying on the beach in Thailand, riding a gondola in Venice, and eating authentic pizza in Italy. What!?! How could I choose? This decision was getting harder than I thought. Maybe I would set up a map on the wall and throw a dart and wherever it landed surely I would go there. No…. that just wouldn’t do.  So I closed my eyes and pictured myself in a place, a place where I have always wanted to go, a place I had heard about so much growing up, a place that if I didn’t take this opportunity I might never get to go again.  And while I have always wanted to go to Greece, Israel, and a myriad of other locations I know in my heart my travel days are NOT over, nor will they ever be, and eventually I will get to those places. But this location… This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

So I’m curious… if you had this opportunity- where would your dream locale be? Please leave a comment in the comments section- but don’t be too convincing because my mind is made up!