Welcome to the second edition of our Traveler Interview Series! This month I am pleased to introduce our Canadian friend Mike Price and his lovely family. We recently met via a Facebook travel group. Through the pictures he shared in that group I quickly saw the love that he has for his family. Their love of travel was also on full display. Check out their story below.
TELL US ABOUT YOU and YOUR FAMILY. WHERE IS HOME?
I’m Mike, my wife is Ashley and our daughters are 13-year-old Kelsey and 12-year-old Madison. We call Ottawa, Canada home. I am in Corporate Communications and my wife runs a Home Daycare.
WHAT IS THE FIRST TRIP YOU REMEMBER TAKING AND HOW OLD WERE YOU (INDIVIDUALLY) AND AS A FAMILY?
The first trip I remember taking was when I was 10, my family went to Florida where we visited Disney and the beach for the first time. This is where I caught the family travel bug. I remember how excited I was to leave school and take a week to see Florida. It was an experience of excitement that I always wanted to share with my kids.
As a family, our first big trip was to Orlando with the idea of visiting Disney World. We planned this trip for months, researching the proper hotels that would meet all of our demands and finally, we found it in Orlando. We booked 9 days at the Nick Hotel in Orlando (now the Holiday Inn). On this trip, we explored all the Disney parks (the girls even got dressed up as Disney princesses at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The kids loved it and the memories started. I can remember the last night in Disney, having my girls at my sides when they both kissed me on my cheeks. I think I was the only adult to cry in Disney because it meant so much to me.
WHY DO YOU TRAVEL?
This is an interesting question because I believe everyone with kids should travel and have a desire to. Travel to me is not always across an ocean or country. It can be a night away where you build lasting memories with your loved ones.
I travel for a couple of reasons.
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- We are very fortunate to live in Canada. My desire is for my kids to see the world around them and gain a love for mankind. It is our hope they always aim to make earth a better place.
- I want to visit 60 countries by the time I am 60 years old.
- I travel to build lasting memories with my family. My memories will never leave me, the pictures will never fade (unless Facebook shuts down then I’m screwed lol). I can walk you through every trip we have taken and pinpoint the time something special happened — remembering a special memory that made the entire trip worth it.
- It is a time of sanity for my wife, she runs a home daycare taking care of others people’s kids (and she’s amazing) but the time away gives her the needed break she needs to stay sane lol.
WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE DESTINATION YOU HAVE BEEN TO SO FAR?
This is a hard one to answer because all destinations have been so special. I will share two with you. The first was Trinidad where I went for my first trip in 1997 on an airplane. It was not for leisure but to help a Trinidadian community in need. This was memorable because I experienced true culture living with the locals. This really helped change my perspective on my life and see how truly blessed I am to be Canadian.
Favorite as a father would have to be… Oh, this is hard because we have had so many great trips. But I would say Grand Riviera Princess Family Suites. This was our first trip to Mexico (Cancun) and we splurged for a swim up room. I have to say that this was one of the best because our family felt cared for and the staff treated us so well. This was evident from the start of the trip where the kids received a warm welcome with gift bags upon arrival, to the creative family room designs to provide a family experience with bunk beds and much more. The family section had kid events, kiddie pools, and amazing buffets just for the kids. SO many good things to point out.
ANY UNIQUE EXPERIENCES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?
As a family, I would have to say the most unique experience was in Punta Cana where we had the chance to experience a dolphin swim. Here we had the chance to swim, kiss, dance and have a dolphin jump over us. This had always been on my bucket list.
The second one happened recently in Jamaica, where my daughter and I snorkeled every day searching for an octopus. After 6 days we finally had the chance to see one swim right under us. This was by far a highlight and one of the most incredible experiences we ever had.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON TOP OF YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET LIST?
My bucket list is full! Costa Rica, India, Bora Bora, Australia, and many more. My oldest daughter and I are planning a backpacking trip for her 18th Birthday to Europe. We are hoping to see Scotland, Rome, France, and a few other countries. It’s about five years away so it’s in the planning phase.
WHO’s YOUR INSPIRATION?
In 2016 I won a trip off a radio station. YES, I was one of those people. A week-long vacation in beautiful Mexico. My wife found a video from Instagrammers Kristin and Shadi (@vacationcouple) and this helped me fall in love with the resort we were about to visit.
Seeing all the content they shared, they became my inspiration. As I watched them grow, I figured I could do something similar but focus on family travel, and help families find a passion to travel. They have been so fun to watch grow and have been a great inspiration.
IS TRAVELING A HOBBY OR SOMETHING YOU DO FOR A LIVING?
As of right now, it is a hobby. I have a great job but one day I would LOVE travel to be my full-time gig. Experiencing the world, sharing our experiences with friends, families, and followers — truly helping them find their next destination or inspiration for travel.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH TRAVEL?
As we focus on family travel and I used to work for an air carrier in Canada, I have learned some great tips and tricks on how to travel with kids of all ages. Along the way, we have also picked up a few tips on finding the right travel destinations. We want to share our knowledge and experiences with our followers so that they too can benefit and travel more with their families.
ANY ADVICE OR TIPS FOR ASPIRING TRAVELERS ESPECIALLY FAMILIES?
Absolutely, when you make the decision to travel (either weekend or all inclusive trips) just relax. I cannot stress this enough. All the other families are just as stressed as you are, so relax. Do not get mad. Being upset will fix nothing and will only put your kids on edge. Expect delays and expect to move slower so PRE-plan and be early.
When you are on vacation take as much time as you can and play with the kids and make memories. These are for you to remember later on.
Ultimately, just have fun and let the world revolve around you. If your kid is crying on the plane don’t stress. Snuggle with them and shrug your shoulder to the person giving you the evil eye ☺
TELL US ABOUT TRAVELLING FLIPFLOPS
We Love being in our Flip-Flops, having our toes exposed to the sun, wind and open-air on our feet can only mean one thing to us ** NO SNOW! & no snow means we’re having FUN. As parents of two amazing girls, we have found pleasure in travel and we want to encourage families to make memories of traveling together.
We are not world travelers yet but we want the kids to explore the world and get out from our border and see the world around us. We like to provide tips and tricks on family travel and work with our followers to also provide us with content such as pictures, reviews and more.
PLEASE TELL PEOPLE HOW THEY CAN FOLLOW YOUR FAMILY TRAVELS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
You can follow our journeys by connecting with us below
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TravellingFlipflops
Facebook: fb.me/travellingflipflops
Instagram: @travelling.flipflops
Twitter: @travellingff
Thank You, Mike, for being our second interviewee on our Traveler Interview Series. You have such a beautiful family. We hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit about the Price Family and have been inspired to be On Travel Mode! If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed for one of our future editions, please let us know. Additionally, if you have any questions that we should pose to future interviewees we’d love to read them. Please comment below or email us at theteam@ontravelmode.com.
Be sure to check out our first interview in the series- On Travel Mode with Vanessa Benitez
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