Mama to Teens Infuses Travel Into Life Despite Busy Schedules

She Who Wanders

Nov 25

9 Questions with Krystal from East Coast Blondies

Meet Krystal. Mama to three. Travel and adventure lover. Passionate about family time, making memories, seeing the world and experiences over things. In a time where many think travel takes going non-stop or planning expensive vacations, Krystal shows how family adventures and seeing the country don’t require selling it all or spending excessive amounts of money. With her kids in traditional school and activities, she offers tips and ideas for incorporating travel into any lifestyle. Her story is proof that anyone can make travel and adventure a priority with a little creativity and determination.

Q: At one point in life did you fall in love with travel? What moment or experience prompted you to realize how much you loved it?

I fell in love with travel at a very financially challenging time in our lives. Kind of seems like the last thing you’d think about doing, I know, but I had a mental mind shift at that time that changed everything. We were in a tough financial spot and I just wanted to get away from it all. My husband had recently been on a camping trip with the youth in our church, as one of the leaders, and when he came home said that we should go as a family. They had stayed at a KOA campsite in California right near the beach. I had never considered such a cheap way of traveling. We had been camping before but not to a destination spot, where you leave the campsite and explore the surrounding area. The drive was only a few hours from where we lived at the time and the campsite was very inexpensive. We cooked all our own food over the fire, played in the pool on the KOA property and spent two days at the beach. We had the absolute BEST time as a family! It opened my mind to all the possibilities of travel. That you didn’t have to be super wealthy to make it happen. We went 3 more times that year and booked several other small, inexpensive trips. The time with my family was invaluable and traveling made life exciting again. I fell in love with it!

Q: The Great Wanderlust is all about moms stepping outside of the box and diving deeper in both travel and in life! The mission is to inspire mamas and families to feel fully alive through adventure and exploration! What is your great wanderlust? What most makes you come to life?

My great wanderlust is traveling with my family to anywhere new! My bucketlist is long and just keeps growing, but most of all I love the quality time I get with my family. It’s the best feeling to get away and leave all distractions and busy schedules behind, and go somewhere where the only thing on our to-do list is fun and adventure. It makes me feel alive!

Q: I know many people may think at first that you guys are full-time travelers, but in reality you have a home, school, extra curricular activities etc. for your family. How do you balance having both? Especially with older kids, is everyone always on board to leave town/take the next trip? Do you have many conflicts of activities and travel and how do you handle that if so?

Good question! It is a balancing act for sure, but we’ve learned a lot through the years through trial and error. We have found that the best way for us to do both is to plan our travels during school breaks, holidays, and teacher workdays. That way my kids aren’t being pulled out of school or missing out on things that matter to them in day-to-day life. Our trips are short, typically only 4 days, two of which are over a weekend. Then we travel farther and longer during the summer months. The biggest thing that helps us balance it all is our weekly planning meetings. We discuss everyone’s schedules and talk about potential travel dates to see where we can fit things in. There was one time that we accidentally booked a weekend trip to the beach when our two teenagers had a Valentine’s dance that we didn’t know about. We felt so bad that they missed it and have tried to make sure they don’t miss things that are important to them. Both my teenagers have job schedules to work around as well. So we plan our travels far in advance to give them plenty of time to ask off work. There’s a lot to coordinate so our planning meetings are key to making it all work!

Q: Tell us about a benefit you’ve seen in your kids/family from traveling and seeing the world together?

There are so many benefits I’ve seen from traveling. One of them is how adaptable my kids are to new surroundings. It doesn’t phase them at all to be in a new place and around new people. They can carry on conversations easily with the people around them and enjoy trying new things in new places. My oldest just went to college recently and has already adjusted very well. I attribute a lot of that to our travels.

Q: Tell us about one obstacle you’ve had to overcome in building the life you envision for yourself and our family. How were you able to overcome it? How did you keep going even in the most discouraging times?

Like I mentioned earlier, we went through a really challenging financial crisis. Without going into too many details we lost a business, had to sell our home to stay afloat, and really struggled to get back on our feet for several years. I had that moment where I realized how important travel was for my family so I continued to plan very small getaways and one evening we put together a bucketlist as a family of some our dreams. Just the other day I found that list and we have almost checked off every box! It didn’t happen all at once, and many didn’t happen until several years later but by writing it down, making a plan, and working very hard we have made our dreams come to fruition.

Q: As a mama of 3 kids, it must be difficult to find time to recharge and make sure you’re at your best in day-to-day life. What routines/practices do you utilize to make sure you are filled up and able to give to your family without being depleted?

Another great question! As a mom, my job never stops, there is always something I need to do or someone to take care of, so having time to recharge is essential. There are several things I do. First of all, I take time to fill my cup every morning so I’m better equipped for the day. For me that means spiritually connecting with God, taking time to exercise, and doing some quick cleaning around my home. All of these things help me feel more peaceful inside so my day runs smoother. Also I take a daily 10 minute nap. I can literally fall asleep within seconds and sleep just about anywhere. After 10 minutes I am recharged and ready to go! Even on trips I will find a way to squeeze in a nap, whether it’s a car ride somewhere or a bench to lay on at Disney World. Give me 10 minutes and I’m good to go the rest of the day! The other thing I do is take one solo trip a year. I call it a “momcation”. I heard that term on a podcast once and have dubbed that the name of my getaway. I always go to the beach and use my time to rest, relax, read by the ocean, take walks on the sand, do yoga in the mornings, and eat healthy. I come home recharged and a better mom!

Q: Where are you off to next and what are you most looking forward to about it?

A travel experience that we are excited to share soon was a trip that we took to Mexico to be in a reality tv show. Such a crazy, once in a lifetime type of experience! We were contacted through my Instagram account from one of the producers of BYUtv to see if we would audition. After 2 phone interviews and 2 virtual meetings we were selected to be in season 3 of “Survivalists”, a show where every episode 2 families compete in an outdoor race for several days for a $10k grand prize for the first to the finish line. It focuses on families and building stronger connections through challenging courses on difficult terrain. It stretched us far beyond our mental, emotional, and physical capacity and is an experience we will never forget! The show will air this fall and we will continue to give updates on our Instagram account @eastcoast.blondies as it gets closer.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with other moms relating to travel or life?

The only other thing I would share with other mamas is that there’s not one right way to do the mom thing. We all have unique talents and strengths that we bring to our families, with our own set of circumstances and challenges. All we can do is our very best and that may look different for everyone. I saw a short video once that showed a mom cooking in the kitchen with her kids, having a great time and thought that’s what I needed to do to be a good mom. But then I realized I hate cooking and that’s okay. I would rather just get it done quick and move on, then we can have a dance party in the kitchen instead! That’s the kind of mom I am, and that’s what I bring to my family. So, find the things that bring you joy and share it with your kids. That’s what traveling has been for me, a way of sharing the things I love with them!

Q: Who inspires you to dig deeper in travel and life? Who is someone you think I should feature next??

A family that inspires me to keep traveling is the Bucketlist family. They have taken their kids all over the world and are the whole reason I started my Instagram travel account. I started watching their adventures during the Covid shutdown and thought “I am already traveling, why not share our experiences like them and inspire others to do the same?” One of the families that I follow on Instagram that I think would be great to feature is @koppa7adventures. They are a family of 7, traveling the world. They have beautiful photos and videos and are so inspiring! Also my sister just started an outdoor adventure account on Instagram called @trailhaven. She gives a lot of great tips for outdoor enthusiasts and recommends places to hike. She is a very talented photographer and writer!