Peruvian Mom Talks Cultural Travel + Living with No Regrets

She Who Wanders

May 25

A Convo with Rocio from @realworldmami

Meet Rocio. A Peruvian mom of two boys, currently living near San Francisco, she is passionate about traveling to new places, learning new cultures and fostering empathy and understanding in her boys as they work travel around their school and activity schedule. Through her website and social platforms, she shares everything from guides + tips for her favorite spots in California to resources for families planning their own life-changing cultural trips. She’s an inspiration to live life for today, never waiting to follow your passions or experience everything the world has to offer.

Tell us a little about you and your family like where you’re from, where you live now, how old are your kids and anything interesting or unique you’d like people to know.

I am originally from Peru, and I live in the Bay Area with my husband and our two boys. It’s a suburban lifestyle with kids in public school, but that doesn’t stop me from showing the world to my kids.

Something I would like people to know is that I didn’t grow up as an outdoorsy person. It took me a long time to get to the point where I consider myself a certified nature lover. Now I just love being outside, getting dirty, and having fun while hiking. Incredible right?

I didn’t know any better - growing up in a big city like I did - I was sort of close-minded. It took me many hikes before I understood that the great feeling I got from it wasn’t only due to the exercise, it was also my body’s reaction to time spent in nature and outdoors.

I kind of have a similar feeling when I arrive in a country for the first time. I just feel energized and excited in a way that’s not so different as when I take in a new panoramic vista from a mountain top in my “back yard” here in California. I started traveling after I finished college, and I don’t think I can stop now.

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??

I would say my great wanderlust took root when I finally took my kids to Machu Picchu when they were little. It wasn’t easy. After the visit, I decided to start a blog and share and inspire others. And they still vividly remember our trip there, years later. I recall when we had a trip down to Peru with weather-related flight cancellations and delays, and I was taking my 5- and 8-year-old by myself. They were champs, carrying luggage, waiting patiently but exhaustedly for the shuttle, and napping at the airport. Now it is so easy to travel with them; they are travel experts and pretty much know what to expect along the journey.

Machu Picchu with them was the cherry on top. I am glad I didn’t listen to the people who said it would be too much for them at that age. You only live once, and I have zero regret about traveling with my kids. I’m not waiting to retire, when my energy and body could be too worn out for ambitious travel. I am exploring the world with the people I love, my family. There is so little time to explore it all. The adventure has just begun.

How did you first fall in love with traveling, and why do you think it’s important to let kids experience as much of the world as possible?

When I was pursuing my career as a lawyer in Peru, I needed to visit some pretty remote areas of the country – “darkest Peru” as Paddington Bear called it. I found it so fascinating how the country where I grew up can have so many different things in terms of geography and culture, but at the same time be identified as one country. Then, I started visiting other countries in South America and later Europe. The feeling of excitement about visiting places I read about in books was thrilling. I love experiencing them in real life. I’m kind of a history buff and walking in these places just makes all that history come alive for me.

The travel bug didn’t go away after having kids. I wanted them to see what I have seen because I really believe in raising well-rounded humans. I wanted them to learn about the world from an early age. It is fascinating to see how that has influenced different kinds of awareness in them. They are excelling in school but also as individuals in their own lives beyond school. I believe that traveling has greatly enriched their experience in this world because they more fully understand the human condition. There is something about taking them out of their comfort zone. Missing scheduled naps and learning to sooth themselves while trying to understand another language so they may communicate with others the colors and the fragrances, all of them. Also, as parents, we learn to let schedules and routines go for a bit, and we adapt to just go with the flow! Because being flexible is the only way to be happy in parenthood, and traveling teaches you lots of it.

Have you found it challenging to juggle letting your kids be in school/ any extra-curricular activities with still making time for travel? If so, what would be your greatest tips for other families who want to travel more but are living more of a traditional lifestyle? Tell us your secrets!

Absolutely, now that the kids are older, their schedules are much tighter, and even traveling during shoulder season is difficult. I always tell other parents to make the effort to travel as much as they can while their children are young and in elementary school. Because catching up in earlier grades is less demanding, and prices are cheaper. Take best advantage of the shoulder season while you can!

Learn to accrue travel miles for daily spending and take advantage of them. When kids get older, you’ll find you really need to plan travel around their schedule, at least six months in advance. And you’ll find everything at better prices.

What would be your definition of “cultural travel” and what makes it different from any other type of travel?

When you look for cultural experiences for your family and immerse them in local traditions and customs. For example, we love asking locals what they recommend, stuff we aren’t likely to find in a guidebook. Where to go, what they like to do, what foods to try, and we love exploring those recommendations.

We’ve done this in Costa Rica, Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, and Cabo San Lucas, among others. For example, when we visited Puerto Vallarta, we asked locals where they go for a good churro, and they sent us to a little street-side vendor in town. We found it navigating town; it was a fun adventure with the kids, and we found a lady with a table and a little kitchen with a propane gas tank, and I stood in line waiting for her churros. It was totally worth the wait and the experience. That is learning about the world. It is awesome that kids can enjoy this kind of impromptu and genuine experience.

Tell us a couple of character traits you’re passionate about seeing grow in your kids. Take us back to a family experience/story where you saw this being developed in them.

The character trait I am most passionate about seeing grow in the kids is compassion and tolerance for others. I feel they want to help others more because they see poverty and what life is like for many (most?) people. I feel it will give them the understanding that they are very privileged and that they are no more deserving of a comfortable, secure life than anyone else in the world…we’re all humans, and we all deserve dignity and respect.

As your boys are getting older, what are the most important things you focus on in planning trips for your family? Has it changed since they were little? What advice would you give a parent who wants to start incorporating more travel, but feels overwhelmed and isn’t sure where to start?

Getting them involved in planning is a must! We have a lot of planning to do this summer, so getting them excited about what we’re going to see and do is critical to their enjoyment of and participation in the adventure.

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

This year is different. We won’t be taking advantage of shoulder season and instead we’re going for a long summer trip. Usually, we don’t take summer trips because of peak season pricing and various summer activities at home the kids always want to do. But the kids are getting older, and there aren’t all that many summers left before they’re off on their own. Planning in advance has helped us make it a bit more affordable. We will be visiting New York, Chicago, Paris, and Italy in a five-week trip, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Is there a question you wish I would have asked or anything else you’d like to share with other mamas relating to travel or life?

Even if you can’t go overseas, get them out into nature and let them explore parks as well as “the urban jungle” of the big cities. Show them both sides of the world if you can. Travel if you can afford to go overseas during a shoulder season to save money. Don’t worry much about school at this age; they learn more from traveling! Don’t be afraid of it. If you have any questions, check out my blog, realworldmami.com, or reach out to me. You’ve got this!

Who inspires you to dig deeper in travel and life?

I love @worldstompers and how @worldtraveladventures uses her miles. Also, @nationalpark_familyquest for domestic travel and @Beachseakers for international trips.