From her solo days in Thailand to household journeys throughout the globe, Tenley Peterson’s journey as a traveller and mom has come full circle. She’s nonetheless searching for moments of discovery, however now she’s passing that love of exploration to the following technology – one journey at a time.
Considered one of Tenley’s early encounters with journey past Mendon, the small Massachusetts city she grew up in got here in her twenties when she studied overseas in Australia’s Gold Coast for a semester. It was a defining second for somebody who hadn’t actually ventured past the familiarity of New England.
Nonetheless, whereas Australia was thrilling, it felt slightly too acquainted to america.
‘It wasn’t culturally totally different sufficient for me,’ Tenley remembers, explaining that she was craving one thing more difficult, extra unknown. ‘I wished extra of a tradition shock.’
Whereas nonetheless in Australia, that want for the unknown led her to a journey company the place she found Intrepid’s journeys to Thailand, adventures that might take her into the guts of a rustic. She shares that for somebody who had lived in a small, predominantly white city in Massachusetts, that journey was actually transformative.
‘I didn’t know something about Thailand,’ she says. ‘It was such an enormous distinction from the place I grew up. I simply thought, “Wow, [these trips] are so distinctive and totally different.” I needed to go.’
That journey grew to become her gateway to the world of solo journey, the place she discovered herself surrounded by like-minded travellers, desirous to dive into new cultures, embrace native customs and, once in a while, expertise the unfamiliar. ‘We visited hill tribes in northern Thailand, and one of many native guides caught a spider after which ate it,’ she says, remembering the reminiscence nonetheless so vividly. ‘It was a cool approach to be in a distinct tradition in a means that felt daring, but additionally protected.’
Tenley’s love for journey solely grew from there. After marrying her school sweetheart, who was within the army, the couple moved to South East Asia, the place he was stationed. Her husband’s job stored him busy, leaving Tenley with ample time to discover.
‘I had a number of trip time, and he was all the time working,’ she says. ‘So, I stored signing up for journeys.’
She travelled extensively throughout the area, usually solo, which could have been intimidating, however Intrepid’s journeys made her really feel protected and supported. On her travels, she met folks from all around the world who added an additional layer of cultural trade to every journey.
‘It wasn’t simply in regards to the place I used to be visiting,’ Tenley explains. ‘The opposite travellers grew to become a part of the journey. They got here from throughout, and that alone was such a wealthy cultural expertise.’
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than her journey bug caught on with the remainder of the household. In truth, her father, who had by no means been a lot of a traveller, joined her on a few her later journeys, even stunning her on one to India with Intrepid.
‘I invited my dad, and he initially mentioned no,’ she laughs. ‘However then he labored with my husband to shock me. I had no concept he was coming to India, and there he was on the resort. It was such a particular second.’
‘It sort of began out simply me, after which I began bringing folks in to do these adventures with me… first Everest Basecamp with my husband and pop, then the Inca Path with my dad, husband and father-in-law after which Patagonia with my husband and father-in-law.’
As her household grew, travelling naturally shifted. The start of her three youngsters didn’t diminish Tenley’s wanderlust, it reshaped it. As her eldest daughter, Darby, grew sufficiently old to journey abroad, Tenley realized that the journeys she as soon as took alone may now be shared along with her youngsters, providing them the identical alternatives for progress and discovery.
‘I began travelling internationally with my daughter when she was round 4 and a half,’ she says. ‘I felt that was the magic age – they’re sufficiently old to understand the place they’re, perceive that issues are totally different, and, extra importantly, they’re extra impartial. They pull their very own small suitcases and assist with planning.’
After all, travelling with youngsters requires extra flexibility. Tenley needed to adapt. As a substitute of packing each minute of the day with actions like she did when she traveled solo, she discovered to decelerate, aiming for one main expertise a day with some wiggle room for downtime. However that didn’t make the journeys any much less enriching.
‘Once I went with my eldest daughter to Morocco [on Intrepid’s family holiday], it was about experiencing the novelty by way of her eyes,’ Tenley says. ‘I’ll always remember the look on her face when she had her first sip of Moroccan mint tea or when she noticed the desert for the primary time.’
She realized that touring with youngsters wasn’t about ticking off the most important vacationer points of interest or following the standard itinerary. As a substitute, it was about creating recollections that each she and her youngsters would cherish.
When requested if it was value taking such younger youngsters on these large adventures, Tenley says ‘Folks all the time say they’re not going to recollect it… perhaps they received’t keep in mind each element. However I’ll keep in mind the look on their faces after they noticed the Eiffel Tower sparkle. That’s sufficient for me.’
Folks all the time say they’re not going to recollect it… perhaps they received’t keep in mind each element. However I’ll keep in mind the look on their faces after they noticed the Eiffel Tower sparkle. That’s sufficient for me.
Tenley goes on to fondly share a narrative about when she visited Iceland along with her second daughter. ‘Wynnie was 5 on the time and we went to those geothermal scorching springs in the midst of a snowstorm. We have been with the resort’s tour firm they usually have been monitoring all of the circumstances, so it was protected. Wynnie was as completely happy as she might be within the heat water with the snow falling and the wind blowing throughout us.’
It was a memorable life expertise below any circumstances however sharing it along with her daughter made it much more particular. ‘Even now, generally she’ll keep in mind it and say “Bear in mind after we have been within the scorching springs in that blizzard? Mommy, that was so cool.”‘ exclaims Tenley.
Whether or not it’s exploring scorching springs in Iceland or occurring a fairy hunt in Eire, Tenley makes positive that every vacation along with her youngsters is curated to their personalities and pursuits. It’s not about forcing them to observe her journey fashion however moderately encouraging them to find the enjoyment of journey on their phrases.
Journey has additionally turn out to be a educating device, one that enables Tenley to impart classes of bravery, independence and open-mindedness. She takes delight in how journey has taught her youngsters to problem-solve, handle stress and adapt to the unfamiliar. Even easy acts, like navigating an airport, have turn out to be studying moments.
‘I ensure they know tips on how to discover our gate by wanting on the departure boards,’ she explains. ‘I would like them to be impartial travellers. It’s not simply in regards to the journey – it’s about giving them the boldness to navigate the world.’
Her youngsters, now 4, seven, and ten, have turn out to be travellers in their very own proper. Each journey they take is a chance for progress – not only for the children, however for Tenley as nicely. She delights in watching them sort out new challenges with the identical curiosity and bravado she had on her first adventures.
‘I feel for me, it’s actually thrilling to see my youngsters be courageous,’ she says. ‘I get to relive my very own experiences by way of them. Once we climbed a tall tree in Eire, my daughter scurried proper to the highest and rang the bell, similar to I might have finished years in the past. And I acquired midway up earlier than I needed to cease. She nonetheless teases me about it.’
Discover a small journey that meets you the place you’re. Whether or not you’re a solo explorer or sharing the world with your loved ones, Intrepid has a visit for all of the totally different chapters of life.
