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IsraelTravel

A Day in Jerusalem

July 16, 2019 bornexplorers1 Comment

We are normally the DIY type of family travelers, but one place we feel like is worth making an exception for and going with a guide is the ancient city of Jerusalem. There is so much fascinating history here that to maximize your time (and the attention span of the Continue Reading

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Born Explorers

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Hi! I'm Ashley, a global mama of 3 born explorers. I help families explore more, especially those off the beaten path destinations! Thanks for stopping by and happy travels!

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  • The Ultimate DIY Israel and Jordan Itinerary
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born_explorers

-MEd. Child Development
-Global Mama of 3 🌎🇺🇸 🇵🇱 🇨🇿🇨🇭🇨🇦
-Helping families explore off the beaten path!
-📍Denver, CO
Travel tips + itineraries:↙️

Ashley | Family Travel
🚲 3 of the best islands for biking 🚲 There 🚲 3 of the best islands for biking 🚲 

There is nothing like hopping on a beach cruiser and heading out for some fun in the sun and sand. Islands that are bikable are a total vibe and here are 3 of the best ones in the world:

1) Isla Holbox, Mexico- A car free island where you can rent bikes by the day or for your whole stay to explore the island, cruise to the beach, and of course stop for tacos.

2) Hilton Head Island, SC- This island is so bike friendly with miles and miles of shady bike paths…just watch out for the occasional crocodile on the path. 😉😳🐊 Sea Pines is our favorite part of the island to stay or bike in. 

3) Île de Ré, France- With 100 km of bike trails, you can make your way from the vineyard to the beach and through charmingly beautiful villages. If you can, just avoid July and August when the island is heaving with Parisians escaping for their summer holiday. 

If you’re biking with kiddos, @merrell has got you covered. Their new Hydro collection is absolutely perfect for biking, splashing around, and every summer activity in between. The Hydro Chroma model even changes color when wet…cue ALL the splashing in puddles, streams, rivers, and oceans. 😂 Definitely a hit with the littles. #ad

Any other bike friendly beach destinations you know of? Would love to add them to our list! 

#merrell #beachvibes🌊 #beachcruiser #beachcruisers #getoutsideandplay #beautifuldestinations #wheretotravel #outdoorkids #adventurefamily #kidswhoexplore #kidswhotravel #wildandfreechildren #wildandfreekids
When the pandemic hit and we were locked down in c When the pandemic hit and we were locked down in cold, snowy Canada I think my kids thought they’d never see a beach again. Maybe that’s why sort of unintentionally all of our trips since we started traveling again have been beach trips. 🏝 Needless to say, they’ve been thrilled! 

I’m certainly not complaining but I am starting to miss the mountains so we’ll be making the most of this summer in the Rockies. 🏔 

If you HAD to choose one, which would it be? 🏝 or 🏔 I do love the beach, but mountains will always have my heart! 

This last trip was to Isla Holbox and if you haven’t heard of it yet, head to my stories to check it out! More posts about this beautiful place to come…

#holboxisland #holboxmexico #holbox #beachbabies #wouldyourather #beautifulbeaches #familytravel #familytrips #travelwithkids #beachtrips #travelinspo  #wheretotravel
Do you take your kids on trips just one on one? Do you take your kids on trips just one on one? 

This summer I’m going to be splitting up this crew and I’m pretty excited about it. If you’ve been around here for long, you’ll know that I’m pretty obsessed with this toddler of mine. Although she tests my limits, she’s also just the best and a perfect completion of our family. 

BUT..she’s a toddler and thus by nature she just consumes so much of my time and energy. My boys are great about it and great with her, but I do feel like in a way, they often get the short end of the stick just because of the way the age gap shakes out for us. As they get older, I find that talking with them and having fun with them is such a delight! But it’s hard to get an uninterrupted conversation in with a toddler around.

So this summer I had the idea for something different. The toddler will spend some time with her dad and grandparents and I will take the boys for a couple of weeks of adventure. We are all so stoked about it! 

I’ve talked about doing one on trips for awhile and then the pandemic hit so that had to go on the back burner. But now we are so ready! 

Do you ever divide and conquer? I’d love to hear about it! 

#travelfamily #tripswithkids #travelfam #parentswhowander #wheretonext✈️ #wherewewander #bringthekids #takeyourkidseverywhere #adventurefamily #kidswhotravel #travelkids #travelmadfam
Sustainability and the Maldives 🌴 It’s proba Sustainability and the Maldives 🌴

It’s probably not the first thing that you would think about it when planning a trip to this tropical paradise, but given the wondrous and fragile ecosystem here, it should be. 

When it comes to resorts in the Maldives, not all of them are making the same amount of effort when it comes to sustainability-some go above and beyond, some are doing a minimum, and some fall below the basic expectations. Here are some things to look for in a resort when you’re planning your trip:

🌍 ban on plastic water bottles and straws
🌍 recycle gray water for irrigation and compost food waste
🌍 use refillable toiletries instead of small single use bottles 
🌍 employ resident marine biologists who educate visitors, monitor the house reef, and initiate reef restoration projects 
🌍 invest in the local community 

And finally, don’t be afraid to ask for more information from the resort you’re looking at regarding their sustainability practices. And give feedback after your stay about things you appreciate and things they need to work on! 

We stayed at @lemeridienmaldives and appreciated that they did all of the things on this list and also had their own greenhouse to grow some food for the resort. Two things to improve were the fact that the sunscreen sold in the gift shop was not reef safe and the tiny island you could wade to did not have anyone cleaning up all the trash that washed up on it. 

Instead of just visiting a place like this and thinking about how we can relax and be pampered, we need to also be mindful about how we can protect it for generations to come. 

#visitmaldives #sustainabletravel #responsibletravel #travelresponsibly #maldivestravel #maldivesresorts #maldivesislands #maldiveslovers #earthmonth #traveldeeper
Which National Parks require reservations this sum Which National Parks require reservations this summer? 🥾

Are you planning on visiting a national park this summer? Don’t get caught by surprise by showing up with no reservations! Here are the ones you’ll need to book in advance (or enter early or late). Check www.recreation.gov for more details. 

🏔 Rocky Mountain National Park
🏜 Arches National Park
🏕 Acadia National Park - (Cadillac Summit Road)
⛰Glacier National Park
🌲Muir Woods National Monument
🏜 Zion National Park - (Angel’s Landing Hike)
🏕 Shenandoah National Park (Old Rag Mountain hike)
🌄 Yosemite National Park 

You can reserve in advance or try and get lucky enough to snag tickets that are released the day before. Which National Parks are you heading to this summer? Definitely RMNP for us, but also hoping to get to Black Canyon of the Gunnison. 🤞🏼

#nationalparklover #nationalparkgeek #nationalparkphotography #nationalparks #outdoorfamily #adventurefamily #exploremoreoutdoors #nationalparksusa #summertravel #summertrips #readyforsummer
We tell ourselves so many stories in life. Stori We tell ourselves so many stories in life. 

Stories like “I could never do that,” or “I’ll never be as good as ___ at ____,” “I’m not that brave,” and the stories go on. 

But what if we flipped the script? Not just stop the stories but turn them around. “I can do it,” “I will be great,” “I am brave,” “I am strong.” “I can and I will.” It might not seem like that big of a deal, but attitude is everything and impacts whether we fail or succeed or whether we even try. 

What stories are holding you back? And what would you try if you knew you wouldn’t fail? 

When I was in Hawaii with @intothewildphotocamp, I almost didn’t try surfing. I told myself that I’m not that coordinated, I probably wouldn’t even be able to do it. But I watched the women out there having fun and I thought you know what, screw it. I’m going to try. And it may not have been pretty, but I DID IT.  And it was so much fun! 

It makes me sad to think that I almost missed that opportunity because of my insecurities. And to think how many other opportunities I’ve missed because I listened to those doubts and fears, those negative stories. 

Right now I’ve got so many ideas percolating of things I want to try. A business idea, solo hikes, backpacking with my kids. And you know what? I can and I will. 

And whatever dreams you have whether they are big or small, you can too. And you will. ❤️
Parenthood is wild. One minute you’re bringing Parenthood is wild. One minute you’re  bringing your new bundle of joy home from the hospital and then in the blink of an eye more than a decade has passed and instead of looking down into their sweet tiny face you’re looking at them eye to eye. 

I know that in another blink he’ll be driving and then heading off into the great big world and that’s a hard reality to ponder. The firstborn in a family has so much responsibility. They walk you through all your firsts as a parent and most of the time you don’t have a clue what you’re doing or if you’re doing it right. 

But you go through it together and you figure it out as you go. And this kiddo of mine is happy and he is kind and those are about the two biggest things I could wish for him so I guess we are doing all right.

Here’s to 11 years around the sun for this guy who will always be my number 1! ❤️🎂

#birthdayboy🎉 #honestmotherhood #parentlife #momlife #coloradomom #boymom #tweenmom #growinguptoofast #outdoorfamilies #adventurekids
You need to add this snowy hike to your Colorado b You need to add this snowy hike to your Colorado bucket list! 

We’ve had the hike at Mayflower Gulch on our to do list all winter and I’m so glad we finally got to it. It’s an absolutely gorgeous hike that reminded us a lot of our beloved Switzerland. 😍

It’s about 3.1 miles out and back to the abandoned mining cabins which make for a great photo op. Beyond that you’ll probably need snow shoes. We went last weekend and the trail to the cabins was plenty packed down so we didn’t need micro spikes or snowshoes. Earlier in the  winter you could need either. The trail is all uphill but with a gradual incline. Next time we’ll definitely bring some light weight sleds for the way down! 

Just beware of the skiers and snowboarders who also share the trail. 

#hikingwithkids #coloradohikes #kidswhohike #adventurefamily #kidswhoexplore #kidswhoexploreambassadors #runwild #1000hoursoutside #coloradoparent #denvermom #denvermoms #hikingtrails #hikingadventures #winterhikes
Why I’m embracing my 40’s… So I turned 40 a Why I’m embracing my 40’s…

So I turned 40 almost 2 weeks ago in the Maldives and it’s been a birthday that I’ve been approaching with trepidation. But somewhere along the line I decided to embrace it and here’s why turning 40 is actually pretty awesome:

🎉 More established. We definitely wouldn’t have been able to take a vacation to the Maldives to celebrate turning 25 or 30. At 40 you start to reap some of the rewards of decades of hard work. 

🎉 More confidence. I’ve always been plagued with insecurities, but I’ve realized that the older I get the more I just DGAF. Here I am, take it or leave it. At 40 you stop caring so much about what other people think. 

🎉 You start to realize just how fleeting and precious life is so you’re determined to make the most of it. In your 20’s you still feel like you’re invincible. By 40 you realize that’s just not true and maybe it’s a midlife crisis that spurs you to try new things and stop living life on the sidelines, but that’s a midlife crisis I will happily embrace. 

🎉 You realize that relationships are what life is all about and you treasure your friends and family. Especially the friendships that have endured for decades…those are the ones worth holding onto even when life gets busy!

What do you think? Is it true what they say about getting older and wiser? 

#welcometoparadise #thisis40 #40andfabulous #sheisnotlost #momswhoexplore #momswhotravel #parentswhowander #travelmad #womenwhowander #maldiveslovers #maldivestrip #maldivesparadise
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