Ashley Klukowski

Ok first off, this is not an ad. These are legit things we bought and pack with us on every trip and they’ve all been game changers. 📚 1) Amazon Kids Kindle- my older two love their kindles and they read library books on them for free through the Libby app. They come in especially handy when we’re all squeezed into one hotel room and the youngest goes to bed earlier than everyone else! 2) Yoto Player- We pack the @yotoplay_us for our youngest along with headphones on every trip. She listens to audiobooks and music on it and we all sometimes listen to a podcast together on it! 3) Epic App- We’ve been using the @epic4kids app for years and still going strong. It’s an amazing selection of ebooks for kids 12 and under and we especially love the “read to me” feature for our pre-reader. You do need Wi-Fi to access the digital library but you can download books for offline reading. These are all such great (educational 🙌) entertainment options that our kids actually love! #familytraveltips #familytravel #raisingreaders

You know I’m all about the family travel but I’m also a firm believer in taking some time for ourselves too to pursue our interests and passions occasionally without the kids. And despite a lot of persistence, I can hardly ever manage to get my friend trips out of the group chat. 🫠 So a couple of years ago, I tried something new and signed up for a group trip with @intothewild.adventure. I was super nervous because I didn’t know anyone, but let me tell you…it was life changing. I’ve now been on several of Wendy’s retreats and have connected with so many amazing women and made some really good friends through it. I signed up for the travel but got so much more out of it! If you’re wanting to join a group trip but on the fence about it, I say GO FOR IT. You won’t regret it. @intothewild.adventure has an incredible line up of destinations for this year and into next year and you can use my code BORNEXPLORERS for $400 off! 🤯🙌 AND my friend @raisinghikers and I have launched a group trip to Morocco for this fall that we’d love for you to join us on. We still have a few discounted spots left, check my highlight bubble for all the details. 🧡 Have you been on an organized group trip before? Would you consider it? #womensgrouptrips #womensadventuretravel #womenwhotravel #adventurewomen #adventuregrouptravel

Does this surprise you? We lived in the Canton of Geneva and school is obligatory from 4 years old. There are enough schools built that all children should be within walking distance of their public schools and they’ll often start walking on their own at 4 or 5 years old. It’s also not uncommon for kids who are a bit older, from about 10-12 to start taking public transportation on their own. One of the hardest parts for our kids and other families we know who were expats like us and then moved back to the US was going from having so much freedom and independence to so much less in the US. Definitely a much different cultural approach! But also Switzerland is a much smaller, safer country so IMO it makes more sense there. 🤷🏻‍♀️ #cultureshock #swisslife #lifeinswitzerland #expatlife

I’d love to live a lifestyle like that, but let’s be honest- it’s just not realistic or attainable for most of us. BUT… That doesn’t mean we can’t still have epic adventures! Our kids get a LOT of days off school so we make the most of them and summer vacation, we use points and miles to make travel more affordable, and try and live pretty minimally when we’re at home to be able to afford travel. You don’t have to wait until all the stars align to start traveling. Just take the trip! #travelmore #familytravels #familytrips #adventurefamily

Ohh so many places, but this is a great place to start. ⬇️ ✈️ Sayulita is easy to reach by flying to Puerto Vallarta (we flew direct from Denver and flights were less than $250 r/t). 🚘 You can take an Uber from the airport (head out of the airport and to the left across the pedestrian bridge) for about $40 to Sayulita. The drive is only 45 min-1 hour depending on traffic. 🏩 Stay- Sayulita is super walkable so you really can’t go wrong. Pick a place with a pool and you’re good to go. 🍽️ Eat- There is SO much good food in Sayulita. Our absolute favorite was Mary’s…the mango margarita was like a desert and the tacos were so fresh and delicious. Also check Luna’s, Chaman Creative Kitchen, Santas Iguanas, and La Rustica. 🏝️ To Do- Book a family friendly hike with @ecohike OR -Hike the more challenging Monkey Mountain 🥾 -Book a Whale Watching tour with @whale.watching.sayulita 🐋 -Visit the nearby town of San Pancho (easy and cheap by bus!) 🚌 -Shopping at the Mercado and the small, cute shops in town 🛍️ -Book a surf lesson. The area is known for surfing 🏄‍♀️ -Boat tour to the Marietas Islands 🚤 We loved the charm of Sayulita and the fact that there is just so much to do in the area. Definitely a great place to start exploring Mexico. 🇲🇽 #sayulita #nayarit #nayaritmexico #visitméxico #mexicotravels #mexicotrip

And feeling like an idiot because I realize I answered incorrectly. 🤪 Does anyone else do this??? I took Spanish in school for 6 years but anytime someone starts speaking to me I immediately freeze like a deer in the headlights and lose all comprehension. Until they walk away and it sinks in. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I have big language goals this year as we continue to travel to more Spanish speaking countries and I’m grateful for the kind and patient people I meet who let me practice and make mistakes! #learningspanish #languagelearning #traveltales #secondlanguage

More details ⬇️ Send this to your Valentine for some romantic trip inspiration! 🥰✈️ No Valentine? No problem-these are great destinations for all kinds of travelers. 1) Cappadocia, Turkey- Take a sunrise hot air balloon ride, stay in a cozy cave hotel, or a boutique hotel with stunning views and a hot tub. Enjoy the incredible food, Check out the many hikes in the area and then reward yourselves with a relaxing visit to the hammam. 2) Wilamette Valley, Oregon- -Spend a day wine tasting, stay at a beautiful bed and breakfast with a hot tub, check out the many beautiful waterfall hikes in the area and in the nearby Columbia River Valley, and reward yourself for all that hiking with some gourmet dining experiences. 3) Guatemala- -Tackle the very tough hike up Acatenango Volcano where you’ll spend the night and watch the eruptions…it’s magical. Visit the beautiful and historic town of Antigua and then transfer to Lake Atitlan to spend the rest of your time relaxing lakeside, visiting charming towns along the lake, and enjoying a well earned post hike massage. 4) Scottish Highlands- -You’ll find some of the most charming bed and breakfasts and boutique hotels here. Cozy up at one but be sure and venture out plenty to enjoy the stunning landscapes, lochs, and castles. Enjoy the buzzing food scene and make time for a whiskey distillery tour if you’re in that! 5) Maldives- Although obvious for romance, it may be surprising for the adventurous aspect. However, the Maldives have some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling in the world. Along with that, there are shallow lagoons where you can spend plenty of time kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. If you’re a water lover, there is loads of adventure here! Which one would you pick for a romantic escape? #coupletravel #couplestrip #wheretotravel #destinationinspiration #wheretonext

Ok we really do love winter but we also love the chance to take a little break from it! We are on a girls’ trip in Sayulita, Mexico and I’ll have lots more to share about what to see and do here soon. Have you been to Sayulita? #sayulita #winterescape #mexicotravel #visitméxico

Are the Ice Castles worth it? ⬇️ 🧊 We recently visited the Colorado Ice Castles in Cripple Creek and it was $135 for our family of 5 + a 2 hour drive. There were 3 different slide areas, some tunnels to crawl through, ice sculptures, and a lot of walls made of ice. So was it worth the time and money? Our 4 year old loved it, almost 13 year old was bored, and the rest of us felt it was cool to see but we don’t need a repeat visit. You’ll definitely get some good photo ops (my favorite part), but I’m not sure it would make it in a world without social media. 😉 If you go… -it’s a long way to drive and you probably won’t stay more than an hour. Definitely recommend pairing it up with a visit to Rita the Rock Planter which is a really cool work of art. (Photos 7-10) -you could also pair it with a hike on the way. Red Rocks Open Space is about halfway from Denver and one of our faves. -Bring snow pants for the kids! They’ll get wet going on the slides and crawling through tunnels. -Wear snow boots. The amount of high heels I saw was surprising, but the ground is snowy and uneven. 🫨 -If possible, go around sunset so you can see them in the daylight and get some photos and also see them lit up at night. -If you don’t want to spend the money, consider a visit to the ice caves in Rifle. They’re incredible and only a $10 park entry fee. If you’ve been to the Ice Castles, what did you think? Would love to hear some other thoughts on it. #icecastles #winterincolorado #coloradowinter

😬 If you casually scroll my feed you’d probably never know that I’m actually a pretty anxious person and I get scared of trying basically anything new. 💪 But I do it anyway! Stepping out of your comfort zone is hard and scary but the results are life changing. It’s how we stretch and grow and I want to teach my kids that we can do hard things, even when we’re scared or nervous. 🏕️ In the last few years I’ve really challenged myself…from backpacking for the first time at 40 to solo international travel with my kids to taking my kids camping by myself. It’s all been hard and scary to start but amazing to do it. And I feel like I’ve grown so much from all of it. 🗣️ I’m not saying throw all caution to the wind. I do my research on places we travel and take common sense precautions. But our brains are really good at talking us out of things and keeping us in our comfort zones. ✨And personally, I’ve just decided that life is too short not to live it to the fullest. #livelifetothefullest #doitanyway #adventuremom #adventuretraveler

I’ve been getting lots of DM’s looking for ideas on where to travel, so I thought I’d start this series on where to travel in different scenarios! These are all very “beginner friendly” countries for international family travel! 1. Iceland- Rent a campervan and explore along the ring road. Hiking, hot springs, volcanoes, and glaciers…it feels like you’re on another planet! 2. Italy- This is one of the kid friendliest countries IMO. Pizza and pasta for the kids, plus a culture that enjoys children. Pair up a city with some nature. Venice + the Dolomites, Milan + Cinque Terre (the shoulder season is the best time to visit to avoid huge crowds), Florence + Tuscany, Naples + Amalfi Coast, Matera + Puglia. There is SO much to explore! 3. Costa Rica- There are so many fun activities, beautiful beaches, and tons of wildlife. Pair up a stay in La Fortuna where you can visit hot springs, zipline, and white water raft with a beach stay in Manuel Antonio where you can visit the national park and see tons of wildlife! 4. Canada- For some crazy reason, I think Canada is often overlooked as a travel destination, but as the second largest country in the world, there is SO much to see. Banff and Jasper National Parks are the obvious picks but there’s a lot more than that. Vancouver + Vancouver Island, Newfoundland, Montreal + Quebec City + Tadoussac for whale watching, Toronto + Niagara Falls + Niagara on the Lake, Halifax + Prince Edward Island…so much to explore. 5. Singapore- If you want to start venturing into long haul travel, Singapore is a great place to start. English is widely spoken, it’s clean and organized, and there are a lot of family friendly activities. If you’re feeling adventurous, pair it with a trip to Indonesia or Malaysia! Now I’m getting wanderlust just making this list! Let me know if this is helpful and if you’d like to see more of these. #wheretotravel #tripideas #familytravel #familytrip