ALLISON LAYPATH’S motto of ‘travel makes families, stronger, smarter and happier’ forms the ethos of her website, www.tipsforfamilytrips.com, which offers guidance on travelling as a family unit and gives an insight into her own clan’s experiences on the road.
Allison and her husband both grew up with parents who encouraged travel so when the couple met, married and had children there was never a doubt they would give up their eagerness to find their next travel adventure.
Today they travel as a family whenever they get a chance and Allison’s unique style of writing means the website has gained a huge following. Its tips, guidance and travel advice to the entertaining blogs Allison produces on a regular basis means it’s a site to check out for any family with a lust for adventure and getting out of their comfort zone.
What inspired you to make the decision that travelling with your family would be a great way to live, learn and enjoy life together?
We have always enjoyed travelling as often as we can, both before we had children and since. I believe that travel makes families stronger, smarter and happier. It gives unparalleled opportunities to spend time together, which strengthens our relationships with each other. We all learn something new on every trip.
Studies show that spending money on experiences make people happier than spending money on things and we have found this to be true. We frequently reminisce about happy memories from our family vacations. Even the bad experiences become good stories over time.
The Laypath family use all modes of transport on their adventures at home and abroad.
Tell us about some of your original travels and how they cemented your belief that journeying with family is such a great form of education as well as social interaction?
I grew up traveling to visit my grandparents in Southern Utah several times each year. My dad would often take me and my siblings and cousins to Zion National Park. We also travelled other places every year. They were usually road trips on a budget, but we had a lot of fun and made great memories.
My husband loves to travel as much as I do, and when we had children, we never considered changing our travelling ways. We took our first child on a cross-country road trip when she was four weeks old.
What have been your most exciting travel experiences as a family to date?
It’s hard to pick favourites, but whale watching in Washington’s San Juan Islands is up there. We were really excited to see orcas in the wild, but had had disappointing whale watching experiences in the past. It’s nature, so there are no guarantees. The day and time of our tour happened to coincide with two pods of whales meeting for the first time that year, and we were there to see it. They were breaching and vocalising and playing and showing off their young – even our guides were beside themselves. So fantastic. It happened to be our wedding anniversary, so that made it extra special.
Are there any moments where you’ve faced any particular dangers or been out of your comfort zones?
Travel frequently pushes out of our comfort zones, but generally, it’s a good thing. My husband and I are cautious by nature, and even more so with our children. We always research our destinations in advance and prepare, so we don’t often run into surprises.
However, scary things still happen. In New York City, our ten-year-old daughter got onto the subway without us and the door closed behind her. She managed to get off before the train left, but for a few scary moments we considered what we would do if she was lost and alone in an unfamiliar city.
Allison and family pictured at Universal Studios, Florida.
Tell us a bit about your family and how each of you adds parts of their own character to your travel experiences?
I’ve been married to my husband for 16 years, and we have two children. Our daughter is 13 and our son is 11. My husband and I have very similar interests and we complement each other well as we plan and execute our travels. He is usually the driver, and I’m usually the navigator, and that usually works well. However, he hates driving in crowded cities, and especially finding parking spaces. That’s when we switch roles.
My daughter has a big personality and she loves to experience new things. She especially loves the energy of a city, and is a lot like my husband that way. My son is more of a homebody at heart, but he still enjoys most of our travels once we get started. He loves trips to rural places where he can enjoy nature and wide open spaces.
Tell us about why you decided to create the website Tips for Family Trips and your initial ambitions for the site?
Once both my kids were out of the baby stage, I found myself at home with a little time on my hands. A college friend had started a successful lifestyle blog, and it seemed like a fun project that would fit well with my skills and schedule. We already loved travel and I loved sharing what we had learned about our destinations with others, in hopes that it would help them have a better trip. I started researching family travel blogs, and was excited to see the opportunities in that niche. My goals today for
Tips for Family Trips are much the same as they were six years ago. I wanted to start and grow a business that I could work on in my own time and give us more opportunities to travel as a family.
Did you have any idea about how it would grow? What do you think it is about your unique style of writing that starting getting you so many views and got others to sign up to what you were doing?
Blogging and social media have changed SO MUCH in the past six years. It’s really exciting to see it change and to learn new things every day. It’s one of my favorite things about my job.
I’m observant and I have a good memory for details. I have strong writing skills, developed by my otherwise completely unrelated college degree. I approach every post with the questions, “Why does the reader care?” and “How will this make somebody’s family vacation better?” I have consistently applied good writing and good SEO to all my blog posts from the beginning, and it has served me well.
Tell us about some of the services you offer including how brands and organisations can benefit through your expertise and knowledge on family life and travel and sharing these things with a wider audience?
I’m very selective about the brands I work with because we don’t travel full-time and I only promote destinations, brands and products that I have personally used and genuinely recommend. I enjoy working with brands when we travel, often exchanging travel benefits for reviews/promotion on
Tips for Family Trips. I also write sponsored posts for favourite brands. I’ve had good success with affiliate links for trusted brands that are a strong fit for my content.
How are you currently spending your time and what exciting adventures do you have planned next?
My children are in public schools with extra-curricular activities, and my husband is a school principal, so we have a home base and we enjoy working and volunteering in our community. We travel at the same times most other families do – spring break, summer vacation, fall break, winter holiday and long weekends. Like most families, we travel on a budget.
Tips for Family Trips has allowed us to take ‘better’ vacations more often, and that has been rewarding. We are headed to Morro Bay, California for spring break in a few weeks. We have plans to visit Paris, London, the Black Hills and Park City, Utah this summer.
