5 Minutes With Rob Taylor of 2TravelDads

For McCool Travel’s 179th travel interview, I am pleased to present Rob Taylor. Rob recently spoke at TBEX Montana, thankfully the day after I did so that I could see his session. He has been a friend since we met at TBEX in Huntsville. Well, as you can see below, he and my wife really have been friends and I have just been a bystander. Ha!
Rob Taylor’s bio:

Rob Taylor is the founder of 2TravelDads, the original LGBT Family Travel blog. Focusing on ecotourism and education, 2TravelDads inspires LGBT families (and traditional families also) to go beyond their usual getaways and use travel to learn about and be part of a bigger world. “Traveling the globe and giving the kids a broad worldview.” Rob considers being a travel blogger to be one of the most fortunate jobs on earth. The experience of exploring, particularly with kids, and then sharing authentic stories and recommendations is a privilege and a joy.

headshot of Rob Taylor from 2TravelDads
Rob Taylor of 2TravelDads

Rob Taylor of 2TravelDads

HOMETOWN …

Seattle, WA – actually we live in a small town called Suquamish. It’s the hometown of Chief Seattle and he’s buried up the street from our house.

ON EVERY TRIP I MUST BRING …

a buzzer/beard trimmer – I can’t let travel make me look too unkempt.

3 FAVORITE HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME PLACES …

  1. Baja California (the whole southern tip)
  2. St Augustine, Florida (always watching the housing market)
  3. Columbia River Gorge… cuz it’s gorge-ous.

A FAVORITE TRAVEL MEMORY …

just recently I was able to complete a full horseback ride into the mountains with my oldest son. He was able to ride without a lead and did amazingly. I’ve looked forward to that experience since he was born.

horse riding in Montana
Taylor Family riding horses at Lone Mountain Ranch Big Sky Montana

3 FAVORITE TRAVEL BRANDS …

  1. I love LOGE Camps – Live Outside Go Explore: they’re all about sustainability and creating travel experiences that are both epic and low key.
  2. We’ve been working with Best Western this year and I love their properties right outside of many National Parks. It’s a great way to #FindYourPark and still stay with a brand we enjoy.
  3. Alaska Airlines has been our go-to airline for years because we live in Seattle and they have the most West Coast flights. We both have status with Alaska and our brand loyalty pays off with frequent upgrades, lounge access and more.

3 MONEY-SAVING TRAVEL TACTICS I USE …

  1. be loyal to a brand for the best deals and to earn usable points
  2. bring your own booster seats for kids so you don’t have to rent them at $12/day/child when you have a rental car
  3. go hiking or to the beach instead of costly attractions – it’s healthier, less expensive and the whole family will enjoy it more.

3 WAYS THAT I HAVE FUN WHILE TRAVELING …

  1. finding the best local food (not iconic necessarily, but super local)
  2. do the cheesiest tourist things (we have 10k face cut-out photos)
  3. find urban green spaces for relaxing and letting the kids burn off steam

8 WORD (OR LESS) TRAVEL MANTRA …

giving the kids a broad world view” – it’s even the tagline of our blog

Taylor Family at Moss Cave hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park
Taylor Family at Moss Cave hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park

FAVORITE NON-TRAVEL WEBSITE …

BuzzFeed – sometimes you just need to be guided through the black-hole of the internet and they curate the best of the worst.

MOST MEMORABLE SOUVENIR …

my tattoos – I love getting tattoos when I travel, both planned and unplanned. My favorite was at a tiny tattoo shop in Florida where I worked with the artist for a few hours to create a memorable, perfectly me, perfectly Florida tat: a merman.

FAVORITE CHEAP EAT …

vegetarian festival gyros – cheap, pretty healthy, delicious… and at every festival.

RECENT DISCOVERY …

“Not all emails need a response.” True, this isn’t an epic site or unknown destination, but for me this discovery has been life changing. I have so much more time, am much less stressed, and nobody is the worse for not getting a small-talk message back from me.

I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE MET …

Julie McCool. She is amazing, she’s genuine and snappy, and whenever I get to see her my trip is better. She (and the husband) are my empty-nester goals with how to approach life.

I WOULD LIKE TO MEET …

Mayor Pete. Putting in a bid for the US presidency was a brave, bold move. Even as an adult (and the same age as Pete Buttigieg) he’s turned into a role model for me in how to deal with adversity, how to be a driving force for good, and how to face the awful people in the world, proud of who you are and what you stand for. I could go on for days. Amazing man.

Taylor Family dressing in costumes Montana Picture Gallery photo studio Virginia City Montana
Taylor Family dressing in costumes Montana Picture Gallery photo studio Virginia City Montana

Thank you so much, Rob, for sharing your travel advice and inspiration.
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McCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes travel interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons. Check out McCool Travel’s previous travel interviews. Previous 5 Minutes travel interview: Gemma Armit.

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