McCool Travel is excited to present tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes interview series featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons.
For the 22nd profile, I am honored to present Colleen Lanin.
Colleen Lanin is the editor and founder of TravelMamas.com, a site for parents who want to travel with children…and stay sane! She is the Travel Channel Leader for Tree.com, a social media site run by the company that owns Lending Tree and RealEstate.com. Colleen is a freelance writer and teaches blogging classes. She has lived in Arizona, Minnesota, and Southern France. Now she makes her home in San Diego with her husband and two children. Learn more about Colleen and TravelMamas.
5 Minutes With Colleen Lanin
Always in my luggage…
A swimsuit – no matter the destination. It takes up almost no room and I never know when there will be a pool or hot tub calling my name! If I’m traveling with others (esp. my kids!), I bring a book light so I can stay up late reading after my travel mates have already gone to bed for the night.
3 favorite home-away-from-home places…
– Hawaii
– France
– California’s Wine Country
A favorite travel memory is…
Swimming in indoor pools during my childhood travels through the Midwest with my family. It’s the little things!
3 favorite travel brands…
– Disney Cruise Line (the ultimate in customer service and providing incredible vacation experiences for all ages)
– CARES (an airplane safety restraint for children ages 1-4)
– any airline that provides free WiFi and video entertainment
3 money-saving travel tactics I use are…
– Do a home exchange instead of paying for a hotel
– Travel off-season.
– Have groceries delivered or pick them up after arrival and eat breakfast in to save time and money.
3 ways that I have fun while traveling are…
– swimming in an awesome hotel pool (preferably with waterfalls & a swim-up bar)
– visiting a botanical garden
– eating the local cuisine
8 word (or less) travel mantra…
“You CAN travel with children…and stay SANE!”
My favorite non-travel website…
Twitter.com
Most memorable souvenir…
My daughter’s red satin shoes from San Francisco’s Chinatown. She has long since outgrown them but she was gaga for those things!
Favorite Cheap Eat
Pain au chocolat and café crème in France
I am fortunate to have met…
So many other family travel bloggers when I am traveling. Meeting up with others who share my passions (family, travel, writing) is such a treat.
I would like to meet…
Oprah Winfrey, Samantha Brown, Rosie O’Donnell, Bono
Thank you, Colleen, for sharing your thoughts with McCool Travel and may you have countless more memorable travel adventures!
Join Colleen Lanin on Twitter (@TravelMamas) and Facebook. Check out the TravelMamas blog for tips and information about traveling with babies, toddlers, and children.
Previous 5 Minutes With post: George Hobica, Airfarewatchdog.com.
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Thanks so much for including me on your site! I did finally get to meet Samantha Brown…via a phone interview. And I had a moment with Oprah when I went to see her “Life Class” a couple years ago. 🙂
Congratulations, I guess 🙂 Maybe in person, soon!