From her solo days in Thailand to family trips across the globe, Tenley Peterson\u2019s journey as a traveller and mother has come full circle. She\u2019s still seeking moments of discovery, but now she\u2019s passing that love of exploration to the next generation \u2013 one trip at a time.<\/strong><\/p>\n One of Tenley\u2019s early encounters with travel beyond Mendon, the small Massachusetts town she grew up in came in her twenties when she studied abroad in Australia\u2019s Gold Coast<\/a> for a semester. It was a defining moment for someone who hadn\u2019t really ventured beyond the familiarity of New England.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, while Australia was exciting, it felt a little too familiar to the United States.<\/p>\n \u2018It wasn\u2019t culturally different enough for me,\u2019 Tenley recalls, explaining that she was craving something more challenging, more unknown. \u2018I wanted more of a culture shock.\u2019<\/p>\n While still in Australia, that desire for the unknown led her to a travel agency where she discovered Intrepid\u2019s trips to Thailand<\/a>, adventures that would take her into the heart of a country. She shares that for someone who had lived in a small, predominantly white town in Massachusetts, that trip was truly transformative.<\/p>\n \u2018I didn\u2019t know anything about Thailand,\u2019 she says. \u2018It was such a big contrast from where I grew up. I just thought, \u201cWow, [these trips] are so unique and different.\u201d I had to go.\u2019<\/p>\n That adventure became her gateway to the world of solo travel, where she found herself surrounded by like-minded travellers, eager to dive into new cultures, embrace local customs and, on occasion, experience the unfamiliar. \u2018We visited hill tribes in northern Thailand, and one of the local guides caught a spider and then ate it,\u2019 she says, remembering the memory still so vividly. \u2018It was a cool way to be in a different culture in a way that felt bold, but also safe.\u2019<\/p>\n Tenley\u2019s love for travel only grew from there. After marrying her college sweetheart, who was in the military, the couple moved to South East Asia, where he was stationed. Her husband\u2019s job kept him busy, leaving Tenley with ample time to explore.<\/p>\n \u2018I had a lot of vacation time, and he was always working,\u2019 she says. \u2018So, I kept signing up for trips.\u2019<\/p>\n She travelled extensively across the region, often solo, which might have been intimidating, but Intrepid\u2019s trips made her feel safe and supported. On her travels, she met people from all over the world who added an extra layer of cultural exchange to each trip.<\/p>\n \u2018It wasn\u2019t just about the place I was visiting,\u2019 Tenley explains. \u2018The other travellers became part of the adventure. They came from all over, and that alone was such a rich cultural experience.\u2019<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t long before her travel bug caught on with the rest of the family. In fact, her father, who had never been much of a traveller, joined her on a couple of her later trips, even surprising her on one to India<\/a> with Intrepid.<\/p>\n \u2018I invited my dad, and he initially said no,\u2019 she laughs. \u2018But then he worked with my husband to surprise me. I had no idea he was coming to India, and there he was at the hotel. It was such a special moment.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018It kind of started out just me, and then I started bringing people in to do these adventures with me\u2026 first Everest Basecamp with my husband and dad, then the Inca Trail with my dad, husband and father-in-law and then Patagonia<\/a> with my husband and father-in-law.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n As her family grew, travelling naturally shifted. The birth of her three children didn\u2019t diminish Tenley\u2019s wanderlust, it reshaped it. As her eldest daughter, Darby, grew old enough to travel overseas, Tenley realized that the trips she once took alone could now be shared with her kids, offering them the same opportunities for growth and discovery.<\/p>\n \u2018I started travelling internationally with my daughter when she was around four and a half,\u2019 she says. \u2018I felt that was the magic age \u2013 they\u2019re old enough to appreciate where they are, understand that things are different, and, more importantly, they\u2019re more independent. They pull their own small suitcases and help with planning.\u2019<\/p>\n Of course, travelling with children requires more flexibility. Tenley had to adapt. Instead of packing every minute of the day with activities like she did when she traveled solo, she learned to slow down, aiming for one major experience a day with some wiggle room for downtime. But that didn\u2019t make the trips any less enriching.<\/p>\n \u2018When I went with my eldest daughter to Morocco [on Intrepid\u2019s family holiday]<\/a>, it was about experiencing the newness through her eyes,\u2019 Tenley says. \u2018I\u2019ll never forget the look on her face when she had her first sip of Moroccan mint tea or when she saw the desert for the first time.\u2019<\/p>\n She realized that traveling with kids wasn\u2019t about ticking off the biggest tourist attractions or following the typical itinerary. Instead, it was about creating memories that both she and her children would cherish.\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked if it was worth taking such young kids on these big adventures, Tenley says \u2018People always say they\u2019re not going to remember it\u2026 maybe they won\u2019t remember every detail. But I will remember the look on their faces when they saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle. That\u2019s enough for me.\u2019<\/p>\n People always say they\u2019re not going to remember it\u2026 maybe they won\u2019t remember every detail. But I will remember the look on their faces when they saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle. That\u2019s enough for me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Tenley goes on to fondly share a story about when she visited Iceland with her second daughter. \u2018Wynnie was five at the time and we went to these geothermal hot springs in the middle of a snowstorm. We were with the resort\u2019s tour company and they were monitoring all the conditions, so it was safe. Wynnie was as happy as she could be in the warm water with the snow falling and the wind blowing all around us.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n It was a memorable life experience under any circumstances but sharing it with her daughter made it even more special. \u2018Even now, sometimes she\u2019ll remember it and say \u201cRemember when we were in the hot springs in that blizzard? Mommy, that was so cool.\u201d\u2018 exclaims Tenley.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s exploring hot springs in Iceland or going on a fairy hunt in Ireland, Tenley makes sure that each holiday with her kids is curated to their personalities and interests. It\u2019s not about forcing them to follow her travel style but rather encouraging them to discover the joy of travel on their terms.<\/p>\n Travel has also become a teaching tool, one that allows Tenley to impart lessons of bravery, independence and open-mindedness. She takes pride in how travel has taught her children to problem-solve, manage stress and adapt to the unfamiliar. Even simple acts, like navigating an airport, have become learning moments.<\/p>\n \u2018I make sure they know how to find our gate by looking at the departure boards,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I want them to be independent travellers. It\u2019s not just about the trip \u2013 it\u2019s about giving them the confidence to navigate the world.\u2019<\/p>\n Her children, now four, seven, and ten, have become travellers in their own right. Every trip they take is an opportunity for growth \u2013 not just for the kids, but for Tenley as well. She delights in watching them tackle new challenges with the same curiosity and bravery she had on her first adventures.<\/p>\n \u2018I think for me, it\u2019s really exciting to see my kids be brave,\u2019 she says. \u2018I get to relive my own experiences through them. When we climbed a tall tree in Ireland, my daughter scurried right to the top and rang the bell, just like I would have done years ago. And I got halfway up before I had to stop. She still teases me about it.\u2019<\/p>\n Find a small adventure<\/a> that meets you where you are. Whether you\u2019re a solo explorer or sharing the world with your family<\/a>, Intrepid has a trip for all the different chapters of life. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From her solo days in Thailand to family trips across the globe, Tenley Peterson\u2019s journey as a traveller and mother has come full circle. She\u2019s still seeking moments of discovery, but now she\u2019s passing that love of exploration to the next generation \u2013 one trip at a time. One of Tenley\u2019s early encounters with travel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11760],"tags":[16809,14525,20052,8920,730,33047,14371,4965,542,13154],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-136673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","tag-adventurer","tag-changed","tag-chapters","tag-explorer","tag-family","tag-lifes","tag-shares","tag-solo","tag-travel","tag-traveller"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2002-Thailand-Intrepid.jpeg\")
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