EasyJet Holidays has an “Inspire Initiative” going on and has asked travel bloggers to #InspireTravel by sharing how, or rather, the Who, What, When and Where, started them on their travel paths.


Who

Prince Charles. Seriously. Prince Charles totally gets the credit for inspiring me to travel.  As a little girl watching the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana in the wee hours of the morning from my home in California, I didn’t dream of a fairytale wedding to a prince, but of one day seeing St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace for myself.

It would take more than 15 years, but I eventually made it to London.  I’ve been to London several more times since that initial visit, including with my family to watch the wedding of Charles and Diana’s son, Prince William to Kate Middleton, probably one of my the most memorable visits to the city.

My parents also played a big role in inspiring me to travel.  We did a bit of traveling domestically when I was growing up, with everyone packed in the family van, making a few stops at interesting attractions as we drove across country to visit family.  It is those road trips that make me forever grateful for portable DVD players and iPads.

What

One of the my greatest joys is traveling with my family.  Discovering and exploring the wonders of the world with my children, while broadening their horizons, teaching them about the world and how to be global citizens is one of the main goals of our travels.
Another big “what” that inspires my travel is running. I have run races in locations both near (Amsterdam, Nijmegen and Rotterdam) and far (Paris,  Istanbul, Disney World), and find that more and more, I am planning travel around races.

When

A train ride from Los Angeles to San Diego when I was 9 years old is when my desire to go developed.  As the years progressed I took advantage of travel opportunities that presented themselves through school, work and recreation.

However, it was the move to The Netherlands in 1999 that really fueled my wanderlust.  Being in close proximity to so many European capitals makes seeing the world that much easier.  Though I take full advantage of it, using every minute of Little Ladies’ school breaks to travel, as well as taking lots of weekend city breaks, it seems as though we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Where

Everywhere inspires me to travel. The more I see, the more I want to see. However, if I had to name one place, it would be Paris. 
My then boyfriend proposed, while the city seduced, and I have been madly in love with City of Lights ever since.
And the nominees are:
Now that I’ve shared my travel inspiration, I get to nominate 5 more travel bloggers to do the same.Terri – Try Anything Once
Sonja – To Europe With Kids
Priscilla – Weekend in Paris
Renee – A View to a Thrill
Lisa – Gone With the Family
Visit the EasyJet Holiday Inspiration Initiative website for more information, follow @EasyJetHolidays on Twitter and use the hashtag #InspireTravel