Oneika Raymond chats with good friend and fellow expert traveler Monet Hambrick, founder of the family travel blog The Traveling Child, about the positive benefits of traveling as a family. Together, they offer up tips, tricks and all the tea for how to do family travel right.
Monet started The Traveling Child in 2016 with her husband after an international trip with their 8-month-old first born led to tons of folks wanting to know how they pulled it off. Monet’s been encouraging and advising parents through her blog ever since. Today, she’s a mother of two young kids who’ve traveled to six continents, over 30 countries and counting.
Oneika hears about Monet’s formative travel years and how connecting with people, culture and places around the world has transformed her. Monet shares how she’s instilling this appreciation for connection into her own kids.
Then, Monet and Oneika get into their top tips and tricks for parents who are not sure how to begin traveling with kids. We find out how to build a trip itinerary that works for the whole family, how to afford to take family trips, and unique ways to engage with locals with your kids. We’re also joined by a surprise guest who shares a special memory from a very unique family trip.
Ready to book your next family trip? Find the perfect local adventure for your whole family by checking out Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities. Marriott Bonvoy members earn points on every experience booked through the site.
To read full episode transcripts from About the Journey and see photos of each featured destination, head to About the Journey on Marriott Bonvoy Traveler. Starting this season, you can watch full videos of each episode on our Marriott Bonvoy YouTube channel.
PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Oneika Raymond: Hi everyone. Welcome to About the Journey. I’m your host Onika Raymond, travel expert and member of Marriott Bonvoy. In this season, we’re exploring how travel changes us for the better, allowing us to nurture ourselves, our relationships with family and loved ones, and even the world around us. Now, I am super excited to share my experience traveling with my daughter, who is four, because traveling with family can be so rewarding, but at the same time, really intimidating.
But you know what? I always feel that forewarned is forearmed and having all of that information allows us to do family travel right. So that’s why I am so excited to have this conversation today. I can’t do this on my own. So I’m actually bringing a good friend of mine on here. Her name is Monet Hambrick and she is an expert traveler, a mother, and the founder of the blog and social platforms, The Traveling Child.
Together, we’re going to break down our best advice for traveling with kids. And we’re going to give you a little bit of family travel tea. So stay tuned.
Welcome to the About the Journey podcast, Monet. It is so amazing to have you here, not only because you are a professional family traveler, you have such a wealth of knowledge, but also because we’re friends.
Monet Hambrick: Yes, gir!
Oneika Raymond: And we’ve gone to so many countries together already. We’ve made so many memories. We’ve been to what? Eight countries?
Monet Hambrick: I think. Yes. I know it’s crazy because we literally met, what, two years ago?
Oneika Raymond: Yeah, like 2022. Like almost exactly two years ago.
Monet Hambrick: And here we are.
Oneika Raymond: Well, Monet, thank you so much for joining us here today. Before we dive in, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Monet Hambrick: Yeah, so I have two children. They are 8 and 9 years old, along with my husband. I started my blog back in 2016, just to share tips and tricks of traveling with children. My kids were truly blessed. They’ve been to six continents, over 30 countries, and we’ve had such amazing experiences, and I just love sharing our trip itineraries, how we afford travel, tips to make, you know, trips easier with kids. I share that all on my blog, which is thetravelingchild.co. And you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @The Traveling Child.
Oneika Raymond: Yes, not only can we find you on Instagram, but we can stalk you on Instagram because your images and your videos are just so gorgeous and so inspiring. And I love everything you do with kids because it shows us what is possible.
Monet Hambrick: Yeah, it’s so true. I mean, that’s the reason why I started it because so many parents think once you have kids travel is over. That’s what people told me when I got pregnant with our first daughter: “Oh, you know, you’re not going to be able to travel anymore.” And I’m like, yes, we can. Like you can. My eldest daughter took her first flight at six weeks old. It was domestic. But then her first international trip at eight months. And my youngest daughter, we got started even sooner at 10 weeks. We took her first international trip to Colombia. We went to Cartagena and Medellin. I just love showing parents that you can do this if this is something that you want to. And just providing all the tips and tricks, that way they don’t make the same mistakes we did.
Oneika Raymond: Yes.
Monet Hambrick: And also making it easier for them to plan because half, that’s half the battle, right? You know, figuring out what to do, how to do it. And when you provide that blueprint, it makes it so much easier for everyone else. So that’s what my platform is all about.
Oneika Raymond: Where does it come from? This whole traveling spirit of yours?
Monet Hambrick: Well, you know we’re both Jamaican.
Oneika Raymond: Yes.
Monet Hambrick: So I’ve had my passport since I was a baby going back and forth to Jamaica every summer. But I think the thing that truly sparked not only my love for travel, but how I choose to travel now is because in high school I got a scholarship for this program called “Experiments in International Living,” where I lived with a host family in a village in Botswana for a summer. I was 15, 16 years old and to be able to have that experience, live someplace completely different, live with a family that embraced me as their own, taught me about their culture, their language — it really just ingrained the way that I love to travel and how I love to travel deeper and get into cultures. And you know on our trips, we just went to India and we took a Bollywood class. We took cooking classes in the homes of local people and that’s just the way I love to travel, and that truly made an impact on my love for travel and how I choose to do it.
Oneika Raymond: Oh my goodness. So first of all, there’s so many gems in everything that you just said. First of all, shout out to the immigrant families.
Monet Hambrick: Listen.
Oneika Raymond: Right? Because I do think that having that immigrant experience being a first generation — whether you’re Canadian, American — having that experience and that immigrant upbringing really turns you on to travel. Because from the very jump you have this duality growing up and you understand that not only are you of this place, but you’re also of a different place. So anyway, with that being said, I think so many people, particularly parents, first of all, they think that travel is going to end once they have kids. I had so many people kind of warning me ominously telling me, “Oh, well, you know, you’re gonna have to say goodbye to your jet set life once you have kids.”
And then also even for those parents who do travel with their children, oftentimes they feel as though, these parents feel as though they have to go to places that have experiences curated or tailored specifically for kids, or it has to be “kid friendly.” And I use those air quotes not sparingly.
Monet Hambrick: Yes.
Oneika Raymond: You know, people really feel as though that’s the case, but you say that your girls have been to over 30 countries and counting. So what is your philosophy regarding that?
Monet Hambrick: Well you know my motto is: “If kids live there, kids can visit,” and we’re all about showcasing destinations that aren’t considered air quotes, “kid friendly” and proving why they are, because if kids live there, there is something for kids to do. And also I feel like it’s not intentional, but a lot of times, you know, humans, in general, not just parents, we’re limiting in what we feel as if children can do, what they can be successful at based on their age. And through my travels with my kids, they’ve just proven that kids can literally do every and anything. And most times, when we think they can’t, it’s more so because they haven’t been introduced to that. And once we introduce them to those things, the opportunities are endless. You know, my girls, they took their first ski trip at three years old and they were taking lessons and people were like, “Oh, they’re too young”, but they were doing it. Like they actually learned. Obviously they’re not going down, you know, Black Diamond ski hills, but they got the basic concept of it. So there’s all these things, they’re eight and nine years old and they’ve had all these experiences. And I love including them in all of our trips and all of our destinations, regardless of whether they’re children or not, because you won’t know if they can do something unless you give them the opportunity to do it.
Oneika Raymond: Absolutely, and it’s unfortunate that the limiting beliefs come from the adults themselves, right? And we impose that on our kids and as such we don’t allow them to experience and explore in the world, you know, life in, in ways that they could absolutely benefit from.
Monet Hambrick: Yes.
Oneika Hambrick: What are the benefits of family travel for you, in your opinion?
Monet Hambrick: I mean for me it’s just an opportunity for us to one, explore a different place, learn about their culture, see how different people live, you know? As first generation American-Canadian, we grew up with a different lifestyle than our parents did in Jamaica, but we knew about their lifestyle.
Oneika Raymond: Yes.
Monet Hambrick: You know, I’m from the country in Jamaica. Water tank brings water to your house to fill up the tank and if the water tank doesn’t come you don’t have water.
Oneika Raymond: You bathe in the river.
Monet Hambrick: There’s no hot water. There is no air conditioning, no Wifi, none of those things. And you learn that, Oh, like how I live in America is not how everyone else lives, but for other people and for our children who are second generation now sometimes the disconnect is even stronger.
And I love that they’re able to see about other cultures, to learn how other people live, that everyone doesn’t live the life that we live. And even if they don’t, that doesn’t mean that it’s a good or a bad thing, it’s a beautiful thing. And I love how they’re able to be so open minded and embrace other cultures.
For instance, we went to Peru a few years ago and in Peru they eat alpaca, they eat guinea pig, you know, it’s normal to them. Just like in Jamaica, we eat goat. We’re like, that’s normal. It’s normal there. And while it’s not something that is typically eaten in America, when we went, Jordyn — I love the fact that she is literally always like, I will try it.
Like, she’s like, I will try it. I’ll try it, I won’t know if I like it until I try it. She tried alpaca, she tried guinea pig. She missed a few days of school for this trip and instead of her teachers making her do makeup work, she had to do a PowerPoint presentation. And in her PowerPoint presentation, she put a photo of her literally with the guinea pig on the stick and talked about how she ate it and she had some classmates that were like, ew, that’s nasty.
And her teacher let me know, like, she spoke up and was like, “That’s not nasty. Just because that’s not what you’re used to eating and it’s not what you grew up eating doesn’t mean that it’s nasty. This is their culture and it’s what they eat and it’s normal for them.” And to have a child that was not only embracing other cultures when we visit places, and is all in on the experiences that she’s willing to have, but to also, at her age, you know, eight, nine years old, being able to speak up and tell other kids, like, “Don’t call that ‘nasty’. Don’t call that ‘weird’ just because it’s not something that you’re used to.” I absolutely love that because it means that what she’s getting from travel is truly sticking with her and the positive benefits of it. It’s like, it’s right there. This is why, this is why we do it.
Oneika Raymond: You see it, and it’s being put into practice because what it’s doing is building empathy at the end of the day. And I think what traveling with children does as well is it just normalizes things.
Let’s switch gears a little bit because you’ve traveled all over the world with your girls. But something that’s really interesting is that you often take trips with each one of your daughters — so, separately. So, they’re not always traveling together. Why, why is that? For some people they would think, well, why wouldn’t you just bring both of them at the same time? Why do you do that? — I guess, is the question.
Monet Hambrick: So I started that when Jordyn was about two years old, right after I had Kennedy. And it was because, you know, for the first two years of Jordyn’s life, she had been just me, her, and James.
And, you know, now there’s a new baby in the picture. And I didn’t want her to think this new baby is like replacing you or, you know, all of mommy and daddy’s attention is now going to this baby because, as you know, in the first few weeks, first few months of a newborn, like, your attention is going, especially me, like, I was a breast, breastfeeding mama for both kids and that is a full time job in itself.
Oneika Raymond: It is a full time job.
Monet Hambrick: So I wanted us to have this special time for the two of us. We did it, I think when Kennedy was like, four or five months old. And for our first one, we went to Las Vegas and we just hung out just the two of us for a few days. And it was just like that special one on one time. And through that, it was so amazing that I was like, I want to do this every year. And I want to do it with each of them because one, it’s just undivided attention that I’m able to give them. Kids, especially siblings, you have to learn to compromise, but that’s something that you’re taught your whole life, which, it’s 100% valid, and people need to learn how to share, compromise, and all those things.
But it’s also nice to just be able to go on a trip, and especially at their age now, they tell me where they want to go, they tell me what they want to do, and we just do it because it’s what they want, and they don’t have to compromise or do anything else, and we just get that one-on-one time, and it’s a special time that we share, and, and I do it with each of them every year, and it’s some of our favorite trips.
[Transition Music]
Oneika Raymond: Feeling inspired yet? Monet and I will get to all the family travel tips and tricks I promised, but I first want to share with you all how Marriott Bonvoy will help you build lasting family memories. They do this by offering kid friendly experiences that allow you and your family to dive deeper into people, place, and culture, no matter the destination.
To find more kid friendly Marriott offerings, go to activities.marriott.com.
[Transition Music]
Oneika Raymond: So now that our listeners know more about some of our family adventures, some of our philosophies, a lot of people want to know how the heck do you pull it off between school, finances, other obligations? How do you pull it off? And then more importantly, how do you enjoy it? Because travel can be fun, but it also can be trying. So let’s talk about tips.
Monet Hambrick: Well, you know, for us, as far as affording travel, especially as a family of four it is chasing the deals, not the destination. Going, you know — where is the cheapest place to go? Where does your money go further? — like truly planning out that instead of saying: “Oh, for spring break, we’re going to go to this place” — what deals are available for spring break…
Oneika Raymond: What deals.
Monet Hambrick: …and that’s where we’re going to go. That, and then with kids, involving them, especially when they get to an older age, we ask them, “What are you interested in?” We go on Google and we look up activities to do together because that means that the trip is going to be as fun for them as it is going to be for the adults as well.
Oneika Raymond: And when they’re having fun, it’s definitely easier on us.
Monet Hambrick: Exactly. Exactly. So, you know, we always make sure we pick the one thing that everyone, you’re like, I have to do this on this trip to make it worth it for me, and we make sure we do that, and then fill in everything else. But we have at least that thing. And then just, you know, preparing yourself as much as you can, whether that’s combatting jet lag by changing your watch to the local time in your destination, so when you’re on the plane, if you have a long journey, you can adjust your sleep schedule to that. Making sure that the kids have things to entertain them on long haul flights, whether that is downloading shows and movies on a tablet that can work when there’s no WiFi, bringing a book for them.
Oneika Raymond: The offline access.
Monet Hambrick: Coloring books, you know, whatever they’re interested in — bringing those things. For people that have younger kids, for your ears — just making sure that you’re giving them something to chew, drink or nursing on takeoff and landing to alleviate the pressure.
Oneika Raymond: Something that I love about your whole platform is that you are really big into making sure you use your points. So Marriott Bonvoy points. I am definitely a Marriott girl, obvi. And something that I do, I always love kind of hoarding my points. So, how do you kind of navigate some of the points and miles games?
Monet Hambrick: Yes, points and miles greatly help on the finances. As you know, when we were in India, in every city that we stayed in, except the really, really tiny city that there were no Marriott properties, we stayed in Marriott’s the entire time and I use points for all three cities that we’re in. So the entire trip, except the one night hotel, I was able to utilize points. So my out of pocket expense for a 10-night trip for hotels was only $68. I’ll give myself a clap for that.
Oneika Raymond: You know what? All of the applause. All of the applause.
Monet Hambrick: And that makes it so affordable as a family. We use points, as well, for our flight, so it really made a dream trip so affordable. And just utilizing that — being as loyal to a brand as you can, so when you are paying for the hotels, you’re getting those points. Obviously, I do with credit cards as points, as well. So, Marriott also has credit cards as well…
Oneika Raymond: Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, yeah.
Monet Hambrick: …other ways that you can earn points. So just utilizing literally every aspect that you can, because it’s such a money saver and when you have a family of four, every single dollar counts when it comes to travel, you know, when you want to travel frequently.
Oneika Raymond: No, it really does. And I think something that really sticks out to me there, and it kind of goes back to what we were saying about limiting beliefs, is educating yourself, and knowing that these opportunities exist to accrue these points and miles, to use these points and miles. Because if I recall correctly, you’re signed up to a number of different platforms that actually have flight alerts. So they will send you a flight alert and they will say that for ‘X’ amount of points you can get this flight to this incredible destination, whilst using maybe like a third of the points that you typically would, right?
Monet Hambrick: Exactly.
Oneika Raymond: There are a lot of, not only flight deals that you can pay for in cash, but also miles — points and miles deals.
Monet Hambrick: Yeah, that’s exactly how we booked our flight to India.
Oneika Raymond: And y’all flew first class!
Monet Hambrick: We sure did: business class. It was so exciting. Like that’s such a dream come true for a family. It’s so expensive to fly business class.
Oneika Raymond: So expensive.
Monet Hambrick: Like how do we pay the cash for those flights? Well, we would have never paid cash for those flights. So I won’t even say that, woe would have never. But it would have been like $12,000 plus for those flights, and the airline that we flew on, they have low taxes, too. And it was $44.80.
Oneika Raymond: That is insane.
Monet Hambrick: Total, round trip, for us to fly business class. And it was amazing. And I use Going, which is formerly Scotch’s Cheap Flights. They sell points, they send points deals emails directly to your inbox. And I am on there immediately seeing if it works out for us. And it’s a great way to save because especially that, coupled with using our Marriott Bonvoy points for the hotels, we only spent money on meals and activities and even with Marriott, because of the status that I have with them in most of the properties…
Oneika Raymond: You got upgraded.
Monet Hambrick: …we got upgraded and we got free breakfast.
Oneika Raymond: That’s right.
Monet Hambrick: So we didn’t even have to pay for breakfast at the properties and yeah, we were upgraded to a suite, which was amazing. Having extra space for the family of four, and having like a whole living room and all those things. So there’s so many benefits to it, and I feel like a lot of people are intimidated…
Oneika Raymond: Very much so.
Monet Hambrick: …by it. Or they think like it’s not real, but it is so real. And if you just take a little bit of time to learn the game, it’s so beneficial to you as a family because realistically, half the places that we’ve been we’ve used points and miles or deals, we otherwise really wouldn’t have been able to visit them because there’s no way that we can afford those experiences.
Oneika Raymond: So if you take nothing else from this, if you take nothing else from this particular episode — first of all, follow Monet. Follow @The Traveling Child on every platform and thetravelingchild.com. But also, really remain loyal and educate yourself. And your platform does such a good job of disseminating that information. So thank you so much for that.
And as I said, as I said at the top of the show. You’ve been such a huge inspiration to me with my daughter just seeing all of the places that you and your kids have the opportunity to go to. And goodness, these girls flying business class.
Monet Hambrick: I know, right? I never.
Oneika Raymond: And they’re not even double digit.
Monet Hambrick: A dream.
Oneika Raymond: Okay, so let’s switch gears again. Now that you’ve been sharing your top tricks and tips and advice. We’re going to do a little bit of a speed round…
Monet Hambrick: Okay.
Oneika Raymond: … advice challenge. Whoo! I’m glad I’m not in the hot seat. So I’m going to give you three questions about family travel.
Monet Hambrick: Okay.
Oneika Raymond: And you’re going to give me the first thing that comes to mind.
Monet Hambrick: Alright.
Oneika Raymond: Okay. So you ready?
Monet Hambrick: No, but let’s go.
Oneika Raymond: You were born ready. Okay. What are your top three must haves when traveling with kids?
Monet Hambrick: Portable charger for your electronics because nothing can die. [laughs] Headphones because they need these on the plane and when we’re in other places to not be disturbing other people as well. And you gotta … I mean I would say good shoes. Because we love to be on the move so much.
Oneika Raymond: So important. So important.
Monet Hambrick: Good shoes. I know that’s probably not what people were thinking, but good shoes.
Oneika Raymond: No, no, I think that’s a very very valid point. Just dressing for the weather, the climate, everything in general and being prepared. Those are excellent tips. Okay, next one: what should you always consider for kid friendly travel itineraries? Now, I know your motto: “If kids live there, kids can visit.” But what kind of eases that?
Monet Hambrick: Yeah, I mean, honestly, it’s again, their interests, taking their interests. A lot of times people will ask me, “Oh, I want to go someplace for my child’s birthday. Like, where should I go?”
And I’m like, what does your child like to do? Because at the end of the day, I can give you lots of lists of places, but using their interests to plan your itinerary. We were going somewhere and learning how to make the country’s national dish because my kids are interested in cooking and here we are in India learning how to make veggie samosas and chicken tikka masala and all these breads.
So I say hone in on their interests and find something in that country that’s similar to that. And depending on the age of your child to know where the next playground is because they need some…
Oneika Raymond: Release.
Monet Hambrick: …release. Not itinerary focused things.
Oneika Raymond: Exactly.
Monet Hambrick: But just some time to unwind.
Oneika Raymond: Just time to be a kid.
Monet Hambrick: Exactly.
Oneika Raymond: And it’s so funny that you mentioned age because I was going to interject and I was going to say, depending on the age of your child, I have a younger child. She’s four. We’ve traveled loads with her. I guess she’s been to over 20 countries. But when she was smaller, something that I actually actively thought about was, Can I bring my stroller?
Monet Hambrick: Yes.
Oneika Raymond: Can I bring my stroller and will my stroller be able to roll? And there are a number of people who do baby wearing.
Monet Hambrick: I was one of those.
Oneika Raymond: I was not one of those people. My child was really long. She wasn’t heavy, but she was really long and tall and had long legs even at six months old. And so, six, seven months, I simply could not take her. I could not baby wear her. I could not take her in the carrier anymore. I was basically stroller only. And so there were a couple of instances where I went to destinations and I’m thinking that the one that pops up in my head is Santorini.
Monet Hambrick: Yeah, not stroller friendly.
Oneika Raymond: We went to Santorini with Kira when she was nine months old. So she was not walking, she had just kind of started to crawl, just started to get mobile,and it was really, really difficult. I actually couldn’t take her. My husband had to wear her in the carrier, because forget it, the hills in Santorini, and then even if there wasn’t a hill, the cobblestones, it was just really difficult to get around. So, I think that if you do have a younger child who cannot walk very long distances unassisted and you need a stroller, you need to baby wear, you need to have some sort of carrier. I think the conditions of the roads and the sidewalks is actually a really important consideration. And having a child friendly stroller, things that fit in in the cabin and you don’t have to check them.
Last one: what is the one thing you wish you had known before your first trip with little ones?
Monet Hambrick: That you will always lose and forget something. Listen, the amount of stories that I have. The checklist needs to be checked multiple times. And honestly, it’s just knowing nothing is ever going to be perfect, but that does not mean that it won’t be worthwhile. And I think once as parents, we get over the thought of this trip has to be perfect, we’ll have so much more fun.
Oneika Raymond: Yeah.
Monet Hambrick: Once you just realize that it’s not happening.
Oneika Raymond: I think those are words to live by.
Monet Hambrick: Like even at this, even with my older kids, it’s not happening.
Oneika Raymond: Yeah.
Monet Hambrick: Nothing is perfect. But that’s okay. We’re going to enjoy ourselves anyway.
Oneika Raymond: It’s not perfect, but it still will be worthwhile. I think those are words to live by. I’d love that. That should be a tattoo, maybe a T-shirt.
Monet Hambrick: Yeah, maybe a T-shirt.
Oneika Raymond: Tattoo’s a little bit permanent. Well Monet, thank you so much for joining us. I think there are so many key takeaways, and the main one for me is your motto, if kids live there kids can visit. I love that that’s your motto. I think that should be on the T-shirt, to be quite honest with you. And I think that does a lot to kind of assuage some of the fears that parents, particularly new parents have, when it comes to thinking, right? Not even executing or planning, but thinking of attempting to travel with a child. Because I know, and you actually said this as well, that when we started posting from our India trip, we got a lot of questions, a lot of questions. What did the kids eat? How did you manage the long flights? How did they do on the flights? What did they do? All these, these different things that were coming from a place of fear and a place of a lack of knowledge. So with that said, I do want to leave our listeners with one of our most memorable, transformative family travel experiences. I think, honestly, in recent memory, I have to say that India was just incredible. I love that we were able to do this trip as complete families. Our husbands were there, our kids were there. And I do feel, at least on my end, having a younger child — she’s only four, not even four and a half yet — despite her being so young, I feel as though she really, really appreciated it. And it wasn’t only because of the sights which were incredible, and obviously the culture, and the smells, and the food, but also being able to do that trip in community with you guys and with your kids.
Monet Hambrick: Yes.
Oneika Raymond: And I know that my daughter really looks up to Kennedy and Jordyn, really looks forward to spending time with them. And I love that we were able to create all of these memories. And she still asked me to wear her traditional clothing to school.
Monet Hambrick: I love it. I love it.
Oneika Raymond: She loves to look through the pictures and everything. So I love that we’re creating. What do they call them? We’re, we’re unlocking memories?
We’re creating core memories. We’re creating core memories on the road. I don’t know if you have any particular travel experiences that have been really transformative.
Monet Hambrick: Yeah, I just, I mean, I just feel like because the way that we choose to travel and we’re so focused on engaging with the local community. I can list all of them, so I won’t do that. But those are the moments for me. The sites are always beautiful — those are always great, of course. You’re not gonna go to India and not see the Taj Mahal. You’re not gonna go to Peru, and not see Machu Picchu. Egypt — and not see the pyramids. We’re gonna do all that, but when we are with the local community, when we have that one-on-one experience, interactions with them, those are the transformative moments for me and for my kids. For them to play with other kids their same age from that community, for them to meet older people, for them to embrace us and welcome us into their homes and teach us. Their culture through food, through dance, through whatever it is. Like those are the moments for me that means so much. And I love the fact that we’ve included them in every single one of our trips. So it’s hard to choose the one.
Oneika Raymond: Oh, 100%.
Monet Hambrick: But you know, those are the moments for me that are like chef’s kiss on every trip that we take. Because those are the lasting conversations and moments that you’re going to remember.
Oneika Raymond: I think that you are absolutely right. And I wholeheartedly agree.
All right, Monet, I think we’re getting ready to wrap this up, but gosh, this was such an amazing conversation, and you dropped so many gems. But before we do, bid you adieu. Your oldest daughter, Jordyn, is here, and I would love to get her in here and ask a little bit about her travel experiences. So what do you think?
Monet Hambrick: Sounds good!
Oneika Raymond: All right, Jordyn, why don’t you come on through. Hi!
Jordyn Hambrick: Hi.
Oneika Raymond: How are you?
Jordyn Hambrick: I’m good.
Oneika Raymond: Good to see you. First of all, you are just doing it up big, traveling to all these places, right?
Jordyn Hambrick: Mhmm.
Oneika Raymond: You’ve been to a number of different countries. You’ve had all these incredible experiences abroad. We actually were in India together a few weeks ago. What is maybe one of your favorite trips, and why?
Jordyn Hambrick: Hmm, I think one of my most favorite trips would be my mom and daughter trip with mom to Japan, because I’d really wanted to go to Japan for a very long time, and me and mom were planning our mommy and daughter trip to somewhere else, but I think she surprised me.
First, we took a flight to Atlanta. I was like, “Oh yeah, we’re going to Atlanta.” But then when we got to Atlanta, I saw the flight to Japan. I was really happy. We got to see a sumo wrestling match. We got to learn how to make mochi. We took lots of photos. It was lots of fun. So that’s like one of my favorite trips.
Oneika Raymond: Oh my goodness. Can you take me next time?
Jordyn Hambrick: You have to ask my mom.
Oneika Raymond: Good answer, good answer. Well with that being said, Monet, thank you so much for sharing your travels with us, for sharing your beautiful family with us. And we look forward to following you on all platforms on the internet. Where can we find you?
Monet Hambrick: Thank you so much for having me. I am The Traveling Child on Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, and my website is thetravelingchild.co. And that’s where I have lots of our trip itineraries if you ever want to recreate the trips that we’ve gone on. So thank you again so much for having me, for Marriott Bonvoy for having me, I really appreciate it.
Oneika Raymond: Yes, and I guess we’ll see you on the road, and hopefully I will be with you.
Monet Hambrick: Yes, we have to plan our next trip.
Oneika Raymond: Thank you so much to travel expert, mom, and my friend, Monet Hambrick for sharing her stories and advice, which you can learn more about on her blog and socials The Traveling Child.
In our next episode, we’re heading to Mexico City, where we’ll have some delicious local dishes and drinks to better connect us with the city while nourishing our souls.
About the Journey is produced by Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, AT WILL MEDIA, mntra and me, Oneika Raymond. Our Marriott Producers are Robin Bennefield, Valerie Conners and Rachael Sulik.
Our AT WILL MEDIA producers are Kristy Westgard, Gale Straub, and Tina Turner. Mixing & Sound Design by Greg Deavens II with support from Andrew Holzberger. Original Theme Music by Zach Grappone.
For more travel inspiration, visit Marriott Bonvoy Traveler at traveler.marriott.com. I’m your host, Oneika Raymond. See you next time!
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