Amy Conroy
Expanding the Expat Experience

“…This past February, my parents came for their annual trip over Chinese New Year, a propitious time to be with family. My growing spirit of adventure called and the warm beaches and clear skies of Vietnam seemed to be the answer. I was eager to spend this time of renewal and reflection with my parents. However, for me to look forward would require my father to revisit his past…something he had never wanted to do….”

Expanding the Expat Experience
Amy Conroy
Why Use Music to Start Your Bilingual Journey ~

“Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi?” on loop… that was my 90’s song from Patti LaBelle’s 1974 hit. Why that had to become my earworm to haunt my young adulthood says more about my aspirations than my reality, but it did pique my interest in foreign languages.

Flash forward a million years and I am a mother raising 3 humans in the 2000’s. I clearly went to the coucher 3 times, and it occurs to me that I’d really like my 3 citizens to understand that phrase above. Not exactly that phrase, but to understand French or Mandarin or any foreign language.

Why Use Music to Start Your Bilingual Journey ~
Redwood Forest, National Parks
Amy Conroy
Call To The Wild

Cheap & Cheerful road trip never to be forgotten! We chose our destination, the Redwood National Forest, and mixed accommodations, travel, and food, high with low. Nature emerged the winner - stunning, truly breathtaking. Hide and seek amongst five foot ferns with trees towering above, it felt like the land of the dinosaurs. Our imaginations went wild as will every Star Wars fan who finds themself in the middle of Episode 6, better known as the Tall Trees Redwood Grove. This land was made for you and me...

Call To The Wild
Italy, family travel
Amy Conroy
Family Vacation, Italy

Who says that travel is wasted on the young? I have never met a family that travelled whose children did not note the difference. Meet the Fitzgeralds... raising global citizens every opportunity they get. You can hear the experiences and empathy earned through their words and everyday actions. #TravelOn

Family Vacation, Italy
family travel, culture for kids, california culture
Amy Conroy
Surf 2 Snow, I ❤️ L.A.

Epic Day 2017: Malibu Beach, CA, to Snow Summit, Big Bear. Celebrating California culture and the people who rally. Who's in for next year? 

Surf 2 Snow, I ❤️ L.A.

Argentina

Laura Ingalls + Indiana Jones + Clark Griswold = My Selfie Self in Argentina

Laura Ingalls + Indiana Jones + Clark Griswold = My Selfie Self in Argentina

...My daughter did not want to leave Estancia Harberton, Calvin dreams of returning to Estancia Santa Teresita for a month, and Jack might join that crazy adrenaline fueled climbing community one day in El Chalten. The main towns, where we landed, Ushuaia and El Calafate, aren’t my favorites, but they serve a purpose and I am intrigued. I'd love to get to know Ushuaia better – my over-active imagination suspects a darkness lurking in this port town that is drenched in wicked weather for 6 months at a time. Much more going on there than I was privy to, and the mere mention of Malvinas, a.k.a. the Falkan Islands to you Brits, strikes an empassioned chord in the hearts of every local. El Calafate caters to the tourist, but off the beaten track is where it's at. Both are the gateway to my most cherished days...

Feliz Ano! #HappyNewYear

Feliz Ano! #HappyNewYear

...The graciousness and abundance that filled the restaurant and our hearts that night is surely a good omen for 2016...  but it hasn't all been roses and peaches and this is the face I most identify with, hmmm... pretty scary? funny and, ridiculous, like "Am I really doing this?"

We are back-packing, essentially, with three kids and that in itself is an art. We forgot to prep them and some of us are slightly less than organized... it's really hard to find clean underwear these days, for everybody. I'd be lying to omit that I stepped out on the stoop in the sweltering heat with a glass of cold chardonnay to debate verbally if this vacation was really the best idea in the world - and that was at the end of Day 1. One thing for certain, next time I will definitely ensure us an air-conditioned unit as was recommended when traveling south of the border mid-summer. Duh.

Alas, a good sleep and never mind, I've already come full circle! I may never come home! I am loving the intimacy of such travel with my family and yes, I feel totally blessed.

How To Plan a Trip to Argentina for Five in 3 Weeks or Less

How To Plan a Trip to Argentina for Five in 3 Weeks or Less

...I’m a romantic but I’m also a pragmatist. Romantically, I’m up for anything…case in point, 3 kids later! With kids, however, I think most moms feel that they must have solid plans for travel...After B.A., we fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world to see Penguins. Even though it will be their summer in Tierra del Fuego, it will be cold since we’re so far south, so we’re only spending a few days before flying to El Calafate. We’re looking forward to giant glaciers and panoramic scenery in Patagonia. This is also our respid, so we’re hunting down a traditional Estancia or nature Cabana...