Heyterra

14/03/2024

For the first of our "5 Things" mini-guides, we're featuring one of Portugal's most art-forward cities, Porto. From painting Azulejo tiles to Art Deco museums to well-earned Pastel de Natas after climbing so many San Francisco-grade hills, we're ready for it all. Let’s go!

Featured:
Serralves earlymade UNESCO Oceramica Gazete Azulejos Livraria Lello

Dubbed Portugal’s most creative city, discover our favorite things about Porto, from painting Azulejo tiles to a well-earned pastel de nata after climbing its San Francisco-grade hills.

05/03/2024

It’s no secret we’re fans of train travel— after all, who can say no to landscapes whizzing by, less airports, and more onboard room to roam? 🚞

Rail travel is having a major moment in Europe right now, and it’s making it even easier for families to travel around Europe flight-free, thanks to a host of new train routes launching around the continent.

From sleeper adventures on the ÖBB to Trenitalia’s Bimbi Gratis (kids ride free) deal, riding the rails has never been this convenient- or fun!

Tx to Trenitalia SBB CFF FFS Bernina Express Byway GoldenPass Express Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB) for the inspo!

This year it’s getting even easier (and more fun) for families to travel around Europe flight-free thanks to a host of new train routes launching across the continent.

28/02/2024

We’re back! After a mini-site refresh, we’re so ready for what spring will bring.

First up is one of our favorite collabs with Yugen Earthside — their family-friendly tours spanning cultural treks around Kathmandu to sleeping in treehouses on the Kenyan coast are giving major adventure in 2024 vibes.

We love YE because of their commitment to sustainability, supporting local guides and community tourism. Check out all they have going below.

From cultural treks around Kathmandu to sleeping in treehouses on the Kenyan coast, sustainable travel company Yūgen Earthside brings responsible private tours to family travelers.

03/12/2023

UNESCO Sundays Spotlight! 🇻🇳

When road-tripping through central Vietnam, the region is plush with incredible heritage sites, the city of Hue being one of them.

The royal capital was for more than 140 years the political, religious, and cultural center for the Nguyen dynasty— the last to rule the country before Vietnam became a republic in 1945.

For families, this region of Vietnam is easy to travel through (My Son, Hoi an and Phong Na Ke Bang— all UNESCO sites are in the area with good infrastructure), and for parents from the States, incredibly thought-provoking given the U.S.’s relationship with Vietnam.

30/11/2023

Our November Book of the Month is here! We’ve been fans of Meghan J. Ward for years. Now, we’re coming full circle, spotlighting her wonderful memoir, ‘Lights to Guide Me Home’. Meghan, a Banff, Alberta resident and fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, takes us on a literary trip around the world all while navigating her sense of home, family and self so beautifully that any parent-adventurer can deeply relate to.

Keep up with Meghan and her wonderful Substack, ‘Field Notes’ (we’re longtime subscribers), her recent doc Wildflowers and tapping into your own writing with her.

This beautiful debut memoir will make any parent adventurer think more deeply about how the concept of travel informs our sense of home, family, and who we are for our time on earth.

20/11/2023

Thanksgiving’s on tap this week, and airports will be slammed with millions of people hoping to reconnect with family and friends.

At the link below, we’ve rounded up some of our tried and true tips for navigating the superhighway through the sky this holiday season, from flying nonstop to having a plan B in your pocket to, yep, even staying home. Good luck out there! ✈️

How do we do holiday travel better? Here’s a few ways we suggest navigating the superhighway through the sky during the most wonderful time of the year.

14/11/2023

Question of the moment, especially for families planning holiday travel: how do you navigate jet lag with your kids?

Today we’re featuring writer and travel mom Amanda Kellner Klein about how she best traverses time zones, all while honoring her daughter’s sleep routine.

Wonderful advice for families that have limited time but want to make a bigger trip happen! Read her thoughtful piece below. ✈️

Writer Amanda Kellner Klein shares her thoughtful process for how she best traverses time zones, all while honoring her child’s routine.

25/10/2023

Today we’re sharing our next book of the month, and it’s by one of our favorite voices in sustainable travel movement, Juliet Kinsman.

‘The Green Edit: Travel: Easy tips for the eco-friendly traveller’ is the perfect companion guide for parents curious about traveling more responsibly. (Extra bonus: it’s small enough to throw in a diaper bag/hip pack, and short enough to get through during a few naps. We love the illustrations, too!)

Follow the longtime journalist, sustainability editor at Condé Nast Traveller UK, author of “The Bucket List Eco Experiences” and Bouteco founder and read our piece below.

A pioneering voice in sustainable travel brings us a smart, fun and accessible guide for a positive impact getaway.

23/10/2023

Whether it’s riding the foliage train on the Italian-Swiss Railway, Germany’s Avatar-style treetop walks, or zip lining over Norway’s epic fjords, there’s no way to cut it— to fully capture a European fall, you’ve got to experience it yourself 🍂.

At the link below, we've rounded up our favorite family fall foliage adventures across the continent. Let us know which ones you’ve done!

Baumwipfelpfad Steigerwald Camp Adventure Grindelwald First - Top of Adventure Zipline Stoderzinken Sorti Paris Eurail Chodník korunami stromov

Train rides, treetop walks and zip lines are just a few epic ways to experience autumn across the continent.

28/09/2023

Ocean Thursday! Today on the site, we’re featuring ocean activist and underwater photographer, Lauren Russell.

Lauren has translated a multi-hyphenate career as a creative into using her voice to protect the ocean. Through her work with SeaLegacy and Only One, two organizations that have worked tirelessly for marine conservation through storytelling and advocacy, Lauren shows us the ultimate power in being multi-passionate— and how we can inspire our own mini-future ocean protectors to step into all of their talents for the planet, too.

Thanks to Lauren for catching up with us before she heads to Tonga (one of the most remote archipelagos in Polynesia) to document the humpback whale migration. 🐋

The diver, photographer and ocean conservationist is bringing her camera to some of the world’s most remote places to spread awareness about the state— and beauty— of our blue planet.

15/09/2023

Fun fact about beach cleanups (especially when you’re traveling): the chance to meet the local community, learn firsthand about the place you’re in, and in the process be a responsible traveler 🙌.

Tomorrow is World Cleanup Day (another fun fact: started in Estonia, it’s brought together over 70 million volunteers) and is the worlds largest peacetime civic action movement.

We love beach (or park, or river, or insert any space that water runs through) cleanups because they combine outdoor action, meeting new friends, and fostering environmental stewardship in our kids. Win-win-win!

🌊 Find out where you can join one tomorrow! World Cleanup Day
Friends in Bavaria: beach cleaner is doing one in Nürnberg 🇩🇪

11/08/2023

Have you ever thought about doing a pilgrimage walk with your family?

The Camino de Santiago is one of the world’s most renowned pilgrimage routes in the world, and this family braved 500 miles of it, bringing a lifetime of memories— and blisters!— back home with them.

At the link in the bio, read our interview with Louise Stevenson and her wonderful recap of her family’s 40-day walk, along with some tips to help you on your way (Tip #1: “Just do it!”).

The Camino de Santiago is one of the world’s most renowned pilgrimage routes in the world, and this family braved 500 miles of it, bringing a lifetime of memories— and blisters— back home with them.

25/07/2023

Have you WWOOFed? Today on the blog, we're talking working travel holidays with families, from WWOOFing to Helpx and Workaway. Whether it’s helping out on a certified organic farm or supporting local communities through cultural exchange, working travel is a great way to give back while at the same time experiencing a place.

From a cultural exchange to an organic farm homestay, families can get their hands dirty, stay active, and be immersed in another culture with these many working travel options.

20/07/2023

With so many travelers headed to the Greek Islands this summer, it’s refreshing to dive into a quieter corner of the Cyclades, one not found on the main map.

Quartier Collective gives us a glimpse into their cyclical experience on the island of Tinos, introducing us to the friendships they’ve nurtured here over the years, along with thoughtfully curated tips for when you do go with your family.

What we also love? QC’s “Family Gatherings”, hosted in bespoke locations around the globe. Learn about their upcoming ones in Portugal later this Fall and beyond.

Quartier Collective offers a generative approach to exploring one of the Cyclades’ less-discovered islands, inviting us to slow down and tune in with their thoughtfully curated finds. We’re listening.

19/07/2023

I recently had the delight of joining my new friend Christine Winebrenner Irick on the Soul of Travel Podcast!

In our conversation, we discussed…

// How to use music as a way to connect with and explore the world.
// Traveling sustainably as a family.
// How travel can be a catalyst for challenging conversations.
// How to support children as they move through the discomfort and growth associated with travel.

Thank you, Christine! Head to the link in our bio to have a listen 🎧

Join guest Samantha Runkel and host Christine Winebrenner Irick to discuss sustainable family travel and using travel to catalyze challenging conversations.

17/07/2023

This week we’re talking responsible tourism, and how various models of travel can help resuscitate communities that need support.

First up, The Gambia 🇬🇲. “As Gambia’s tourism industry reckons with climate change, Covid and its image as a winter sun destination, an alternative adventure is being developed to showcase its unique culture and history, while ensuring that local communities are benefiting too.”

Read Kayla Doris‘s piece about the Ninka Ninka Trail and how travelers can help redirect resources into the country’s lesser known interior. My Gambia

The Ninki Nanka Trail is a new responsible travel initiative that's putting The Gambia's little-known communities and culture at the forefront of tourism.

23/06/2023

For our latest mom feature, we’re checking in with Venice Beach-based photographer Marisa Vitale, who’s officially “knee deep in packing and slipping in last minute shoots” as she prepares to hit the road— for an entire year— with her husband and twins.

For anyone dreaming of leaning into the world for a longer term round-the-world trip, Marisa’s travel and photo expertise (and super delightful conversational style) will not only stoke your fire, it’s a real-time blueprint of how a family executed such a massive undertaking. But she does it with ease.

We cover camera gear, routes, her new and bonus— the best local’s list of Venice restaurants next time you’re on the West Side.

The Venice Beach-based photographer on bringing her creative process into travel. Next adventure? A year-long round-the-world trip with her husband and twins.

22/06/2023

Happy Summer! We're celebrating the longest days of the year this week, and not many countries do it like Sweden does.

We cover Midsummer’s origins, what to expect with a Midsommarstång (the Maypole), and where to celebrate summer solstice across the country (may or may not include the Midnight Sun 🌞). Bonus points for Sweden’s ethos of , especially when planning a trip here.

VisitSweden

The summer solstice happens on the longest day of the year, ushering in the official start to summer. And there’s no better place to celebrate it than in Sweden.