Investigative Reporter Turned Family Travel Guru

Up until May 2015, I was a highly-regarded and Emmy award-winning investigative journalist for KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon. After 20+ years in television news, I had paid my dues and had a pretty good gig. But like many moms of teenagers, I saw the window with my children closing… quickly. I couldn’t stand for another breaking news story to prevent me from attending my sons’ soccer games or National Honor Society induction ceremony.

In addition to my sons, I have another love — travel, specifically family travel. In 2013, I took a sabbatical from work to take my kids — then 10 and 13 years old — backpacking around the world. In 72 days, we visited England, the Netherlands, Tanzania, Dubai, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, and French Polynesia. It was memorable, to say the least. For me, planning a trip is a lot like investigative reporting. I really enjoy digging to unearth the best family experiences possible. So why not put those skills to work for other families?

In February 2016, I left my high-profile career to found KidTripster, an online family travel magazine that provides information and inspiration to families traveling anywhere in the world. The content is written by real journalists who travel to the destinations with their kids. Those journalists? Former colleagues (and their colleagues) from 20 years in television news. The site officially launched this past September. While I’ve really had to push myself to expand my skill set to include editor, website builder, website manager, social media manager, travel agent, sales executive, and accountant, it was the right decision at the right time.

Feel free to take a look at KidTripster. I’m pretty proud of it!

When to Jump is a curated global community featuring the individuals, stories, and ideas related to leaving something comfortable in order to pursue a passion. For more stories like this, sign up for our monthly newsletter here. You can follow When to Jump on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.