Chrissie and her nine-year-old daughter, Aamah, recently participated in our Seattle Culinary Tour. As we don’t often have young children join our tours, we thought it would be fun to hear about their travel experience. Thanks to both of you for agreeing to answer our questions!
Q. Chrissie, why did you decide to do the Seattle Culinary Tour with Aamah?
A. I wanted to travel with my daughter, who is nine, and not have to think about creating a schedule of activities. I wanted to focus on her, and being with her. I’d enjoyed visits on my own to Seattle in the past, and my daughter and I both love to eat, so it seemed like a great fit. I also reached out to Beth about if she thought the two of us would work with the itinerary (bringing a child) and she was very encouraging.
Q. Aamah, how did you feel when your mom asked you to go to Seattle with her?
A. Well, excited and also what is a word that describes not knowing? Clueless. Excited and clueless.
Q. What was your favorite experience on the Seattle Culinary Tour?
A. Aamah: The Ride the Ducks tour and Wild Ginger, the restaurant on the first night. The food was really good and the waiter was really kind; Eddie was nice.
Chrissie: I’d have to agree with Aamah. The first day really set the tone, and it was perfect. Dinner was intimate and equally aesthetically pleasing in every way—the food, the service, the room, etc.
Q. Aamah, did you eat anything on the tour that you’d never eaten before? If so, what was it and did you like it?
A. I ate a lot of foods that had different variations, like the yogurt at Pike Market, and chocolate covered cherries.
Q. Aamah, I know that you had a list of all the places you wanted to visit. Did you get to everywhere you wanted to go?
A. Aamah: No, but hopefully I will. Well, hmmm. I have to think about my list. I have a lot of places I want to go—Asia, Indonesia. I want to remember my travels, have fun, eat food and go places.
Chrissie: Aamah answered this question in the vein of a global perspective. 🙂 We had Sunday to fill on our own, and Aamah wrote up an itinerary which we accomplished on our last day in Seattle together!
Q. Chrissie, I know that traveling with a daughter is an amazing experience…did you feel that traveling with your daughter affected (increased or decreased) your enjoyment of the tour? If so, how?
A. I have never been on an organized tour of this nature in my life, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience with my daughter. I was able to relax and listen and focus on her, not what we were doing, or where to go next, etc.
Q. What did you learn about each other by taking this tour together?
A. Chrissie: I didn’t learn anything new about Aamah, but I certainly relish time with each of my children individually. I am sure Aamah and I will be making the effort to visit many more places together in the future! Aamah is an intelligent, charming, kind person, and I enjoy her energy and watching her grow up.
Aamah: Mmmm. I don’t know. No big a-has. We’re good travelers together.
Q. What did you learn about yourself, if anything, on this tour?
A. Chrissie: I was reminded of how much I enjoy traveling, and equally how different it is to travel with just one child (versus by myself, or all three of my kids!)
Aamah: That I really like buttered noodles, because of all the things, I enjoyed those frequently.
Q. What were your general impressions of Seattle?
A. Chrissie: I enjoyed being able to walk everywhere and navigate a city without a vehicle. Traveling with a child gives you a perspective that often becomes a conversation: the homeless, the people asking for money, Pride parade, etc.
Aamah: I liked the city, it was a lot different than Ohio. The people were different.
Q. Have you traveled elsewhere? Within the US? Outside the US?
A. Chrissie: We have both traveled many places. I was raised in a military family, and moved every three years growing up. I’ve lived in Glasgow, Scotland, and traveled to many different countries, largely in Europe and Asia.
Aamah has had a passport since she was born, and enjoyed the US (particularly Chicago, Illinois, Ocean City, New Jersey and Captiva Island, Florida) and outside the US (Thailand and Hong Kong.)
Q. What do you enjoy most about traveling?
A. Chrissie: A reminder of the different ways people live; another perspective. Appreciating other cultures and how other people choose to live their lives. Typically, it makes me grateful, at the end of the day, to come back home.
Aamah: Being with mommy and eating different foods.
Note: From our point of view…Aamah was a joy to have on the tour and she’s welcome any time!
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Photo credits:
Downtown Seattle – Tiffany von Arnim via Flickr
Seattle ferris wheel – Rachel Samanyl via Flickr
Group photos – Beth Whitman
An Indonesian Tour Guide’s Perspective on Travel