A family travel blog meant to track our family goals and to inspire the world that anyone with vision backed with SMART goals are meant to have their dreams come to a reality!
“You can’t understand a city without using its public transportation system. ” – Erol Ozan
Oslo’s Travel Card, New York’s MetroCard and Toronto’s Scratch Card
Travel, it seems, then and again for us, is all about perspective. Exploring Oslo, Norway raised our standards so much so that we frowned on New York’s Metro Card calling it “barely a card.” Getting settled into the New York transportation system after three days, off we went to Toronto, Ontario, Canada and there we were greeted with a scratch card… the city’s day pass for tourists and travelers. Let’s just say that it took us four days to look beyond this and give Toronto a fair judgement of the city’s beauty and uniqueness. First impressions. Perspectives. Flexible travelers that we think we are, perspectives matter.
If we have traveled from Manila, Philippines, our home country, straight from Toronto, Canada, the availability of Metro straight from the Union Station and the convenience of family card plus the friendly ticket receptionist, would have floored us with awe. To travel conveniently in Manila, usually takes private-hire transportation and even then, the horrendous traffic and heat (or rain) would leave us scratching our eyes out waiting for the transport ordeal to be over. Transport system in Toronto would be we a very much welcome blissful paradise to experience.
Only,, we didn’t come from a developing country. We transited from a highly developed city, equally diversified as Toronto, it seems to us, equally populated like New York. Transport payment scheme in Toronto is very primitive to us now.
How does this affect how we think of Canada? It should not affect us much. We firmly believe that how we view a country is more of a reflection on us that it is a reflection of the country,
So, this experience, makes us feel empowered. Worldschooling the kids mainly has the purpose of showing the kids the beauty of the world and what men are capable of nurturing what’s possible; highlighting NOT borders, but potentials.
Toronto Metro : “You can’t understand a city without using its public transportation system. ” –
Free educational and fun family activities Turknoy style aka deep-rooted into our family lifestyle are readily available in New York. There are lots of ideas, discussions and pondering mover aching feet and full stomach. Our senses are all overwhelmed.
Broadway is to talent and making it big in the world;
She’s a Harry Potter fanatic, an: watching the play brought lots of reading memories, lessons and bliss moments with Albus and Scorpius! #KeepTheSecrets (Broadway, June 2019)Our first Broadway performance experience. How the kids have grown since the . (Broadway, October 2017)When at home, we watch Late Show a lot. So kids know Stephen Colbert more than.. uummm Tom Hanks! š
Times Square is to branding and consumerism and making it known in the world
Times Square with family means discussion on economics, world inequality, wants over needs and lots of business ideas! (Times Square, June 2019)Times Square, October 2017
Then, then… .. Financial District is money management and getting power over money in the world!
And until then… let’s get all the money vibes from The Wall Street Bull’s Balls. Legend has it that those who touch them will have prosperous and wealthy life. So, oohmmm we go. Seriously, we saw a Hindu lady who was actually doing this like a solemn prayer. So why not?
Our little ladies and the Charging Bull of Wall StreetGrab the bulls by balls and we’re set for life! Girl power!All that financial wealth vibe with the ball and the Bull. šHappiness is grabbing the Bull by the balls!
“My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength.” – Sicilian artist Arturo Di Modica, creator of The Charging Bull.
Broadway, Times Square or Wall Street, New York can make dreams come true for this fearless and are able to stand tall and proud.
Freedom is NOT the absence of fear… but by being able to act fearless.. whoever we may be!
World citizens, worldschooler or not, New York sets an example. It may be the place, it may be the city’s history, it may be capitalism, it may be a lot of things… yet we firmly believe that these ideals can be replicated.. anywhere in the world. Dreams are dreams without time zone and coordinates. With positivity and a lot of hard work, sprinkled with luck (bulls’ balls!) dreams do come true, whatever they may be.
We don’t use ā¤ļø to reflect our emotions towards any city easily. We’re snobs sometimes… but New York she really ā¤ļøšššš
Straight from Oslo, Norway, like a real Viking explorer , off we crossed the Atlantic Ocean to New York, New York wee hours in the morning, straight to breakfast and off to see places for the second time.
Family’s photo in our favorite place in the world, to date… Oslofjord! A day before we head off to New York, New York this time around!
We’ve written about hope and goals and we’re excited really to realize baby steps to leap frog moments towards achievements of our family goals, travel goals included.
But for now, New York, New York!
First stop, Times Square early in the morning and we feel like we are in the living room as the place was still “unpopulated” New York style.
Sunset in Oslo, sunrise in New York… Time Square!!!
No crowd at Times Square, New York! Life happens for us. š
Second stop, Central Park, wishing to meet Tom Hanks or John Wick accidentally!
Central Park.. always a great stop for family!John Wick hunting!
We are meant to be… we the North lovers!
Third stop, hungry for some Filipino food, hoops NOT… scratch that… we are world class.. so off we walked more to get a taste of the world’s most famous chickenjoy – Jollibee in Manhattan! Oh hot, was it crowded but we were determined.. and hungry and drilling over this chicken joy!
Third stop, hungry for some Filipino food, scratch that, we are world class.. so off we walked more to get a taste of the world’s most famous chickenjoy – Jollibee in Manhattan!so off we walked more to get a taste of the world’s most famous chickenjoy – Jollibee in Manhattan! Oh hot, was it crowded but we were determined.. and hungry and drilling over this chicken joy!
There are a lot of things to say about THE United States of America visit. At some point in both this traveling family’s parents life, The USA is The World. Well, for the dad, it was literally his world because he was in it. For the mom, that’s metaphorical. There was a time in her life that “living the American dream” is the best dream.
Delaying this country’s visit for several reasons, mainly enjoying the closest continent closest to our homebase, Qatar – Europe. Thirty-one countries after, off we went to USA!
Seriously,Ā we started humming… “Start spreading the news…we’re leaving today… to the CityĀ that never sleeps! almost a month before we actually go.
Of course, we enjoyed New York – Turknoy Family Style!
We are then ready to explore other cities and states at our will, after Washington DC ! With the free museums, if we are not on schedule, we would never have left the area.
There are a lot of memorable highlights during our road tripĀ to half of USA with a lot of nostalgic moments for Turknoy Dad. He spent a five years in Denver,Colorado so off we went to explore the entire Colorado State to create memories with kids, and oh my, did we really have range of memorable emotions.
It’s was Fall 2017 when we visited The New World and since we didn’t blog about our travel goals. We are ready to go back again and now reminiscing our first visit. Our “Some Day, we’ll visit America” is now “It’s been a long time since we’ve been there; feels like ages ago.
For what it’s worth, our family travel stats for our first time visit to our 32nd country, The USA :
Travel days: 30
Days Full of Laughter: 30/30
Days Full of Siblings Fight:
States Visited:
Ā
Intercity Train Rides:
Delayed Intercity Train Rides:
Local Plane Rides:
Rent-A-Car:
Number of Mega Enormous, Gigantic Delicious, All-American Burgers Eaten:
Hotdogs From Hotdog Stands:
Apples:
Pumpkin Spice Latte:
Breakfast In A Bar:
Fall Leaves Collected:
Snowballs Thrown At Each Other at Bullseye:
Number of Days It Took To Get Over the Vacation HangOver:
Number of Days It Took Us to Blog About our USA Experience:
So, did we or did we enjoy United States of America?Ā
“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way! “ – Dr. Seuss
Ohhh my! Time flies when we our family is on our goal realization/ exploring mode. It seems ages ago when we left Omaha, Nebraska on an overnight train to Denver, Colorado.
In Denver, we have walked the nostalgia lane with the Turknoy Dad as he reminisced his good old days as a working bachelor in the city. Has it been eleven years already since he left US just to meet the Turknoy Mom? Gosh, are we on some time warp speed loop?! ā¤ļø
After two days in Denver, meeting old friends and enjoying Denver Children Museum, off we went for a road trip around Colorful Colorado! And indeed, it was a colorful road trippin’.
First road trip in the USA and off we passed by State Highway 5, the highest paved road in Road America. What a scenic route it is towards Mr. Evans with an altitude 14,264 feet (4,347 m)!
This traveling couple has their kids as photographer! At Independence Pass. Freeeeeeeee!!!
Aspen, Colorado
We head on to Aspen, Colorado hoping for fall foliage. We got that and way more, four seasons! We arrived in Aspen in a very gorgeous fall weather, and woke up to several inches of snow in the morning, summer-y mid-morning, spring in the afternoon and fall again in the afternoon.
The snow didn’t stop us from hiking the Maroon Bells. The most photographed peaks in North America, so we’ve read.
We also experienced our first family snowy hike, up to the Maroon Crater Lake. It took us more than two hours to hike up the Crater Lake, barely few minutes before the sunset. We were the last one on the Crater Lake, it feels extravagantly majestic and terrifying at the same time. The kids needed to answer nature’s call, figuratively and literally. After the pee-pp and the family selfie almost every corner of the lake, we had to rush to go back down. We made it in the dark, using our mobile phone as flashlights, of course, not without scary stories and grateful fun ramblings from all of us.
We have blisters in our feet, and the fantastic traveling dad carried our youngest traveller/ hiker up his shoulder almost all the way! Such strength. We didn’t tell anyone that adventure with young kids is easy, right? It’s worth it, but nothing worth it comes easy, right?
Four seasons within 24-hour in Aspen, Colorado! This day is definitely going to one our favorite family memory.“The highest place on Earth is a father’s shoulder!” We just got back home-based. Time to show Daddy’s shoulder some loving and rest. When we were in #Colorado for an extreme #fourseasonsinoneday #familytravel experience, we trekked the Maroon Lake Crater, up the #MaroonBells for more than 4-mile hike in snow day, with the youngest one up in Daddy’s shoulder!The Turknoys and the Crater Lake And Maroon Bells! A perfect place and time to say Thank You God For All The Blessings with all our hearts together. Solemn, fun, sincere, full of love. ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
The hiking we’ve done, the weather conditions, the challenges we’ve overcome will always be fondly and profoundly remebered. After all, this is what Turknoy Travels 100 is all about. It’s about realizing milestones we never even considered yet together because we are still part of the matrix of society’s rules.
This father and some bonding moment is way too priceless, it could melt hearts. ā¤ļøOf course, after the adventure, we explored the very fancy city of Aspen, Colorado and off we went to two places we almost always go in any city we explore – bookstore and playground. If any city or town doesn’t have any of these, it’s really an indication of the village, isn’t it?
The Explorers’ Bookstore in Aspen, ColoradoA Playground in Aspen, ColoradoBasalt , Colorado
Although we explored Aspen and Snowmass Billage quite extensively, we stayed the nights in a nearby city, almost one hour drive away from Aspen, Basalt. Basalt turned out to be a like Aspen, and better. Roaring Fork Valley is a river paradise for us. Basalt sits at the confluence of two Gold Medal rivers, the Frying Pan River and the Roaring Fork River, which is Paradise!!!Serenity, Peace, Calm … Basalt with Kids šWhat do you know, our family adores rivers!
Vail, Colorado
Known as “Little Aspen,” Vail, Colorado is another fancy, skiing and snowboarding, gorgeous, beautiful little town tucked away at the base of Vail Mountain within the White River National Forest.
Vail, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
From West to South, we drove almost three hours to enjoy the magnificent landscapes of the Rocky Mountains to visit the Garden of Gods in Colorado Springs. A drive worth every minute.
Road Trip In Colorado With KidsGarden of The Gods“My profession is to always find God in nature. ” #HenryDavidThoreau #Colorado #GardenoftheGodsRoad trip with kids in Colorado? We’ll do it again in a heartbeat!
“Ice-cream is the favorite currency of love. ” – Puck
Taking a break from a beautiful weather and fall foliage paradise, off we hopped into Ben and Jerry’s Factory Tour. As if we needed more sugar and cream to add more fun with our naturally hyper traveling kids.
As if getting a fall foliage treat in Vermont is not paradise enough, a break from nature means Ben and Jerry’s Factory Tour! Whooaaa, life is great! Thank you, God, for all the blessings!
We were given a brief introduction about the company and its mission. Well, we are indeed avid fans of mission-oriented kid-friendly activities and places and with ice cream product, no less! Love, love, dream, travel and ice cream on. That’s what we say!
We love ice cream, we love flavors, we love colors, we love life! Does it show? š
Ben and Jerry’s Economic Mission: To operate a company g on a sustainable financial basis of profitable growth, increasing value for our stakeholders of profitable growth & expanding opportunities for development and career growth for our employees.
After all, Ben and Jerry is a business and business needs to make money. The company is also has shareholders who has investment in the company and, naturally, want their investment to grow.
Dannndaaandaannn … and at this point, the kids would know what their mom and dad would say to them. Every family should have a similar mission. Of course, we want sustainable financial basis of continued family earnings so we can increase the value of all our family members. At this point, we achieve that by two working parents, acquired properties and calculated investments. At the end of the end, even though we aim to travel to 100 beautiful countries, islands and landmarks, we also have a mission to create little humans who will make their marks in the world.
Economic Mission – After all Ben and Jerry’s is a business institution
Ben and Jerry’s Product Mission: To Make, distribute and seek the finest quality natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment.
As a home educating and worldschooling family, this mission exactly. Of course? Instead of ice cream, we have our kids. Not actually as products but more like, the output of raising up unique individuals enhancing their natural and God-given gifts and their euphoric passions in life. In addition, with respect to the world we live in, including all the diverse living things that live in it.
Product Mission
Ben ans Jerry’s Social Mission: To operate the Company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in society by initiating, innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally and internationally.
Ben and Jerry’s changing the world one ice cream at a time. Turknoy Travels 100 is commitment to change the world, one family member at a time. Social MissionHoops, yes, the kids enjoyed he ice cream Factory Tour, too!
We had a lot of talks but then we had a lot ice cream, too.
Dad’s Choice – Stephen Colbert flavor ice cream! šIce cream like it’s summer please…
Guess who wants a truckload of ice cream? š
Do you have Life’s Mission while eating ice cream? š
“A teddy bear will give you love. A grizzly bear will give you a mauling. Some bears aren’t just the same.” – Anthony T.Hincks
Do you know how a teddy bear is made and born? Well, these three traveling Turknoys definitely does now.
Deciding to have a Teddy Bear?! It’s a big decision to consider, think it through… š
Once kids made the big leap of choosing to own a best friend teddy, like life, they’ll be face with more decisions to make, not just for themselves, be for their Teddy Bears.
Choose wisely all the bear parts and assemble the skeletal and muscular system of the Teddy BearFill the Teddy Bear with positive vibes!Choose any type of positive vibes!
A friend for life is born! Complete with brith certificate. Meet WAYBEAR! ā¤ļøAfter making their own personal Teddy Bear BFFs, the Turknoys made a Factory Tour at the Vermont Teddy Bear to check if all the teddies are made in accordance to the quality assurance of all BFFs. Spoiler alert – it does! All across USA, Vermont Teddy Bears comply with the most personal customer quality ever for a teddy bear. We saw it for ourselves ā¤ļøThere is Forever when it comes to Vermont Teddy Bears! Lifetime guarantee, including a TLC for every sick Teddy Bear!
We are definitely going home with more luggages than we want. Better yet, from family of five to traveling family of eight, 2 adults, 3 kids and 3 Vermont teddies. Luckily, the kids didn’t choose that big, gigantic bear.
When we travel light like an expert, along came three teddy bears! šššDo you own a Vermont Teddy Bear?
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this may come. ” – William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Wonder Woman / Amazon Woman/ Traveling Woman
Okay, the traveling parents caved in with the kids with regards to participating in a Halloween party while in USA. It’s not that we don’t celebrate Halloween. It’s not that we agree that it’s anti- religion nor anti-God. It may be a country tradition but how we see it is more like a commercial manipulation while waiting for Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Bring on the pumpkins, the season spices, costumes and gazillion candies and the retailers had October and November sales covered.
Boy, did we see how customers shopped and crammed getting the costumes. It’s part of what made us want to be part of it – better to experience it once, rather than be nagging on the edge of being bitter about it every year. So, off we celebrate Halloween, kids costumes, party and sweets! Shopping done At Party City
Having said that, we choose a free Halloween event and oh boy, did we enjoy.. and the kids, too! It’s a family event in a great weather with friendly awesome people by Lake Champlain. It’s a fabulous event. We are very glad to joined.
Halloween Howl in Burlington, Vermont is a spooktakular good time on a hay ride and wandering through the haunted walk with costume contest, music and games!
Give it up to these spontaneous traveling parents – we planned attending the Halloween event early in the morning and attended late afternoon, not without a couple selfie š«
Captain America with Dragon Slayer Ninja, Wonder Woman and Pink Power Rangers – Turknoy Travellers! šā¤ļøThese traveling kids enjoying the scary walk along the park. Superheroes inside out!
Feels like superheroes walking around in the park, the forest, by the lake and in bouncy castle, that’s one awesome afternoon spent in Burlington, Vermont.
Nature and Halloween really goes together… with little bit of scare here and there, of course!Turknoy Travels 100 in character for the day!
Our family members in character while one in nature is a perfect way to celebrate an awesome Halloween Howl in Burlington, Vermont.
What’s your Halloween plan? Do share Halloween traditions you do with your family.
“I love it. You know, I was born almost a mile away from here, and I’ve never have a bad experience in Omaha. Omaha and Nebraska are home to me. It’s a pace. It’s relationships. There’s a lot of continuity. There’s a lot of community. There’s a lot of friendship. It’s a very solid place, a friendly place in which to grow up and in which to conduct a business. ” – Warren Buffet, Becoming Warren Buffet, on why he chooses to live in Omaha.
We tried to find where Warren Buffet, the world’s richest multibillionaire, lives. We managed to get to his mailing address and we tried to get all the billionaire vibes in the area. Omaha has lots of gorgeous houses, it’s easy to imagine Warren Buffet’s home in the city.
To be able to get around Omaha, Nebraska, we needed to rent a car and realized that fact later on after walking from the train station wee hours in the morning, coming straight from our Chicago, Illinois family travel and waking up way too early walking around the very quiet, almost deserted city, with not even a single cab is available.
Off we went to the city’s airport and rented a car to roam the city. At the airport, we realized the the city has lady Mayor! Yay, raising global girls needed a discussion of a little bit of governance of the world and what part do ladies of power play.
While waiting for the car rental… the best way to go around Omaha is by car. The City Mayor is a woman so we have this little girl power photo!
We then hang out at the Old Market after realizing that we won’t be able to find Warren Buffet’s house.
The Old Market, Omaha – lots of interesting to see with kids
Fall colors in Omaha, Nebraska
After driving around the city and the nearby cities in Nebraska, we went to do exactly an “American” fall/ autumn tradition… Visit a farm, explore a corn maze and pumpkin patch. We picked our pumpkin but of course, didn’t buy any.
Corn Maze in The Mid West In Fall… Hope we get that right about “American” fall activityPumpkin PatchThese girls love the suburbs and farm šOur little lady farmer ā¤ļø
Going back to Omaha, we got tempted yet again to visit local bookstore and had another share of our family book haul. More books!Jackson Street Bookseller at Old Market
We didn’t want to leave the Bookstore, but dinner called and we enjoyed a very scrumptious local dinner at Upstream Brewing Company.
Yes, we make it a point that kids visit Brewing Restaurant in Omaha!Omaha Burger, isn’t this mouthwatering?!Dinner when we travel in local restaurants always turn out to be very intimate and quiet with kids šā¤ļø
If Omaha is a glimpse of Mid West USA, then we definitely need to be back soon to explore the region.
What cities in the Midwest USA would you recommend?
Chicago Children’s Museum‘s mission is to improve children’s lives by creating a community where play and learning connect.
Our contention: Every Family Should Have A Written Manifesto Like This. Don’t you agree?Big wild ideas are welcome in our Turknoy FamilyWe arrived in Chicago when it was rainy! We underestimated the windy and chilly weather about the city so we decided to enjoy the city from the indoors. We planned for a quick stopover at the Chicago Children’s Museum for about 1-2 hours only yet we ended up staying until closing time!
Balance in colorsEvery kids should have a photo with a T-Rex SkullThose busy little creative hands!Kids rule in play and learning in Chicago Children’s Museum. We have all raves and praises about this awesome kids place. Climb, jump, climb, cling and smileBuild For Real.Rest means a game of chessHappy faces for all.
The staff were friendly, the place is ergonomically designed for kids to play and for parents to enjoy their kids play; or better yet, to enjoy playing with their kids.
Now, let’s talk about Mission. Obviously, our family is advocate of setting family goals linked to one own’s Mission Statement. With the mission statement, “to improve children’s lives by creating a community where play and learning connect”
We have articulated our family goals Turknoy Travels 100 is A Family Lifestyle based on our family’s mission to raise global citizens by family travel and worldschooling.
Children’s Museum and other family recreation facilities State their Mission quite clearly and concisely. We believe every family should, too.
Do you have your own unique family mission? Do tell us.
Turknoy Travels 100! 