Eileen Cotter Wright

Want a PRICELESS souvenir on your next trip? I never believed our vacation photos stood a chance with a baby and a three-year-old! For years I’ve been eyeing @flytographer - they have a library of wildly talented photographers in more than 350 cities worldwide to craft the perfect photos on your trip. Family momentos, celebrating your solo journey, and even surprise proposals: they do it all. With REALLY young kids, I had no idea how this would turn out. But we had an incredible woman Emily who managed to capture the fun and chaos of our recent trip to London. It was easy, hilarious, and we got some incredible first official photos together as a family of four! I found the fees to be much more affordable than a local photo shoot as well. We did a 30-minute shoot which was a bit tight, but still had amazing, varied options for backgrounds. I would definitely do it again. These photos are worth way more than any souvenir! Check out my b!o for a link to $25 your first booking. OR comment ‘vaycay’ and I’ll send you the link! 📷 #flytographermagic #flytographer #familytravelgoals #vacationphotoshoot #londoncitylife Have you had professional photos taken on vacation?

Lucky doesn't begin to descibe our access to New England all year round. Which season is my favorite? Don't make me choose! But summer definitely is a top contender. ☀️🍦🏊 While my crew are avid skiiers, I think there's some special about summer in Vermont. I had the pleasure of staying at @smugglersnotchvt recently and found a beautiful escape just a few hours from Boston. It has all the amenities you could hope for to make an epic summer trip: multiple water slides and pools, onsite acitivities, entertainment, restaurants, and even a playground or two for the littles. The drive to the resort was also gorgeous through Smuggler's Notch State Park as icing on the cake. I'd definitely bookmark this spot for next year, or a fun off-season adventure too in the fall or spring. The condos make it feel like home and offer options for multiple bedrooms and full kitchens - perfect for families and friends. Are you going anywhere the rest of the summer? #summertrends #purewander #familytraveltips #familytravelhacks #travelbloggers #visitvermont

Not England, or Scotland. Try again! Have you considered Wales for a family vacation? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Although I’ve probably visited 20 times, I’ve never actually written a guide on this part of the world! It’s a little underrated but packs a punch when it comes to pretty coastal beaches, tasty pub bites, and a rich history just as good as its British neighbors. Here is a sneak peek at some of our highlights, with the full itinerary coming soon. It doesn’t get any more classic ‘holiday’ style with kids, then arcade games, Sandcastles, country, playgrounds, and fish and chip lunches! Is there somewhere classic you and your crew like to go for trips.

🍓🍫I’m a sucker for trending food finds. Yes I know we’re a little behind on this one, but I definitely wanted to get some fresh berries and chocolate while we wandered around borough market. It was super delicious, especially paired with strong coffee from @monmouthcoffee and a few prior salty nibbles at @brindisaspanishfoods. Perfect afternoon nosh in London! PS Find the strawberries at the ‘turnips’ produce stand on the far side of the market. What’s the best food you’ve had in London/the UK?! Please let me know, we’re here a few more days! #chocolatecoveredstrawberries🍓 #boroughmarketlondon #familytraveller #familytravelgoals #visitbritain #foodietraveler #ifwtwa

So Chez Galip seems like the nicest guy around. After his pottery studio tour, you find out he had an old studio in the center of town too. This now is home to one of the strangest collections I’ve ever seen in person. Galip owns the world’s largest collection of…human hair. It hangs from every inch of the ‘gallery’, attached by a pushpin and next to a piece of paper with the donors details. He’s been collecting hair (just from the ladies) since the 1970s and claims to have more 16,000 specimens. I voluntarily offered my own strands to the museum, which is open to women who’d like to participate when Galip is on property. Those new addition to the collection are put into a raffle every year, and 10 new ‘students’ are offered a trip back to Cappadocia to learn more about pottery and ceramics from the master potter. Take the whole experience as you will! Want to have a wild time in Turkey 🇹🇷 like I did? Head to Pure Wander and search Turkey for my seven-day itinerary! #traveldiaries #visitturkiye #strangetravels #travelwriterslife #purewander

BACK TO LONDON 🇬🇧! It's been 5 sad years of missing my second home of a city. The time to travel back is finally here. It'll be different with two little kids in tow, BUT I think that'll make it even more fun. We have digs in Victoria with four of us to really play tourist for three nights. We have tickets for Matilda booked for the West End, The Museum of Natural History, a kid-themed afternoon tea: the works! Any other reccomendations?! -Eileen #familytraveltips #ifwtwa #travelwriterlife #londonexpats

After 500+ flights, I know exactly what to do for the first few minutes when I get home, sometimes even on the plane back. 🛬 I jot down notes and categorize some of my photos! This obviously has to do with me creating content and writing about the trip, but I do it even if the trip is for fun. I don’t want those memories lost and those landmarks forgotten, especially if I want to return someday. In 2019 I made the big mistake. Going to Japan, I have a good amount of things written down in our itinerary, but memories of that time have already been lost pre-Covid and two kids later! I wish I spent a little more time going over videos and photos when I got back right away, I forgot things faster than I thought I would. A couple tips: I use an old app called Swarm to check in into places during the trip so I remember things right away. I also check the location on my photos on the iPhone. I made custom albums on the iPhone for certain things if I want to group them in a certain way, including printing out photo albums. I go right into my GoPro and make notes or even change file names to reflect where the footage was taken. How do you organize your travel memories? #travelmemories🌍✈️ #travelphotostory #traveltipster #travelwriterslife #ifwtwa #capecodsummer

Guess what the catch is?! My two daughters under four-years-old have collectively been to four countries and nine US states so far. We’re doing it, slowly, but surely! ✈️ 🚙 🛥️ So, the catch? It’s the kids. In general. That’s the catch. If you used to travel a lot before you had children, it’s obviously going be wildly different. 🙃 You have two choices. You can pause your travels for a while, not try hard things and skip all the wonderful benefits seeing the world can give your kids. 🗺️ Or, you problem solve. You work on preparing your little ones to adapt to new places and new routines sometimes. You continue to cultivate relationships with your family and friends so they want to support your adventures with the kids by coming along and helping out. Go to destinations that welcome children first while they’re little and dream about your own list in the future that you’ll definitely get back to you someday. ✅ The main thing I’m discovering traveling with two children under four is how it’s actually changing me. I’ve seen an ugly side of myself when all I want to do is relax and they won’t sleep, but I’ve also seen a resiliency and determination grow to keep this passion in my life and hopefully, inspiring my daughters to also fall in love with the world like I have. 🌍 And if you’ve traveled with children while they’re young. Please please please share your tips with me. It’s been really fun, but I am really tired 🤪 In turn, I’m going share everything I know and everything I learn through this experience to hopefully help you too accomplish your goals with your families. We’re all in this together! 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 #travelwithbabies #toddlertraveltips #familytravelgoals #babyontheroad

It’s been pretty quiet for a month or so around here. I’m always looking for the next fix, the next trip, the next booking. 💺 Being present has gotten easier as I get older, I still find it really challenging to slow down. My kids are usually game for my crazy pace, but I need to give them time and space to be still too. It’s only fair. So until we takeoff for the UK, we’re going to lounge around our coffee shops, enjoy the harborside walks, and just be grateful for a New England summer. Living in a summer touristy area can be both obnoxious but also nice, we can pretend we’re on vacation all the time. How was your summer pace been? Are you taking it slow or are you on the run? ☀️ #newenglandsummers #visitmassachusetts #scituateharbor #toddlertravels #travelwritersjournal