On a Quest to See All 50- The Orlanski Family
Setting a family goal is a great way to strengthen bonds. Travel is a great way to create memorable moments. Combine them together and you have the Explore All 50 Project. Like my kids and I, Lisa, her husband Ben and their three kids, twins Kate and Ellie 10 and Josh 7, are on a quest to visit all 50 states. They are off to a great start having seen 22 states in the last 5 years. I knew I’d met a kindred spirit when Lisa Orlanski and I spoke on the phone. The Orlanski’s have a terrific sense of adventure and as moms we both felt it was really important to learn about our own country, it’s history and what makes it unique. According to Lisa, “every state has something worth visiting” and I couldn’t agree more. But more than just sightseeing and history, their family and especially their children have gained life lessons through their travels. Resilience, a willingness to try new things, flexibility and tolerance are all things they have gained by exploring the rest of the country away from their home in Los Angeles.
In the 5 years they’ve been road tripping the Orlanski’s have had many memorable moments but some of the most memorable are the mishaps, which always inspire a good laugh. On their first road trip they had plans to see the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. They woke the kids up a 3am and hustled out to a dark open field to see the beautiful balloons float through the air at dawn only to have it all cancelled because of bad weather. From North Dakota, to Alaska, to Pennsylvania, the Orlanski’s have tons of great stories to tell and best of all they have memories that connect them all to each other as their travels are their own family history. Lisa makes a photo book after each trip to “keep the memories alive”. I am sure her family will treasure those photo books for generations to come.
Lisa does all the research and travel planning and her best resources are the Internet, travel books and asking friends and family who’ve visited or live in the places they are hoping to visit. Lisa says that doing as much research as possible is key because “it would be disappointing to travel so far and find out you missed something fantastic”. She also advises to be prepared if something doesn’t pan out. Sometimes circumstances are out of your control and you have to redirect on the fly like when they attempted to visit Kennedy Space Center in Florida and arrived to find out it was “NASA family weekend” and they had to find another activity.
By far her best tip for fellow travelers with kids is to “try to find things that appeal to everyone in your family”. It’s great advice indeed. Every activity isn’t going to appeal to everyone all the time, but if there is enough variety to satisfy everyone’s likes then everyone is guaranteed to have a great time. The important thing is to keep everyone engaged. Lisa is really dialed in to everyone’s interests which vary from her kids who tend to like more outdoor adventure type stuff to her husband Ben who loves history and Lisa herself who loves architecture and design. And sometimes, (as I can tell you from experience myself) an activity that everyone was jazzed for is just a dud in spite of the reviews or how amazing it sounded…Lisa’s fix?-“When all else fails, ICE CREAM fixes everything.” Truer words were never spoken.
Are you on a quest to explore all 50? Email Alisa at [email protected] to be profiled here on the family travel blog The Explore All 50 Project
