Who is the Mom Behind the Newest Family Travel Blog?

Meet the Newest Family Travel Blogging Mom

Whoa, I cannot even believe that I am here, writing this post! I am officially the newest blogger in the family travel blog community and I am so fricking excited to share everything my family and I have learned about travel with YOU!

So Who the Heck Am I?

My name is Brooke Brookman, yep you read that right and you are not having a seizure! That my friends, is my name, and before you ask… yes it is my married name. Bahaha! I get asked that all the time among other things. I have been married to my husband Ben for 19 years and we call Minnesota home for all of those 19 years. We both grew up in Iowa so we have deep midwest roots.

Together, we have 3 fantastic kiddos. Ages 17, 14, and 10. Our oldest is a senior in high school so all the feels of one child leaving us soon have gotten us soaking up all the travel moments we can get together as a family.

Again, 19 is the magic number. I have been a nurse for 19 years at a world-famous medical facility which has shown me truly what life is about. Family. Life can be taken from you in a blink of an eye, treasure the moments we have, and live life to the fullest.

Growing Up Traveling

As a child growing up in rural Iowa, our family of 6 lived on my grandparent’s farmland and enjoyed life in the country. We didn’t have much money yet my parents gave my siblings and me the blessing of travel as much as they could afford. My memories as a child are very happy ones and the memories I treasure the most are the ones together as a family traveling.

How did we travel if money was tight? Camping in tents. Not ideal to most people and as an adult I am not sure I could camp in a tent like the one pictured above, classifying myself as a “princess” when it comes to camping. Air conditioning and a bathroom are a must. Hey, that’s not too much to ask right???

Why Did I Decide to Write a Family Travel Blog?

Gosh, if you would have asked me 5 years ago how would my life look today, I would have laughed HARD if you said I would be a family travel blogger. I read blogs all the time and find so much value from others yet never thought I would be a part of that community someday.

Then, I met a local mom blogger (now my mentor Jen) and my wheels started turning. That was 2 years ago but imposter syndrome got the best of me. Who would read my blogs? I have nothing to offer. I know nothing about blogging.

A year went by and I felt my life was missing its true purpose and I knew I felt a calling for something new. Blah blah, some of you may think whatever, but it’s true.

Have you ever felt that something in your life is missing and yet you feel guilty for thinking that because you have everything you need? A home, a great career, a family that you love and loves you back, your health, and friends that got your back.

So the wait began. Praying for God to show me what was next in life. Watching, waiting. Honestly thought it was going to be something that involved my side hustle with skincare but never felt the pull.

Searching for what brings me joy? What did I know a lot about that I could bless others with my knowledge? Then it happened.

Things started appearing that were leading to blogging. People had been asking for travel tips, destination suggestions, travel itineraries, and my blogging friend Jen asked me to be a guest writer on her blog!

That aha moment and it felt good, so good!

After months of planning and frustration with creating a website (which I was clueless about), I have arrived as the mom behind the newest family travel blog!

Why the domain name Skippingbrooks?

All the credit to the name of the family travel blog goes to my oldest daughter. Stolen actually (with permission of course)! The domain name Skippingbrooks is my daughter’s YouTube vlog site where she posts about our family vacations. That’s a whole new world I know nothing about!

So how does Skippingbrooks apply to me and the family travel blog? Skipping- traveling around, exploring new places. Brooks- well that’s us! The Brookmans. Clever huh!

Our Favorite Places to Travel

Over the last 5 years, we have really fallen in love with the western United States. Specifically Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and just recently Utah.

This love can be blamed mostly on one of my oldest brothers who has called Colorado home for more than 20 years. He has lived in some pretty incredible places in Colorado with one being Durango.

Durango is fricking gorgeous and the list is endless as to the many things to do for those of us who like getting dirty. ATV trails on the most amazing, sometimes scariest places you will ever ride, ha! (I may or may not have threatened to walk down a steep incline while someone else drove my ATV down) That fear has now subsided, bring on the scary trails!

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What Can You Expect to See on My Family Travel Blog?

As mentioned above, I am very frugal and never pay full price for anything and this rings true when traveling. If you have a family you know that expenses add up pretty quickly, making it hard to travel as much as you would like to. Am I right?

What can you expect to see from me in the future?

Blogging topics:

• USA destintations (including Hawaii)
• Budget friendly trips
• Travleing with teens
• Camping (including camper rental, free camping-boondocking)
• Cruising
• National Parks
• Mountain adventures
• Beaches
• Travel must haves
• How to maximize cheap airfaire
• Travel accomidations (hotels vs vacation rentals)
• Traveling with dogs (they are family too!)
• Tips for successful travleing

Just to name a few!

Also, I want to hear from you, the reader! What do you want me to write about? How can I help you with your family travels? Contact me!

Don’t forget to join my newsletter subscription to get 2 free packing lists for 2 of my favorite destinations and never miss out on my new blog post.

Cheers to the adventures yet to come and the memories to be made!

Safe adventures,

Brooke