Becoming a Fairytale Traveler

Exploring Places You Thought Were Only in Storybooks

Being a grown up sucks. You have bills, deadlines, responsibilities, bad hair and diets... The list can go on really.

There was a time when none of these things mattered, when the only pending deadline was the storybook session before bed. A time when we fought with wooden swords and pretended we were princesses and pirates. Now, as those memories blur we escape these demands and nuances when we travel. We travel to explore, to grow our minds and enrich our lives. We travel for that much needed break, from the grind, to for fill our wander lusting heart's desires. We travel to keep dreaming and, we dream so we can believe that all the shit we take at work is for a purpose.

"Growing up is simply getting old. Growing up is when you don't believe anymore”
J.M. Barrie

Becoming the Fairytale Traveler was not a transition that was made overnight but, it was a natural one. The creation of this adventure travel blog came from a very personal part of me. I have always dreamed of fairy tales and castles in the clouds, and the idea of abandoning those dreams in my adult life seemed so unfair. So, I set out on a mission to research all of the fairy tales that grew my heart, crafted my imagination, and taught me how to dream. I documented all of the places related to the famous works of fairy tale writers. This was the beginning of my fantastic journey to becoming a Fairytale Traveler.

It wasn't long before my curiosity led me to understand that there is a whole layer of mythology and folklore dating back hundreds to thousands of years that anchor these fantastic storybook journeys we took as children. Sourcing destinations and places related to folklore, legend and mythology allowed me to appreciate culture in a way I had never done before. It created a deep connection, deep, deep inside the caves of my heart, where a tiny light was still glowing from my childhood dreams. It was that connection that created a mission to uncover these magical places.

Before I knew it, I was the Fairytale Traveler, waking up in castles, hiking into wondrous caves, and interviewing passionate people like Robin Hood of Nottingham. I was on journeys through the Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, chasing the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow, NY, and exploring the preservation of the Book of Kells in Dublin. I was taking the beaten path on a unicorn with wings to places that I only thought existed in fairytales. I was feeding not only my addiction for adventure, but for the great outdoors, luxury, history and culture, and my journey was just beginning.

Now, after 20k miles of traveling since May of 2013 I am really starting to crack open this magical metaphoric egg and get on some pretty fantastic adventures. In 2014 I am partnered with Failte Ireland to explore their Wild Atlantic Coast and all of the Irish legends and folklore it has to offer and Iceland to explore it's heroic sagas and enchanting legends of elves along it's fantastic landscape of fire and ice. Go With Oh has been kind enough to build a fairytale itinerary for me in Spain as I explore Barcelona and Madrid's legends and lore.

For me, being a Fairytale Traveler is not just about traveling the world and feeding my travel and storybook addictions, it's about enriching my son's life with culture and ideas. As a single mother of a bouncing 5 year old son (known by many as the Little Fairytale Traveler), I like any parent want great things for my child. The opportunity for him travel the globe and explore the very fairy tales and legends that I read him at night is one that video games and television cannot contended with. Watching his heart and mind grow, seeing the enchantment tangle with his soul, and knowing that I am providing him with the idea that you can do anything you love, makes my job the best one in the world.

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis

Article written by: Christa Thompson, Creator / Writer of The Fairytale Traveler

Christa is the Creator of The Fairytale Traveler, a destination leading adventure travel blog of places related to folklore, legend and mythology. She is also a travel columnist at the Hotel Guide and FAE Magazine (Fairies and Enchantment) sold in major book retailers world-wide. You can like her fanpage on facebook at: facebook.com/thefarytaletraveler