We had the good fortune of connecting with Tavia Carlson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tavia, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
Showing them other cultures, languages, foods, and life outside of what they know as “normal.” As parents, it’s our job to foster an understanding that we are all humans. Different places in the world believe and have different lifestyles, but in the end, we are all human. I want my kids to be able to form their worldview from actual experiences around the world. Eat a crepe in Paris, find sloths in Costa Rica, see the aftermath of communism in Albania, or learn fluency in other languages by speaking with natives. The internet has given the world access to information at their fingertips, but in some ways, we’ve lost connections to other humans. I feel that travel and exploration is a basic, but direct way to renew these connections and grow appreciation for our differences and similarities with others. Travel has allowed my kids to take what they see in books and put it right at their feet. It’s amazing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My story starts when I graduated college. In 2010, commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force where I spent 5 years practicing Civil Engineering and heavy construction. In 2014, I found out I was pregnant with my first child! When I had my daughter, I left the Air Force abruptly and unexpectedly because she needed special care due to medical issues. After that I felt a little lost and after taking a 2 week Europe trip with our 6 month old, the idea for a family travel blog came into my mind. It took me 2 years and a lot of trial and error before Big Brave Nomad started gaining any traction. It was not easy. I spend long nights, long days, many tears, and lot’s of youtube videos to figure out how to grow a blog. My biggest lesson from anyone who wants or has a social media presence — be yourself. You can not look left and right and compare yourself, your growth, your success, or your failures to anyone around you. I do not fit in a box and I have found the more authentic I am in my posts and sharing, the more people gravitate toward it. I want people to feel empowered to travel with their kids, empowered to be themselves, and empowered to break the shell that society has imposed on what their life should look like. Big Brave Nomad started as simply a family travel blog to help parents, but has morphed into something bigger; a community of travelers of all kinds helping each other navigate the world easier, cheaper, and safer!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My main shoutout would be to my husband. He has supported my business ventures and obsession with travel from the beginning. He is the rock of our family and my biggest cheerleader. Without him, there would be no Big Brave Nomad. Secondly, I wanted to shout out my friend Vanessa from @wanderlust.crew who picked me up by my bootstraps 2 years ago and showed the me ropes of real blogging. She was hugely successful already when I met her and instead of ignoring me, she took me under her wing and helped me grow my own blog to what it is today. She is genuinely such a good person, friend, mother, wife, and a true foodie!

Website: www.bigbravenomad.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bigbravenomad

Facebook: facebook.com/bigbravenomad

Other: Solo Mom Travel Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/225617865018316/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bigbravenomad?

Image Credits
Tavia Carlson, Big Brave Nomad

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