Meet Natalia Welsh, Vancouver mom and long-time Tea customer who recently returned from a sunny spring break trip with the family to the Southern California coast. Follow along as she shares their west coast adventures.
Prior to getting married and having kids, I traveled and explored many countries far from home, like Mongolia, Vietnam, Brazil and South Africa. I love experiencing new cultures—meeting the locals, trying different cuisines and taking in the natural beauty that makes each place unique.
When my husband and I got married we explored Argentina and Peru together, but now that we have kids (Brayden is 10 and Calleigh is 7), the traveling we have done as a family over the past decade has usually taken us closer to home. We agree that you don’t have to go far to discover new places, to learn from others and also about yourself. That said, we take every opportunity we can to travel. As our kids get older, we look forward to exploring new destinations with them and experiencing the world through their eyes.
I discovered Tea Collection seven years ago through a friend. The brand philosophy strongly resonated with our family’s beliefs, and Tea has been part of our many adventures since. We love that Tea finds inspiration from destinations all over the world, and now from the USA, too! Classic Tea prints and styles continue to be our favorite, even as the kids grow and have more say in their clothing choices.
Back in the fall we decided to head south to California for our Spring Break. A quick flight from home, destination Golden State was a unanimous decision we made on a rainy November day. The decision had us dreaming of California for the next few months. The kids were excited for some fun days at Disneyland, my husband looked forward to exploring the San Diego area, and I happily got into trip-planning mode to make sure we enjoyed great food, cultural sights and some of the amazing natural scenery that SoCal has to offer.
Our trip started off with a few days of roller-coasters, rides and shows. In between amusement park days, we explored some of the iconic LA neighborhoods, the LACMA and the amazing La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. We learned about mammals like saber-toothed cats, giant sloths and incredible mammoths that lived in LA long ago. These tar pits sparked curiosity in both of our kids and lead to many interesting family conversations about the pits in particular, and changes to our planet in general.
Other days were spent roaming around Venice Beach. We walked the Canals and rented bikes to cruise the famed boardwalk, taking breaks to watch skateboarders do their tricks and surfers ride the waves.
For the second part of our trip, we traveled further south to San Diego. The kids loved the Old Town district’s Model Railway Depot. They were curious to learn more about the details of life through past decades.
With kids in tow, it was important for us to have time just to relax. They loved playing in the ocean at Mission Beach and exploring Seal Beach in La Jolla.
Discovering amazing urban art all over the city ended up being a family pastime, too! An Italian feast in Little Italy was the perfect way to finish a fun day at the San Diego Zoo. Majestic palm trees, beautiful sunsets and a fun, laid-back feel made us quickly fall for San Diego, and vow to return.
We thoroughly enjoyed the food scene throughout our trip. Los Angeles is a mosaic of cultures, and excellent food was easy to find everywhere. Whether it was classic Italian pasta or wood-fired pizza, Argentinian empanadas or fresh Thai curries, the food did not disappoint. We enjoyed exploring LA’s Original Farmer’s Market and San Diego’s Liberty Public Market where we found lunch options to please all of us. The amazing ice-creams flavors we tried in both cities will not be forgotten quickly either: Roasted Strawberries and Toasted White Chocolate, Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Rainbow Unicorn Galaxy Swirl—the local artisanal flavors were delicious!
We have many wonderful memories from our adventures in SoCal this Spring Break, but the highlight of our trip was watching our kids having so much fun together. Whether they were jumping the waves, racing to the next ride, practicing their mermaid (or merman) swim at the hotel pools, or exploring on the beach, they were happy being each other’s friend and playmate. It was a great time for all of us to connect with each other as a family, outside of our busy daily routines. We hope to have many more opportunities like this.
As Tea so aptly says it, “we go there.” Together is our own family motto.
