In honor of Mother’s Day, we would like to share two of our favorite AdventureWomen Mother-Daughter stories from a couple of our favorite trips:
Why Turning Into Your Mother Might be a GOOD Thing!
AdventureWomen often come in two’s and sometimes they are a mother-daughter duo. Susan Shurling came with her Mother, Mary Belle DeHertogh on AdventureWomen’s “Hiking in the Italian Dolomites” adventure in 2012. Here is their story in celebration of mothers all over the world on Mother’s Day.
“This was the first trip that Mom (Mary Belle DeHertogh) and I (Susan Shurling) did together – just the two of us.
First of all, “The Belle” and I are really great friends. I have been called her “clone” for most of my life – I look like her, we have similar mannerisms, and we think alike on most things, so traveling together is easy! My Mother is an amazing woman in more ways than I can describe. She has been a guiding light in my life and it’s her voice I hear in my head when making so many decisions. I am a fortunate woman to have a Mother who is smart, direct, honest, who sets the right example, and whose love enriches my life every day! It’s very safe to say there is great mutual respect between the two of us!
The trip to Italy was an opportunity to be together and share a wonderful experience. Traveling with a “women only” group offered many unique opportunities that were attractive to us – 1) we’d never done it before; 2) we were excited about meeting interesting, intelligent, and eclectic women; 3) and we wanted to share the experience with each other.
Susan (left) and Mary Belle hiking in the Italian Dolomites in 2012 with AdventureWomen.
The Italian Alps trip with AdventureWomen was challenging and fun, but having the opportunity to share with my Mother a part of the world we’d never seen and to participate in the hiking and other activities was amazing … almost as amazing as my Mother. I would recommend to any daughter that she go on an adventure with her Mom!
I don’t know if there was one favorite part of the trip, but if I had to choose, I’d say that after returning to the hotel at the end of a day of hiking, Mom and I (and others) would find a “seat with a view”, order a gin and tonic and talk about the day. I also place very high on the list the opportunity to observe my Mother’s ability to interact seamlessly with total strangers, become a leader among the group and forge lasting relationships in a very short time.
The trip was a wonderful experience for “The Belle” and me. I would love to take another trip like this with her in the future.” – Susan Shurling
What Inspires Some Women to do a Mother-Daughter Trip?
Stefanie Bolte says that her mother’s retirement made the decision for them. Here’s a beautiful testimonial from Stefanie, who came with her mother, Charlene Bolte, on AdventureWomen’s “Poland Culinary and Cultural Adventure” in September, 2012.
“My mother and I had never traveled without other family members before, but always thought it would be fun. Her retirement seemed like a good excuse.
I can honestly say we had a blast going to Poland. The great thing about the AdventureWomen trip was having all the details worked out for us. I would imagine it would be much more stressful to have gone by ourselves, not reading the language, having to drive, getting lost, etc. This took the stress out of the equation, and left us with time to enjoy our surroundings and each other.
We still talk fondly of the trip, and I could see us traveling together again sometime. Some of the ladies on the trip seemed impressed we got along so well, no bickering or arguing as mothers and daughters sometimes do. Our guides and fellow travelers were so much fun. I don’t know what there would have been to bicker about.
I hope AdventureWomen continues to thrive as it’s the best tour company I have used. – Stefanie Bolte
Charlene (left) and Stefanie at the Culinary Institute of Krakow on AdventureWomen 2012 Poland Culinary and Cultural trip.
