Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Saville.
Hi Kate, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Kate, and I’m a family travel blogger living in Winter Garden with my two little boys. I grew up in the UK but moved to Florida after graduating college to work for Walt Disney World, and I never left! I started my family travel blog in the fall of 2016. At the time, I’d just returned from a family vacation to Hawaii with my then 3-year old son and 12-week old baby boy. When we returned from the trip, I was inundated with questions from friends and family about how we’d been able to travel with such young children; everything from the logistics of flying with a baby only a few months old to how to adjust sleeping patterns in a new place, to what we’d packed to take with us.
As I began answering their questions, I realized that if this many people I knew had these questions, then there must be many, many more people out there who had the same concerns. I began my blog, Have Diapers Will Travel, to answer as many questions I could about anything and everything to do with traveling with young children. I’ve shared the good and the bad (and the downright ugly) of traveling with my children in the hope that I can make travel with kids seem a lot less scary. Travel doesn’t have to come to a halt when you have children, it just needs a little more planning (and a little more luggage!) In the last year, obviously, travel has looked a little different, and I’ve had to adjust the content I’ve been sharing to keep up with the new questions people have been asking. I’ve shared more of the local destinations my family has been enjoying, and luckily living in Florida means there are so many amazing outdoors and socially distant places to visit! I’ve also expanded my business by adding an Etsy store, Paper Plane Artistry, where I sell canvas prints of oil paintings my father (an incredible artist) has painted inspired by the places we’ve visited over the years.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning your own business can be extremely overwhelming at times and more than a little lonely. Being a writer, especially when your media is online, means sometimes it feels a bit like writing into the void; there were times when I got very little feedback and I wondered if there was anyone actually reading the words I was spending hours writing! This year especially has highlighted the fragility of small businesses, and it’s been hard to keep going at times as I saw my income suffer and my industry grind to a halt. But I’m incredibly lucky to have a wonderful support system around me who have encouraged me to keep going when I’ve felt like giving in, and I’ve always been glad that I persevered.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve always worked in travel and tourism. I began my career at Walt Disney World when I was 21 years old, working as a server at the Rose and Crown in Epcot; I’d always wanted to work for Disney in some capacity and this was a dream job for me, even if it meant leaving all of my family and friends in the UK. I’m a lifelong Disney fan and living less than 30 minutes from the parks has been the best thing about living in Central Florida! Living near to the Disney parks, as well as the other Central Florida tourist attractions, has also been a big focus for my blog, I never wanted my family travel blog to just be about Disney; I’ve been lucky enough to see a lot of the world and I wanted to share as much as I could about the other places we’ve been. But I do include plenty of local advice for visiting Orlando as well, and any time there’s something new at the parks, I’ll be there to cover it! I try to be as honest as possible in everything I write about.
If we visited somewhere and it turned out to be totally inappropriate for families with kids, then I’ll say so. I’ve shared stories about the absolute worst moments when traveling with kids, from flight delays to screaming babies (mine, usually!) to times when I’ve honestly thought, “we’re never going anywhere ever again!” But that type of honest feedback is what people want to hear because it’s the most helpful; so many people have reached out to say, “that happened to me too!” or “oh thank goodness, I thought we were the only ones!” Building a community where we can all share the good and the bad parts of family travel is one of the things I’m most proud of, and I love hearing that my advice has actually been useful.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
One of the things I love most about Orlando is the diversity and the sense that anyone is welcome. Whenever you ask someone where they’re from, it’s always somewhere else; it’s kind of a running joke that no one is actually from Orlando! But that’s also pretty amazing because it means so many people chose to come here from another place – another city, another state, sometimes another country – and we’ve all brought with us bits and pieces from our culture. It’s created an amazing melting pot where anyone and everyone is welcome, regardless of who you are.
I think one of the things I like least about Orlando is its reputation; as the self-proclaimed theme park capital of the world, people come here to visit the theme parks and other tourist attractions (which are of course incredible!) and don’t venture out to see what else the city has to offer. We have some of the most amazing locally-owned restaurants with just about every cuisine imaginable, a wonderful arts scene including both local artists and award-winning theater, parks and natural springs and native wildlife, and so much more to offer. I wish everyone who visited for the theme parks would spend even one day exploring the city itself; I think they’ve leave with a totally different impression of Orlando!
Pricing:
- Canvas prints from my Etsy store, Paper Plane Artistry, are $25. Content on my blog is totally free!
Contact Info:
- Email: Kate@havediaperswilltravel.com
- Website: www.havediaperswilltravel.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/havediaperswilltravel
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/havediaperswilltravel
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/Kate_HDWT
- Other: www.paperplaneartistry.etsy.com
