A former marketing executive, Tamara Gruber launched We3Travel.com in 2013 to share her passion for family travel.
Now a travel writer and podcaster based in New England, Gruber works to make it easier for others to plan vacations by providing detailed, family-friendly itineraries and destination guides. She is also the co-host of the Vacation Mavens family travel podcast and publisher of YourTimetoFly.com, a travel website for women over 40.
For this work, Gruber was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Mike Janes Media Member Award, created to recognize a media member of Family Travel Association who demonstrates a passion for family travel and a strong commitment to building and supporting the family travel community.
On top of all that, she’s recently joined the FTA board! We asked Gruber to tell us about how she ended up where she is today and why she loves family travel.
How did you get involved with the family travel community?
We started traveling as a family when my daughter was just a few weeks old, with her first flight at five months and first international trip at age one. I grew to realize that the more I could plan our itinerary in advance, the smoother the trip would go and the happier we would be on vacation. After a trip to Spain, I showed a friend the itinerary that I put together and they suggested that I should plan trips for others. I decided to put my background in marketing, social media, and search engine optimization to use and launched my family travel blog We3Travel.com in 2013 to offer destination guides, sample itineraries, and travel tips to help make family vacation planning easier.
Why is family travel something you’re passionate about?
I have seen the positive benefits of family travel and the bonding that is created by sharing new experiences together. It is so beautiful to see your child making connections between things they have learned about in school or through books and movies to things they see and experience in the world. Travel naturally builds resilience as you learn to deal with the challenges that inevitably arise during travel, which is such an important life skill. Through travel, families can connect with others that may have a different culture, lifestyle or point of view, and thereby expand their horizons to become responsible, empathetic global citizens.
Congrats on receiving the Mike Janes Media Member Award!
Of course it is an honor to be recognized by a contribution to the community. I’ve been involved with the Family Travel Association since the beginning and I’m happy to be part of an organization that promotes this important market segment.
What led you to join the FTA board?
I believe in the mission of the Family Travel Association and I hope to be able to make a positive contribution as it moves forward. As a travel content creator who has also worked as a travel advisor, I believe I can bring an important perspective to the organization and have ideas of how the organization can support media members and ways to create more symbiosis between suppliers, agents, and media.
How are you feeling about family travel in 2024?
I see that families are continuing to prioritize travel and recognize how fleeting time with our kids can be and feel a desire to enjoy that time as much as possible. In 2024, I see a continued return to normalcy with a focus on standard holiday breaks (like spring break, summer travel, festive season, etc.) People are beginning to plan more in advance than they have in the last couple of years. Pricing, especially of hotels and flights, remains challenging.