Editorās Note (Updated 2025):
This story was first written by Mrs. Nola Nerd in 2011 when she was reflecting on a lifetime of moving and traveling. Fourteen years later, the love of travel is still strong, but life looks a little different now. I have a family, a home we love, and more travels. It feels like the right time to share again how moving often as a child inspired a lifelong love of travel and Disney, and how that journey continues today.
āļø Where Did My Love of Travel Come From?
Ever since I can remember, I have loved to travel. That probably comes from how often my family moved when I was a kid. We werenāt a military family, even though people always assumed that. We just moved a lot in search of something a little better.
We werenāt dirt poor, but things were tight. By the time I turned five, I had already lived in Ohio, California, Australia, and Louisiana.
š How Many Times Did We Move While I Was Growing Up?
A lot. In elementary school alone, we moved into four different houses and I went to three different schools. One was in Ohio, near Westerville, where we lived from October 1990 to April 1991. I started out at Audubon Elementary in Kenner and finished at Rudolph Matas in Metairie.
I was lucky to stay in the same middle school for all three years, even though we moved houses once during that time. But when high school came, everything changed again. We moved to Slidell, which was tough because I had finally found close friends and wanted to stay put. I was angry and didnāt talk to my dad for three months, something I regret now. Like most teenagers, I couldnāt see past my own frustration.
š How Did I End Up Graduating Early?
Even though I didnāt love Slidell High, I managed to skip my sophomore year and start college early at Southeastern Louisiana University. I was finally happy again and loved college life. Then my family decided to move once more, this time to Panama City Beach, Florida.
I was heartbroken. It was a six-hour drive from where I was studying, and I didnāt want to leave my friends. In the end, I chose to stay in Louisiana and finish my degree rather than transfer. Looking back, that decision helped me build independence and resilience that still guide me today.
š” What Was Life Like After College?
Since graduating from college in December 2004, Iāve lived in four different homes. One of them was a small apartment in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. In 2009, I finally bought my own house, and there is something peaceful about that kind of stability.
After so many moves, owning a home where I can stay as long as I want still feels like a gift. Today, that sense of home also extends to our Disney Vacation Club membership, which lets us return to our home resort at Fort Wilderness again and again.
šø What Was My First Real Vacation Like?
Even though we moved a lot, we didnāt take many vacations because money was tight. My first true vacation was with my grandparents when I was in fourth grade. It was October 1991, and we went to San Antonio, Texas.
I still remember how excited I was. I even found a little paper I wrote back then describing how āsoooo neatā everything was. We visited the Alamo, the Japanese gardens, the zoo, and SeaWorld. That trip started my lifelong habit of seeing everything like itās brand new.
š When Did I First Visit Disney World?
That happened the next summer, in 1992. It was my very first time at Walt Disney World, and I was completely amazed by the lights, the sounds, and of course the characters.
We grew up loving Disney. Back then, the Disney Channel was a paid premium channel, which meant we couldnāt afford it. But every once in a while, they would do a free preview. My parents recorded the shows on our VCR, and I would watch them again and again until the tape wore out.
Even as a little girl, I knew that Disney World would always be a place I would want to visit. Since then, Iāve been back more times than I can count. I even had annual passes twice. Disney still feels just as magical, only now I get to experience it through my daughterās eyes.
How Moving Often as a Child Inspired a Lifelong Love of Travel and Disney?
Once I started earning my own money, travel became one of my favorite things to do. Iāve visited both coasts, much of the South, Europe, and Central America. Through teaching grants, I had the chance to tour South Korea with other teachers and learn about WWII aboard the USS Midway in San Diego. Traveling reminds me how adaptable Iāve become from all those childhood moves.
But even with all that wanderlust, my favorite part of any trip is coming home. I love knowing that my little house is waiting for me, that itās mine, and that I donāt have to move again unless I choose to. That peace of mind makes travel even sweeter.
š Who Do I Love Sharing My Travels With?
That would be my dear Kurt and our wonderful child. Life and travel both feel more meaningful with them by my side. Together weāve logged many miles, made countless memories, and built a home base weāre proud of.
Today, whether weāre at home planning our next trip or staying at Fort Wilderness as Disney Vacation Club members, it feels like everything has come full circle. The little girl who couldnāt sit still has finally learned to love staying put, at least long enough to plan the next adventure.
About The Author
MawMaw hasn’t even aged a bit!!