Beloved actress and mom Tia Mowry has a refreshing approach to making vacations more magical: let the kids take on the planning alongside the parents. Visit Anaheim recently launched the first-ever kid travel agency, Imaginagency, which puts kids at the forefront of vacation planning — and Mowry even brought her kids onto the project.
“Kids have a huge imagination, so why not let them just run with their ideas and [have] their imagination and just take the reins when it comes to creating and building itineraries for the family?!” she said. “I think what’s so great about this campaign is for me: When I think of travel and why travel is so important to me with my family, it really encourages connection, creativity, and learning. It’s such a win-win for the kids and the parents.”
Families and kids can get involved with this initiative by going to imagineagency.com to book one of the six incredible itineraries created by kids, including ones made by Mowry’s children, Cree, 13, and Cairo, 7.
Along with that, families and kids can create their own itinerary using the itinerary builder on the website. They can build out their own epic family vacation — and have a chance to win the family vacation of their dreams in Anaheim. “They say that 82 percent of parents believe that their vacations are better vacations when the kids are engaged and giving their opinions about what is it that they wanna do, what do they wanna eat; so it’s just a it was it’s just a very fun overall experience,” Mowry revealed.
Every time you talk to Mowry about being a mom to Cree and Cairo, or something cool she has planned with her kids, you can just tell it’s her favorite thing to talk about. She excitedly told us every detail about traveling with her kids: the good, the bad, and the messy. Traveling can be hard, but Mowry urges parents to let their kids take the reins a bit when it’s time for the next family vacay. She revealed that whether it’s as simple as holiday plans or as complex as travel plans, she makes sure to include their input: “I’m the parent who definitely asks my kids everything. … And then I move around that.”
Below, see what Mowry had to say in this exclusive chat with SheKnows about traveling with kids, the wildest journey they’ve embarked on together, and how her son, Cree, is living up to his name.
When talking about some of the most recent ideas, she revealed that Cree “definitely wants to go to Disneyland and partake in the 70th anniversary,” and Cairo “is really into treats and sweets. Anaheim has a place called Packing House, which has incredible different cuisines from all around the world.”
For Mowry, her partnership with Visit Anaheim was a natural fit. “[Anaheim] has a very special place in my heart because I actually moved from Texas to Anaheim to chase my dreams of becoming an actress. I was able to bring my children back to Anaheim, and they were able to see where Mommy lived,” Mowry told us. “All of us enjoy it as a whole family. I think it really shows how multigenerational it is. So I can enjoy it, Cree can enjoy it, and Cairo can enjoy it, even though there’s a gap in their age. I feel like it’s such a magical place.”
While the family of three adores all that Anaheim has to offer, from Disneyland to Packing House, the craziest, most outlandish trip was pitched by Cree … who wanted to go a bit further than Anaheim. Namely, on a plane ride to Dubai.
And guess what: they did just that!
“I think one out of this world trip was [with] my son. He’s very much into aviation. He [wanted to] take this flight from LA to Dubai, and we ended up doing that,” she revealed. “It was just so amazing to see how excited he was. I mean, he knew everything about when you’re on the plane, when the wheels were gonna come up, when the wheels were gonna come down, what altitude we were gonna hit, and how long the flight was. He knew everything about the plane, all of that.”
“He’s just living out his name,” she added. “So Cree actually means ‘warrior,’ and they were like this Canadian Indian tribe that would travel around the world. [By the time] Cree reached one, he had already been on, I think, a hundred plane rides, boat rides, train rides. It was just through experience. Me just kind of picking him up with me, taking him everywhere I went. He’s really curious, an explorer. I think traveling is really aligned with that. We used to call him Curious Cree.”
“Curious Cree” sounds like a travel show in the making — change our minds! It’s so cool that Mowry’s son took control over a truly unforgettable experience, and it’s a little reminder for us to let our kids weigh in on what they want to do, because sometimes they just might surprise us.
“Allow them to express themselves,” Mowry advised. “Kids have a lot to say and they’re geniuses. My pediatrician said, ‘All kids start out as geniuses, and as we get older, we get dumber.’ So allow your kids to use their voice and share what it is that they want to do, and I guarantee you, they’re not gonna be bored. You know? They’re just not.”
Of course with traveling, no matter how much you prepare, even the best-laid plans can go awry. So it’s always good to think of Plan B, C, and D. To combat at least some of the craziness, Mowry has a go-to solution: bring a wagon.
“We have this wagon and it is the bomb dot com. It is a wagon where you can put all of your stuff. I know that’s old,” she added. She said she rolls Cairo in it, as well as any family friends, but it’s mainly there because, as every parent knows: “You move around Disneyland, you’re picking up Mickey Mouse ears, Minnie ears, and the other fun things, and you could just throw that stuff in the wagon as well.”
Along with that, Mowry suggested, “A change of clothes is really important for your older kids. Just because anything can happen!” Not only are there water rides, but other unexpected things can come about — even some messy incidents. “We went to Disneyland for Halloween last year, and we brought a friend. Cree and his friend had slipped on something. I will not say, but they had to change out of their costumes,” she joked. “I’m so happy that we had extra clothes for them, because they couldn’t predict that they were gonna slip and trip.”
At the heart of it all, a vacation is only as good as the people you go with. For Mowry, vacations with her kiddos are always a dream come true. She said, “I love everything that comes with being a mom. Of course, there are moments when it’s not easy. I think what makes being a mom enjoyable is evolving, learning, and growing with your children. Allowing them to be teachable moments for you.”
Before you go, check out these celebrity siblings who have big age gaps.