A bit about me
my story
Hey there! I’m Jenessa Baird Van Woerkom- the face behind Destination Daydreamer. I’m a travel-obsessed, momma to young kids that wants to help everyone feel confident traveling as a family.
I grew up in Utah exploring the beautiful mountains, valleys, and deserts that dot the state.
My family often took summer vacations camping in the Uintah Mountains (think gorgeous, high mountain lakes) or boogie boarding in San Diego, California.
Although I grew up in Utah (which I loved, and still love) and attended Brigham Young University in Provo (which I also loved, and still love) I spent many breaks away from school trying to explore as much of the world as I could.
One of my first summers in University, I worked and played in Key West, Florida (which I have SO much content on if you are considering a trip to Key West).
The following year I did a study abroad for 4 months in Jerusalem where I got to see almost every corner of Israel/Palestine plus visit the countries of Turkey and Jordan.
The year after spending time in Jerusalem I volunteered for 1.5 years as a missionary on the Puget Sound in Washington Honestly, I didn’t get to travel much because of my insanely busy volunteer schedule. But I did get to appreciate the beauty of the area and get to know the people of Washington on a very intimate level.
Not much longer after that, my husband came into the picture and we started our own adventures together (like how I invited him on a road trip to Yosemite National Park and San Francisco, CA halfway through our first date).
One year after that road trip we got married and one week later moved to Ketchikan, Alaska where we spent the summer working and exploring the island.
Shortly after returning from Alaska, I took my husband back to Jerusalem and Jordan to be able to share with him some of the many amazing things I experienced during my semester in Jerusalem.
The following year we road tripped 50 hours across the country to spend four months in Providence, Rhode Island where I worked remotely and my husband completed an internship.
After those four months, we road tripped (again) 50 hours back across the country to spend a summer in Los Angeles, California doing the same thing.
And, as the schedule seems to go, just one year after our back-to-back cross-country drives, we decided my husband should accept a job as a LEGO Model Designer for The LEGO Group and we made our biggest move yet (an international one) to where we are now living in Billund, Denmark.
Somewhere along the way we added a pup and a few kids to the mix and have settled into the quiet, small-town Danish life while traveling as often as possible.
As a mom to young kids, I know what it’s like spending hours researching for our family trips hoping to find activities that the entire family will enjoy.
So, I’m here to give you ideas for perfect family getaways, kid-friendly itineraries, ideas for kid-free getaways, and swoon-worthy (yet budget-friendly) travel accommodations across the US and Europe.
hi, im jenessa
Learn a Little More About Me
Can’t Live Without:
My family & travel (obviously)
Favorite family Travel Spots:
Favorite couple Travel Spots:
Favorite National Parks:
Must-have kids travel items:
Top Bucket list Destination:
Thailand
have a question?
please reach out to me!
send me a message
If you’re reading through things and have a question about a specific travel destination, feel free to reach out to me! I love to talk all-things-travel related and I’ll be sure to get back to you. I don’t do many collaborations ( I want it to be a good fit). But if you are interested in a collaborating, feel free to send me a message and we can see if it’d be a good match!