You can tell me something and I may forget. Teach me something and I may remember. But if you involve me, I will learn. Often I learn from my daughter more than she does from me. Recently, a forecast for rain threatened our road trip to St. Louis. My practical parenting was overshadowing an adventurous spirit to have a journey – but not Coley. She embraced the rain and reminded me how some people love to play in the rain while others just get wet.

Raindrops are never what bring the clouds and after a few hours of our trip, we hadn't even had time to notice that it had stopped raining. We were too caught up in another one of our adventures. Driving across Missouri for a trip was easy and something we'd never done before. Being an artist, Coley loved the Arch – its design and its grandeur. We'd explore it often in between our excursions to the City Museum, the Zoo and sampling toasted ravioli. A traditional Italian dinner on "The Hill" was the perfect way to end our day.

The storms came and went throughout the weekend, but our enthusiasm for exploring St. Louis remained constant. Often we travel to escape, and there's nothing we can do about the weather. We shouldn't cry about the rain because sometimes, it washes away what we were escaping in the first place.

The Top 5 Things Ted Learned About Travel On This Trip:

1. The Gateway Arch is 630 feet high and 630 feet wide at its base. It's made of stainless steel, and no, I don't know how they clean it, Coley – so stop asking.

2. Eating IMO's Pizza while watching an in-room movie on a rainy night with a view of the Arch is flipping awesome.

3. The St. Louis Zoo is set in the rolling hills of Forest Park and it's FREE! I'm talking 18,000 animals. You could go every day for a year and look at 50 new ones.

4. Driving to St. Louis in the rain can add an extra hour to your drive. If your kid sleeps the entire way, they're not being a good copilot so you can eat their Fritos!

5. If the hotel you stayed at as a kid 35 years ago hasn't changed at all, that's not necessarily a good thing. "Hi, yes housekeeping? Could you come up and put a shower curtain on our shower? And get rid of the Capri Suns under the bed, too."

The optimism of a child can remind us that we shouldn't always wait for a storm to pass because if we did, we'd never be able to dance in the rain. From now on Coley and I will always look at a travel forecast differently knowing that without the rain there would never be a rainbow.

Trip Quote:

"The forecast is for rain the entire weekend. Why don't we not go to St. Louis and just hang out here and go see a movie or something?" - Me to Coley

"-----" - No words just a NOT IMPRESSED, McKayla Maroney-style stare from Coley for 20 seconds.

"Um, ok, pack an umbrella and a coat. I'll go fill up the car." - Me

Additional photos from this journey can be found here: FlickrTravelWithTed

Travel monsters may exist, but oftentimes we can make them more big and scary than necessary. People can find themselves apprehensive about a trip for any number of reasons: Logistics, safety, language barrier, traffic or simply the unknown environment. Sure, these travel monsters can be intimidating and sometimes just plain old scary – but do they really warrant missing out on the journey?

I'm in Boston for the annual ESTO conference and my Royals are in town playing the Red Sox. A baseball game seems harmless to me, but you'd think I was entering a war zone by my friends' reactions to me dawning Royals' apparel in enemy territory. "You got a death wish Sullivan? Boston fans are rabid." Boston monsters? Cool.

Going to Boston always generates a number of opinions and travel memories about the town. Traffic, thick New England accents, pride/hatred of local colleges, getting lost and sanctuary from all of these Monsters, if you can find it. During my recent adventure in Boston, I saw incredible sites, enjoyed beautiful weather and ate the best Quahog of my life. (And I've fired down more than a few.) In truth, the only monster I saw was a green 37-foot high one in Fenway Park – and it wasn't too scary from my left field seat. I'm not even sure if monsters exist, but I do know that I'd rather continue to travel and tempt the travel monster gods than miss out on all the fun.

The Top 5 Things Ted Learned About Travel On This Trip:

1. The Green Monster ("Monstah" if you're a local) is the highest stadium wall in the majors and a popular target for right-handed hitters. Its mascot is a fuzzy green monster named "Wally."

2. The "Ted" is a mile-plus long tunnel that was the first section of the Big Dig project to be completed, and it greatly improved traffic in Boston. I'm named after my dad's hero Ted Williams so I feel partly responsible for its success. What?

3. More than 250,000 college students live in Boston and they keep the city lively day and night. The parks, bike routes and bars are always full. Yes, I'm secretly trying to get Coley into BC.

4. Red Sox Nation refers to the team's fan base. Also called the "Ultimate Manic Depressives" and "Best Fans in Baseball" these folks are beyond loyal. I had a coworker not talk to me for a week for not taking her with me. (Pic)

5. Someone else buying two magnums of Silver Oak wine for a client dinner is a humorous conversation starter until you get the bill. Josh!!! Really?

I can understand and relate to travel fears. Travel nightmares can exist before a trip; it's our brain trying to protect us. But if you can find a way to make the imaginary monsters go away, the real ones don't seem so scary. The same reason we love scary movies and horror novels could be applied to our journeys. What if there really was nothing to fear? It would be colorless and you'd miss the green.

Trip Quote:

"You a Royals fan? Your team is gahbidge and you frickin suck." - A very devoted Red Sox fan sitting behind me.

"The Sox are in last place and we have a better record." - Me

"You kiss ya mutha with that mouth? How'd you get these frickin seats anywayz?" - A now upset Red Sox fan

Additional Photos from this Journey can be found by clicking here FlickrTravelWithTed