People often ask me, “How do you do it all? The work, the school, the kids, the house?”

My answer is simple: I love the chaos! I think of myself as an octopus. Those extra tentacles handling business aren’t a stressor; they’re a gift. I know these days with kids at home can be overwhelming, and I often repeat to myself, “one day they’ll be gone and you’ll miss this.” With my youngest graduating high school in just a little over a decade, I realized the clock is ticking on our “together” years. I’m not just trying to survive the decade; I’m trying to make it count. That’s why we’ve committed to a 10-year mission: at least one major family expedition every single year. We’re aiming for 10+ countries, but who knows? Maybe we’ll find even more along the way.

How it Started: The Gift of Travel

This dream didn’t start with a spreadsheet. It started with a crazy idea: What if we stopped buying “stuff” for Christmas and went somewhere instead?

We tested the waters by taking two trips to Tulum in a single year. Watching my kids (now 7, 9, and 15!) navigate a foreign environment, eat local food, and disconnect from their screens was a revelation. They weren’t just “on vacation”—they were in their element. I realized that the best gift I could ever give them wasn’t something wrapped in paper; it was the world itself.

That was when I fully committed to making travel an annual tradition. But, as I started crunching the numbers, I realized something important: If I only traveled at Christmas, I’d be paying peak prices forever. To make 10 countries happen on a working-family budget, I had to pivot. I had to stop thinking “Christmas” and start thinking “Strategic Travel.”

The 10-Year Roadmap

Now, we map out our dream destinations based on our budget, our milestones, and our desire to see the world before the kids head off to college.

Timing	Destination	Est. Cost
Spring 2027	Colombia 🇨🇴	$5,500
Christmas 2028	Morocco 🇲🇦	$4,000
Summer 2029	Albania 🇦🇱	$7,300
Nov 2030	Thailand 🇹🇭	$7,500
Spring 2031	Peru 🇵🇪	$5,000
Summer 2032	5-Country Loop 🇫🇷🇱🇺🇧🇪🇳🇱🇩🇪	$9,500
Christmas 2033	Guatemala 🇬🇹	$6,000
Summer 2034	Portugal 🇵🇹	$7,200
Summer 2035	Greece & Italy 🇬🇷🇮🇹	$10,000
Jan/Feb 2036	Egypt 🇪🇬	$8,500
Nov 2036	India 🇮🇳	$10,000

Plus, we’re holding a wildcard slot for Stella’s high school graduation—options include Japan 🇯🇵, Iceland 🇮🇸, Costa Rica 🇨🇷, or Banff 🇨🇦!

The “Lifestyle” Hack

We are a full-time working family, which means this goal is 90% lifestyle and 10% travel. To make this happen, we don’t rely on luck; we rely on systems:

• Intentional Budgeting: We have specific “kickoff months” for every trip. We use special project windfalls and strategic points hacking to fund the dream. And sadly, I’m cutting out (okay, maybe just cutting down) some of my favorite “extra” expenses – goodbye, daily iced lattes!
• The “Milestone” Model: Many of our trips are tied to life events—high school graduations, birthdays, and anniversaries. It makes the saving feel like we are investing in family memories, not just “vacation costs.”
• The “Build-Up”: Every year, I’ll be documenting the planning process—the flight hacking, the research, and the “real life” balance that makes these trips possible.

Follow Along

I’m not an expert, and we aren’t wealthy travelers. We are just a family trying to bridge the gap between “dreaming about the world” and actually getting on the plane.

Whether you’re here to help me cross off my bucket list, or you just want tips on how to balance a busy life with big dreams, I’m so glad you’re here.

What country should we add to our list for the graduation wildcard slot? Let me know in the comments!