Going Places is a brand new collection from JourneyIt that highlights frequent vacationers to showcase their distinctive journey kinds and insider suggestions.
In 2015, Jessica and Garrett Gee bought all of their belongings to afford a four-month journey with their two kids. Fast-forward to 2022, the Gees—and their now three children—are the well-known touring tribe, The Bucket List Family. You would possibly already comply with them on Instagram, watch their YouTube movies, or have seen them on Good Morning America.
But should you haven’t heard of them, right here’s what to know: They’re an adventure-loving household that paperwork their journeys world wide—and evokes tens of millions of followers alongside the way in which.
Fewer issues, richer experiences
Life wasn’t at all times a flurry of planning journey and creating content material for The Bucket List Family.
“If you told me 10 years ago that traveling would be my career—that I would travel to 90 countries with my husband and kids—I never would have believed you,” Jessica informed me. “I wasn’t always a big traveler or explorer. But I’ve fallen in love with exploring the world with my family. I love living with less, and gathering experiences over things.”
Experiences that they not solely get to share as a household, however that they’ll be speaking about for years to return.
“One of our most memorable travel moments from this year was with the gray whales in Baja Mexico,” shared Jessica. “We charted a little boat at this place called Guerrero Negro. For decades, the gray whales have brought their calves to greet the local fishing boats. The whales love to be touched and scratched. We had a special mother and calf come up and the mother held the calf up to our boat for minutes so we could rub it. It’s an experience none of us will forget.”
These unforgettable moments had been an enormous a part of why Jessica and Garrett launched into this journey within the first place. “We decided as a young family that we wanted to take the time to create traditions that will hopefully shape us into better people the rest of our lives.”
“We understand how unique and amazing this opportunity is to take on the adventures of life together as family,” Jessica mentioned. “We remind ourselves of this daily, and remember that it all started by making the decision to step outside our comfort zones, step way outside the norms of society, and follow our hearts for what we felt would be the best path for our family.”
So, the place to subsequent for The Bucket List Family? “Next on our bucket list is swimming with orcas in Norway and then seeing polar bears in the Arctic,” she mentioned. “A lot of our travels are geared around wildlife!”
On staying organized—and packing a optimistic perspective
Wildlife? Yes. Wild touring life? Not an opportunity.
“I’m always very well prepared for our travel days,” Jessica mentioned. “When I pack, everything has its place.”
And in the case of organizing reservations (and extra) for a household of 5? “I use TripIt for every scheduled part of our trips: flights, rental cars, hotel confirmations—everything. I love that TripIt finds my confirmations automatically in my email and then adds it into my itinerary.”
According to Jessica, feeling organized—and calm—goes a great distance whenever you’re touring with littles ones.
“My best tip for traveling with children is to remember that, as a parent, you set the tone for the trip. If you’re stressed out on a travel day, your kids will feed off of that energy. You can’t always control what happens when you travel; things will go wrong. Your best choice is to press forward and have a good attitude.”
Tip: Travel plans not going based on plan? JourneyIt may also help—whether or not it’s discovering an alternate flight or claiming compensation for a delay or cancellation.
Any ultimate recommendation for households planning their subsequent journey? “Just enjoy the journey! And relish the small things, like a good breakfast buffet, an airport with healthy food options, or an empty row on a plane!”
After all, it’s the little issues—nay, experiences—that make the journey price it.
Catch up on all Going Places options to study new journey suggestions, uncover underrated locations, and extra.
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