“The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories”
Og Mandino
Our Story
We were a family living in San Diego, longing for a life that involved more than spending 10 hours five days a week with coworkers and having only two days together as a family.
I suffered from severe postpartum anxiety after returning to work only eight weeks after giving birth to our son.
We were at our breaking point. I felt like I was missing being a mom, especially after going into labor a month early.
After sitting on these feelings for months, we decided to get serious about taking a family gap year. We didn’t know how to do it, but we knew as long as we were together, we could make anything happen.
Once we made up our minds, we told our friends and family (so we couldn’t back out) and started planning our journey around the world.
When we were in the beginning stages of planning our adventure, we got a lot of questions.
Our family asked:
- How are we going to pay to travel the world?
- What about your jobs?
- How long are you going to travel?
- Are you scared to travel with a baby?
- Is it safe for you to travel as a Black LGBT family?
- Where are you going to live when you finish your family gap year?
Honestly, at the time, we didn’t have an answer to most of these questions.
The only thing we knew for certain was we had a plan, and we intended to follow through with it.
Now that I am rewriting this page nearly three years later, I still do not have the answer to some of their questions, but our blog addresses many other questions.
Since it has been a few years since we set out on our journey, I’m sure you’re interested in knowing how our family gap year turned out.
Our family gap year was an absolute bust, but we stumbled into something even better, a lifestyle we love.
Why Did We Start a Family Travel Blog?
The answer to this question is easy. The travel industry (like many others) has a severe lack of diversity. While researching for our family gap year (in 2018), we noticed a lack of representation of people of color.
Not only were there very few Black families, there are few families like ours featured in the travel industry. Many “influencers” all look the same.
Travel and exploring aren’t just for backpackers; it’s for families too.
Your life doesn’t stop when you start a family. You can still do things you love and bring your little ones along for the ride.
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all”
– Helen Keller
If we can do it, you most certainly can do it too.
We are passionate about traveling and living life on our terms and would love to share our story with you.
This blog is for anyone looking for travel tips, resources, packing essentials, accommodation, family travel gear, and ways to save money.
We will share not only what works but what does not work and the many (add many 5 or 15 more times in there) mistakes that we made along the way that you can avoid.
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
– Anthony Bourdain
Meet Our Family
Cee – Mama
My background is in human resource technology. It can be hard to explain, but it’s a cross between HR/IT/Payroll.
I have worked in human resources for over ten years and spent eight years in the military.
If anyone is interested, I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources & Marketing and an MBA in Information Technology Management.
One day it occurred to me that I was wasting my life, sitting in an office for 10 to 11 hours a day for an idea that no longer made sense.
I wanted to live my life, not just go through the motions.
After suffering from severe postpartum anxiety, I decided to pursue my dream. Luckily, I have a phenomenal life partner who shares the same goals as me, so it didn’t take much convincing.
As a little Black girl growing up in a small town in Ohio, I watched Mulan and dreamed of walking on The Great Wall of China (I am somewhat of a history buff).
I never thought it would happen, but here we are. My dream came true. I walked on The Great Wall of China and took in every moment.
This blog is more than a business for us. It is hope for thousands of other children of color who have a dream and do not see a way to make it come true.
If there is one thing we want from our blog, it is to inspire everyone to find their version of happiness.
Never give up on your dreams.
Mea – Mommy
My name is Mea, and I have a problem, I am obsessed with elephants.
My background is in early childhood education and nonprofit administration.
If anyone cares, I have a bachelor’s degree in English and have worked as a preschool teacher for the last ten years.
I have dedicated the last ten years to teaching children and helping others. Now that I have a little one of my own, my priorities in life have changed.
Working in childcare, I have watched children grow over the years and seen the hurt in their parents’ eyes, wishing they could have spent more time with their kids.
I never wanted to have that look. That is why we have decided to leave everything behind and travel the world as a family.
Now I am a stay-at-home mom, and enjoy teaching our son. We have a beautiful bond that I would not give up for anything in the world.
I do not want to look up and realize we have missed some of the best moments in our son’s life.
The Superstar
“As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was about to happen.”
– A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
Our little guy is the star of our blog. He’s been traveling since he was eight weeks old, so now, nearly four years later, he’s a professional traveler.
We took him to Beijing when he was 4.5 months old, and he didn’t cry once on the flight there or back. From that moment on, we knew we had a mini traveler on our hands, and he’s been catching flights, trains, and taxis ever since.
People ask if we are worried about him socializing with other kids. The easy answer is no.
My wife finds other expats with kids and has playdates. We also enroll him in school, even if it’s temporary, for him to socialize with kids his age.
He’s an amazing kid. Then again, I am a little biased since I’m his mama.
You’d be surprised for adaptive kids are at this age. Our little guy makes everywhere we go home; as long as we are together (with his tablet), he’s happy.
Thanks to our time in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, we have a bi-lingual toddler on our hands. He speaks, understands, and watches Spanish, which is a little embarrassing because I am still learning (and it is not going well).
Have questions about your travel plans or need help with planning, feel free to contact us.