This article isn’t just about sparking wanderlust; it’s your practical guide to making those travel dreams a reality.

Charles, the kids and I have traveled to dozens of countries using the tips in this article. Whether you’re craving more time, hunting for budget-friendly adventures, or seeking opportunities that blend work and wanderlust, this guide is your golden ticket to more travel adventures.

Bonus travel tip from experienced travelers! Using a VPN like Private Internet Access (PIA) is key for keeping your data safe as you travel. Public Wi-Fi networks, which are common in hotels and cafes, can pose serious security risks. A VPN encrypts your connection, safeguarding your private information, which is essential if you’re in one of those traveling jobs where you rely on internet access to fund your trip.

Since we travel as a family of four, I really like that our single, affordable, PIA subscription lets us protect an unlimited amount of devices at the same time.

How to Travel More

If you want to travel more this year, this article can help! Use my hands-on actionable advice to get you on your next flight to somewhere amazing!

Let’s get right into it! Here are 27 actionable travel tips that are all about maximizing your time, stretching your dollars, and embracing every opportunity to explore the world.

Collect and use credit card and loyalty points

Let’s start with something simple. If you don’t have one already, switch your current credit card to one that lets you get travel points with every purchase. Just pay it off in time so you don’t end up having to pay interest!

Be flexible with your travel dates

Having flexible travel dates can save you a fortune on travel. Try traveling during the shoulder season, or scoring deals when they come up, instead of having set-in-stone travel dates. Embracing a go-with-the-flow attitude can open up a world of unexpected discounts and unique experiences

Set travel alerts for fare deals

If you find a flight you like, set a travel alert to let you know when the price drops. You can do this on Google Flights, Skyscanner, and other flight aggregators. Just make sure you have a good baseline on typical prices so that you have something solid to compare it to.

One way to do that is to choose a farther date in the future than what you’re hoping for, preferably outside of peak season like Christmas. Usually, the farther out you buy your plane ticket, the cheaper the flight however deals can pop up anytime so be ready for them.

Be flexible about your destination

Looking at different destination alternatives lets you take advantage of the best flight and accommodation deals available, regardless of the destination. This flexibility can stretch your budget and introduce you to hidden gems and unexpected adventures that you might not have considered otherwise.

Tip! To find cheap, flexible flights, use the Google flights Explore feature. Just enter your home airport, or other airports that aren’t too far away. Leave the destination airport blank! Then click the Flexible dates to see all destinations and prices. It then shows you a map and what fares are to different cities. Play with the trip length and trip duration. There’s even an option to select fixed dates if your travel dates aren’t flexible.

Get a job that lets you work as you travel

Work as you travel, whether you work remotely for your existing employer, or get a job at your destination. If you’re under 35, look into getting a working holiday visa. Check out our article on 45 great jobs you can do while traveling the world (and how to get them) for more helpful details and tips.

Focus on less expensive destinations

Travel to pricey destinations really adds up, with flights, hotel prices, taxi fares, and even food costing more. Instead, keep your eye out for great deals to less expensive destinations.

Travel light

Most airlines charge for checked baggage these days, and many charge for carry-on as well. The lighter you pack, the fewer fees you’ll need to pay for baggage so minimize your outfits, always carry a change of clothes in your allowed private bag and even look into sharing larger checked on luggage if you’re traveling with your family, loved one or someone you implicitly trust.

Take less expensive, shorter trips

Use your weekends and time off to maximize travel, and explore closer to home. Opting for shorter, more frequent trips can offer a refreshing change of scenery without the hefty price tag of longer vacations.

Bonus tip! Using VPN to get cheaper flights is a savvy traveler’s secret. It lets you explore prices from different regions, potentially leading to significant savings on airfare.

Plus, a good VPN like PIA (Private Internet Access) allows access to geo-restricted content, ensuring you don’t miss out on your favorite shows while abroad. It’s a must-have for secure, economical, and enjoyable travel experiences. Check out our article on How to Watch Your Favorite TV Shows and Movies While Traveling.

Visit friends or family in another city!

If you can stay with someone, it can be a great way to save money on accommodation, and also gives you a chance to reconnect with friends or family and create new memories together. Looking to visit an area you once had family in? Check if any extended family are still in the area. Not only can it save you money but it might be a great way to reconnect with lost relatives.

Take trips for a specific purpose

Take a trip for a specific reason, like a conference, or to take a class to learn a new skill. For example, you could travel to take language immersion classes, a cooking class, or learn to SCUBA dive. Then, rather than just seeing the trip as a personal indulgence, it can be for direct personal growth which can benefit you even more in the future.

Use your paid time off

If you have a full-time, or even part-time job, use all of your paid time off. Use those paid holidays and personal days to get you where you want to be.

Shockingly, most employees in the US don’t use all of their vacation days. Less than half of US workers used all of their vacation days in 2022. Don’t be that person! Prioritize yourself, and travel.

Organize your time off with a calendar

To help maximize your time off, use a monthly calendar, and block off days where you have extra time off (like a three day weekend). From there, consider adding additional vacation days to extend your travel days. Sometimes you can easily arrange a 5 or 6 day vacation around long weekends with only a day or 2 taken off. The bonus is that week long rentals are often much cheaper per day than weekend only rentals meaning it might not cost as much as you think it will.

Look into travel opportunities with your current job

Would your employer pay to send you to a conference, or to another place for training? Are there positions available with your company in other locations around the globe? Exploring these options can turn professional commitments into exciting travel opportunities, blending career growth with the joy of exploration.

Negotiate for a higher wage, or more vacation days

Earning a higher income is always good, but if your employer isn’t willing to give you a raise, then consider asking for more vacation days. You may be surprised! Many employers don’t have much flexibility in their budget, but they can negotiate on time off. If they’re not budging on paid vacation days, you may be able to negotiate unpaid days off which you can leverage the cost against traveling in the much cheaper shoulder seasons compared to around Christmas or busy school holidays.

Tag along on your partner’s work trips

If it’s possible, join your partner on work trips. You’ll likely be able to stay in their hotel for free (or a small fee), and just have to pay for your own transportation and other expenses. When they’re busy, you can explore the area on your own then meet them for supper and other shared activities.

Also, try to book them around weekends. Most companies are paying for the flights anyway and it costs them nothing extra to fly the employee home on Friday night than it does Sunday afternoon. Even paying for the extra nights hotel on your own still allows you to save on the flight costs and any savings is a bonus here.

Reduce your expenses and save money for travel

This can be a hard one, and of course it’s not possible for everyone. That said, if you’re in a position to take a hard look at your expenses, it’s a great place to find funds for your next trip. Of course this might mean you need to switch your priorities.

Would you rather spend money on an expense like getting a new coat, when your old one is fine, or would you rather put that money in a travel fund? Would you consider getting a roommate, rather than living alone, if the money you save was spent on travel?

Everyone’s situation is different of course, but zeroing in on cutting costs can make a big difference to your travel budget and it’s amazing how just doing a few things like cutting down your Starbucks coffee or eating out a bit less can rapidly grow your travel fund.

Get a side hustle

If you have the time and energy, a side hustle can really help you save money for travel.

This can be something as simple as getting more shifts at your current job, or getting an entire new gig on the weekends, or even driving for a ride share or food delivery app. Either way, if you have the time and motivation, it means more money in your travel fund.

Start a travel savings account

Start a special travel account, and put your travel savings into this account only. It’s so motivating to see your travel nest egg grow! Watching your travel fund grow is not just encouraging but also makes your travel goals more tangible and achievable. It also helps differentiate between your bill paying account and savings accounts. The trick is to not dip into it for other things.

Try housesitting or a home exchange

Accommodation is one of the biggest costs in travel, so if you can swing a housesit, then you can save big bucks. This approach cuts down on expenses and offers a more authentic living experience as you travel.

Lower your expectations

By insisting on only eating out at restaurants, staying only in hotel rooms, and taking taxis or tours everywhere you go, you may be pricing yourself out of a vacation. You can save a ton of money by traveling on a shoe-string budget, preparing some of your own meals, staying in a hostel bed or AirBnB style place with the family, and taking buses, trains and walking everywhere you go.

Some of my favorite travel memories include taking a local, overnight bus in Turkey, and eating fresh berries bought from a local fruit vendor in Ecuador. Neither cost a lot but left a lifetime travel impression.

Consider traveling, and sleeping, in your vehicle.

Van life isn’t always as fun and easy as YouTubers would like you to believe, but if you’re the adventurous type, and you have a vehicle that would work for car camping, you may be able to save a carload of money by sleeping in your car. Want some inspiration? Check out our favorite Travel YouTubers.

Talk to travelers!

One thing I’ve learned about myself is that it’s a heck of a lot easier to do something if I spend time with people who’ve actually done the thing!

By hanging out with travelers, you’ll be inspired by their stories, gain some fantastic travel advice, and hopefully absorb some of their adventurous spirit! One way to get that information is online, another can be as simple as visiting your local backpacking hostel. Nearly every place has one and if you don’t hear 3 or 4 different accents in the first 10 minutes then make sure you’re there around meal time.

Find a travel partner

Sometimes the barrier to travel is not having someone to travel with. Both Charles and I struggled to find a travel partner before we got together, so I feel the pain of this. If you want to travel with someone, consider signing up for a group tour, or ask friends and family if they’d like to travel with you.

We’ve since learnt that once you get out there, there are tons of people with the same desire to explore who are also looking for others who share their passion to travel. The hardest part is often taking that first step.

Consider going solo!

Sometimes life just won’t divvy up a travel partner, so consider traveling alone. I get it, solo travel can be pretty intimidating, but I really wish I’d taken the jump and traveled by myself instead of waiting so long for a travel partner!

Visit a friend for your first solo trip

Do you have a friend who’s moved away? Consider visiting them for your first solo trip. Having a friend at your destination is a great way to make a solo trip easier. You may even be able to cut expenses by staying with them!

Create a list of places that you’d love to travel!

Sometimes, getting your wishes down on paper can really help motivate you to make your travel dreams come true. If some of the items on your list are more expensive, or require more time than you have right now, focus on the places you can visit sooner!

Beware of analysis paralysis!

Just like anything in life, you can spend all of your time reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, and planning your trip! Instead of putting off your trip until you’ve found the perfect price and destination, start with something small, even if it’s just a weekend trip to a town nearby!

Your passport to adventure awaits!

And there you have it! Remember, travel isn’t just about distant lands; it’s an attitude, a way of embracing life with curiosity and joy.

So, start that travel savings account, pack your bag for a weekend getaway, or chat with your boss about work travel opportunities. Adventure doesn’t always knock twice, so start using these tips right now, and turn your travel dreams into reality.

Do you have any tips for how to travel more? Share them in the comments – we’d love to hear them!

Bon voyage! – Micki

Whether you’re backpacking across Europe, cruising the Caribbean, or exploring the mysteries of Asia, a good laugh is a universal language that connects us all. So, pack your sense of humor and enjoy these humorous travel quotes that will hopefully bring a smile to your face, no matter where you are on the globe.

50 Hilarious Travel Quotes

To change it up, I included my own spin to these quotes, sharing a snippet of my own adventures and memories after each, bringing these words to life with tales from my travel diary.

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag

For the insatiable traveler, this quote is a witty nod to the never-ending bucket list. We’ve decided that our travel bucket list isn’t actually in a bucket anymore. It’s more like an expandable pocket dimension.

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

So true! Traveling together non-stop for a year is how Micki and I learned marriage could work for us. If you can survive months living in a tiny van and still enjoy their company, you can likely get along forever.

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it’s lethal”- Paulo Coelho

It’s only funny because it’s true. Statistically, train connections in the USA are safer than getting out of bed every day. When in doubt, ride a train!

Birds literally just eat, travel, and shit on things they don’t like. I don’t know about you, but that’s the lifestyle I’m striving for. – Anonymous

Who knew that birdbrained might actually be a complement to some people. Having wings would be handy at times though.

“Jet Lag is for Amateurs.” – Dick Clark

This playful quip reminds us that true globetrotters know how to handle time zone changes with a grin. While it affects us all one way or another, pushing through it means you can get on with your journey sooner. Onward and upward!

“Airplane travel is nature’s way of making you look like your passport photo.” – Al Gore

A humorous observation about the less-than-glamorous side of air travel. It’s why we always laugh when people go out of their way to look good on their passport pictures. We’ve found it’s better to look so run down that no matter how badly you’re doing on your day of travel that they won’t think something is wrong with you. Same logic applies to your driver’s license.

“I travel a lot, I hate having my life disrupted by routine.” – Caskie Stinnett

Routine is just one of the many things nomads and wanderers try to avoid. Why have a repeat of yesterday when tomorrow can be anything?

“I’m a travel addict on the road to recovery. Just kidding, I’m headed to the airport.” – Anonymous

For those who find the allure of the airport irresistible, this quote is a humorous nod to our wanderlust. We purposely bought a house on one side of the city just to be closer to the airport. Just saying…

“Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth, it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.” – John Green

For me, this is a clever observation on the liberating spirit of travel and the adventures we’ll find when embracing that freedom. If the devil on your shoulder wins over the angel, that’s on you and not your destination.

“There should be sympathy cards for having to go back to work after vacation.” – Anonymous

We’ve all felt the post-vacation blues, and this quote captures that sentiment perfectly.

“Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your next trip in kilometers.” – George Carlin

A humorous take on the metric system by the legendary comedian, encouraging us to think differently about distances. One trick to happiness when traveling is to always round up or down until the number seems palatable. If you’re on a tight budget, forget I said that though.

“I follow my heart… and it usually leads me to the airport.” – Anonymous

Another witty testament to the heart’s desire for new adventures and experiences. While some people dread airports, we’ve always loved them.

“No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.” – Chuck Thompson

Whether it’s travel, a movie, a book or a meal, always take other peoples opinions with a grain of salt. Most experiences are unique and we’ve both hated a city and loved it, with our expectations being the only difference between visits. Finding a nice place to sleep and a good restaurant goes a long way too.

“I’ve got 99 problems, but I’m on vacation and I’m ignoring them all!” – Anonymous

The perfect motto for anyone looking to temporarily escape the stresses of everyday life. Or, sell all your belongings and move your problems to another country where at least they’ll have a different accent.

Boy, those French. They have a different word for everything. – Steve Martin

A good reminder that there is no word for sorrow or regret in Timatuathian. Of course that language itself doesn’t exist so why would those two words exist anyway?

“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” – Michael Palin

Ah, the joy and pain of the travel bug. It has a ferocious bite and often refuses to let go no matter how many miles you’ve put on or the amount of countries you’ve seen. The more you see, the more you realize there is to see and therein lies the problem.

Witty travel quotes, the second half

Remember, as St. Augustine once said, the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page. So turn the page, explore, and don’t forget to laugh along the way!

“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a plane ticket, and that’s kind of the same thing.” – Anonymous

A lighthearted reminder of how travel can bring joy into our lives. While it doesn’t take a lot of money to travel, more certainly never hurts.

“My favorite thing to do is go where I’ve never been.” – Diane Arbus

A simple yet profound statement about the essence of exploration and discovery. While it’s often the new that drives some, sometimes it can also be the old that they prefer to see in their rear view mirror.

“I would give up traveling but I’m not a quitter” – Anonymous

This quote is another playful turn on the hard work ethic and how sometimes when faced with adversity, it’s best to just bear down and keep at it, even if it’s enjoyable.

“A tourist is someone who drives thousands of miles to get a photo in front of their car.” – Anonymous

A playful jab at the classic tourist photo, this quote pokes fun at humans often absurd travel habits. Don’t worry, we have dozens of those pics as well. For instance, here we are in front of…

“The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist.” – Russell Baker

This quote humorously captures the irony of trying to blend in, only to be spotted a mile away. We have tons of pics over the years wearing certain clothing from Thai pants in Thailand to an Outback hat in Australia and all they scream at us now is tourist in bright letters.

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

A funny reminder that travel can render us speechless with its beauty before filling us with tales to tell.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

This ancient wisdom reminds us that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. While I’m guessing Lao wasn’t spanning the globe, pretty sure he enjoyed his travels and was secretly prophesizing about his luggage never arriving.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

While not overly humorous in it’s own right, it does remind me of a story about a friend who decided to forge his own path once on a hike and ended up needing to be cut down from a tree hours later. It was a thing but definitely adds to the adage that a good journey can be made great with a little extra humor thrown in.

Hilarious and inspiring travel quotes, the third half

Sometimes all you need to add to a travel memory is a dash of humor to make it unforgettable. Here are some more funny travel quotes to awaken your wanderlust.

“People don’t take trips, trips take people.” – John Steinbeck

While the imagery of a trip as a literal persona kidnapping a person, throwing them on a plane and making them have fun makes me laugh, this is in truth a thought-provoking quote that suggests travel has the power to transform us.

Side note: A Transformer named Trip would be just as amusing to me.

“A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead and dreams of a faraway place. A traveler on the plane sees the farmhouse and dreams of home.” – Carl Burns

This ironic quote captures the contrasting perspectives of the traveler and the stay-at-home dreamer. While we often dream of things we miss, having the ability to miss them in the first place is reason enough to jump on a plane and go someplace for a while. Perspective often needs distance to achieve itself.

“Travel is like an endless university. You never stop learning.” – Harvey Lloyd

A reminder that travel educates us in ways that go beyond traditional learning. I recall our trip to the Galapagos Islands where we not only learned about Charles Darwin’s thoughts on evolution but also the fact to get to the ferry early so we don’t have to sit in the open back for 2 hours getting soaked from the rain…

“A road trip is a way for the whole family to spend time together and annoy each other in interesting new places.” – Tom Lichtenheld

This funny quote definitely highlights the trials and tribulations of traveling with family. While new places and activities can hold some interest, 2 snippy children will argue no matter what’s in front of them. However, now they get to do it in another country!

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill

Winston obviously knew what it was like driving in LA but I digress, the truth is that a journey isn’t over until it’s over and even then, you might not end up where you thought you would. The unknown is half the fun.

“Live your life by a compass not a clock.” – Stephen Covey

Obviously Covey wasn’t a clock maker, but his adage remains. It’s the direction we take in life that determines our situation and that can’t always be done on a set timetable. Inflexibility in travel means inflexibility in life. Bending a little sometimes gives you a different view on where you are and where you’re heading. It’s also good for the back and knees.

“Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.”- Anthony Bourdain

Anthony loved travel, meeting new people and trying new foods. Sure, that 2000 calorie piece of cake shouldn’t be on your everyday menu but are you seriously not going to try it once? Live a little.

“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you travelled.” – Mohammed

The difference between knowledge and wisdom can often be measured by the amount of footsteps we’ve taken to get there. While the scholar reads about it, the traveler experiences it, tastes it, smells it, and digests it in such a way that they’re forever changed. The willingness to put oneself out there continually and the wisdom gained from such actions can speak volumes about a person.

“From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.” – Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss’ characters strode the globe in their pursuits to teach and entertain and often found humor in the most unlikely places. I once found it in a sock, under a rock, in a shoe, surrounded by goo and so can you.

“It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way.”- Penelope Riley

Another quote not so humorous in it’s wording but funny in the mishaps department. Some of our most memorable moments on the road happened due to one mishap or another. Even our worst travel day ended with us saying “at least it will be an entertaining story one day.”

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd

A classic example of a travel metaphor implying that we aren’t meant to stay in one place forever. We need movement to fulfill our purpose, regardless of the outcome. Though imagining all of us as little ships with legs walking around everywhere is also pretty funny to me.

“The further I go, the closer to me I get.”– Andrew McCarthy

Me is a person on the other side of the world doing something amazing at any moment. The closer to me I get, the more me I become. While I can’t always be me, I get solace in knowing that me is out there and I look forward to the day I get to be me again.

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

As Micki and I get closer to celebrating our 20th anniversary, the truth of this statement hits me. It’s all about the journey. Preventing the boat from capsizing isn’t about control, it’s about paying attention, watching out for hidden rocks and moving and changing with the river as opposed to fighting against it. Like a journey or a marriage, a river will take you where rivers take you. Enjoy the ride.

“That moment when you’re asked where you got something and you answer with the name of the country, not the name of the store.” – Anonymous

We’ve been guilty of this dozens of times. For a while, everything we displayed was from another country or another trip. These days we’ve packed and unpacked our things too many times to even bother showcasing them anymore but we do own some nice boxes. That one we filled in Thailand, that one in Australia, that one in South America…

“Going on a trip. Need about 5 outfits. I’ve packed 35 just to be safe.” – Anonymous

We’ve all done it though now we’ve learned from our mistakes and realize that in life we often dress to impress. The beauty of travel is most people don’t see you every day. Learn to get creative with your outfits. Maybe buy a nice hat and look out the window more often.

“Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.” – Erol Ozan

When you’re too busy following the path, sometimes you don’t realize you’re actually missing the journey. Explore beyond the path, there is always more to experience. More usually meaning beer, wine, food, music, art, dance and all the other good things in life worth pursuing.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”- Terry Pratchett

We travel not only to see new things but also to be able to return to things we miss. Like distance, absence also gives perspective.

“Ironing boards are surfboards that gave up their dreams and got a boring job. Don’t be an ironing board.” – Anonymous

Don’t be an ironing board is my new mantra. For the record, I also don’t want to be an anchor (it holds people back), a yesterday (it’s never in the present) or a sock (nothing funny, I just dislike socks).

“The world is waiting for you. Good Luck. Travel Safe. Go!” – Phil Keoghan

While travel isn’t always an amazing race, sometimes it can feel that way. Slow it down, explore, enjoy! Now Go!

“Nothing lasts forever, except the day before you start your vacation.” – Gayland Anderson

No truer words have been spoken! Anticipation of an upcoming trip is still high on my list of things I look forward to.

“You define a good flight by negatives: you didn’t get hijacked, you didn’t crash, you didn’t throw up, you weren’t late, you weren’t nauseated by the food. So you are grateful.” – Paul Theroux

The beauty of a new thing isn’t that it’s perfect or that it will instantly replace everything that was similar that came before. It’s the start of a new branch of something that can one day become amazing and transformative. Air travel started out rough (both figuratively and literally) and has gotten to the point where it can be a joy to sit down on a flight. I am grateful for that.

“You can’t control the past, but you can control where you go next.” – Kirsten Hubbard

Again we talk about control. While our journey should be allowed to happen as it happens, that doesn’t mean that sometimes you can’t point it in another direction. As winter approaches here, south seems prudent to me right now.

“I wonder if the ocean smells different on the other side of the world.” – J.A. Redmerski

Take it from me, it does. Everything does. Expectation often colors our reality. Color away my friends, color away.

“And that’s the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind.” – Dave Barry

Haha, family travel is a great way to experience the exact same trip from multiple points of view. A parent and a toddler can have the exact same day yet have very different takes on a situation. Same can be said for travel. Want to see the world differently? Explore it via your children and you’ll have a whole new understanding of the world. Hopefully it’s a positive experience for everyone but if not, at least there’s probably a good story in there somewhere.

May your travels be filled with laughter and joy. Remember, every journey is an opportunity for new stories and a good chuckle. Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer, especially when it comes with a side of laughter!

What if all you need is a little spark to turn that daydream into reality? If so, we’ve got just the thing for you – some of the most heartwarming and awe-inspiring quotes to awaken your wanderlust.

So buckle up and let your imagination soar as we dive into the best inspirational family vacation quotes to inspire your wanderlust. Don’t forget to hit that share button; your family and friends might need a little inspiration too!

Preserving your family vacation memories

Capturing those perfect family vacation moments is one thing, but preserving them in a way that does justice to those irreplaceable memories is another. We recently tried out MIXPIX 8″ x 8″ Lightfoam Tiles from CanvasDiscount.com and were really happy with the results.

What sets these tiles apart is the option to frame them. Another feature we found useful was the included Magnetic Hanger Set, which simplified the installation process.

The foam tiles themselves seem really lightweight and durable, allowing for easy rearrangement whenever we want to showcase different memories.

The best part? Shipping is FREE when you buy 10 tiles.

We’ve showcased our family trips in a gallery wall, and every time we walk past it, we’re transported back to those special places and times.

Ready to create your own memory wall with MIXPIX Lightfoam Tiles or cheap canvas prints from CanvasDiscount.com?

Click here to buy and get started.

Family Vacation Quotes

Craving some family adventure but need that extra push to make it happen? Dive into our curated list of the best inspirational family vacation quotes to inspire your wanderlust and get you packing faster than you can say bon voyage!

Ready to jet-set? Let’s go!

Favorite Family Vacation Quotes

Deciding not to travel with kids because they won’t remember is like not reading them books because they won’t remember the stories you read them. – Unknown

Children will not remember you for the vacation you provided, but for the way you made them feel during that vacation. – Allen Richardson

Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport. – Saber Ben Hassen

If we experienced life through the eyes of a child, everything would be magical and extraordinary. Let our curiosity, adventure, and wonder of life never end. – Akiane Kramarik

Short Vacation Quotes

Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion. – Leigh Hunt

My ideal travel companions are my family. – Pharrell Williams

It is never too early to begin exploring the world. – Unknown

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. – Confucius

Not all classrooms have four walls. – Cynthia Martinez

Don’t count the days. Make the days count. – Muhammad Ali

Happiness is only real when shared. – Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Take only memories, leave only footprints. – Chief Seattle

Funny Vacation Quotes

Are we there yet? – Unknown

There are two kinds of travel: first class and with children. – Robert Benchley

A road trip is a way for the whole family to spend time together and annoy each other in interesting new places. – Tom Lichtenheld

Why aren’t we flying? Because getting there is half the fun. You know that. – Clark Griswold, National Lampoon’s Vacation

Inspiring Family Vacation Quotes

Travel is not reward for working, it’s education for living. – Anthony Bourdain

When you travel with children you are giving something that can never be taken away: experience, exposure, and a way of life. – Pamela Chandler

Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends. – Maya Angelou

I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses. – Bill Bryson

Summer Vacation Quotes

A family vacation is a good time to bond and make memories that last a lifetime. – Steve Harvey

And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling. – Shanti

A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in. – Robert Orben

The tans will fade, but the memories will last forever. – Unknown

Vacations are meant to be shared with the people we love the most. – Unknown

Family Trip Quotes for Instagram

Of all the paths in life you take, make sure a few of them are dirt. – John Muir

And that’s the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind. – Dave Barry

Travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate souvenir is a broader perspective. – Rick Steves

Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow. – Anita Desai

People don’t take trips; trips take people. – John Steinbeck

Family Road Trip Quotes

Life is too short to not go on that spontaneous road trip with your family. – Fred Connors

Some roads aren’t meant to be traveled alone. – Chinese Proverb

If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. – African Proverb, Martha Goedert

Road trips are the equivalent of human wings. Ask me to go on one, anywhere. We’ll stop in every small town and learn the history and stories, feel the ground, and capture the spirit. Then, we’ll turn it into our own story that will live inside our history to carry with us always. Because stories are more important than things. – Victoria Erickson

What’s your favorite place? I don’t have a favorite place, I have my favorite people. And, whenever I’m with my favorite people, it becomes my favorite place. – Nivaz Ahmad

The journey is the destination when you’re on a road trip with family. – Unknown

Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show. – Unknown

Happy Vacation Quotes

The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories. – Og Mandino

The world is full of travellers. Once in a year go to someplace you have never been before. You will meet Confused seekers, Hopeful wanderers, Enthusiastic story-tellers, Happy families. Look into their eyes and stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead any moment. Look at the world. It’s more beautiful than any dream you’d have ever seen. Make the most beautiful travel diary and open it up your third generation because only your grandchildren will understand what your children will fail to. – Ranjani Ramachandran

Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings. These memories will never be forgotten by your children. – Ezra Taft Benson

Profound Family Trip Quotes

At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent. – Barbara Bush

In the end, kids won’t remember that fancy toy you bought them, they will remember the time you spent with them. – Kevin Heath

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. – Mark Twain

There are no perfect parents and there are no perfect children, but there are plenty of perfect moments along the way. – Dave Willis

Every day we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. – Charles R Swindoll

The average food item on a U.S. grocery shelf has traveled farther than most families go on their annual vacations. – Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life)

Education and Travel Quotes

The best education you will ever get is traveling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences. – Mark Paterson

Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves. – Euripides

Travel in the younger sort is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. – Francis Bacon

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. – Aristotle

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. – Franklin P. Jones

Travel is like an endless university. You never stop learning. – Harvey Lloyd

Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best. – Bob Talbert

I think that the best thing we can do for our children is to allow them to do things for themselves, allow them to be strong, allow them to experience life on their own terms, allow them to take the subway… let them be better people, let them believe more in themselves. – JoyBell C.

Family Adventure Quotes

In every voyage, be fully present. – Lailah Gifty Akita (Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind)

But even the best lives need a vacation and, let’s face it, renting a house with your family at a ski resort is not a vacation. It’s basically moving your life from one location to another. Unless someone else is making the beds, doing the laundry, and cooking, it’s just the same old life with the added inconvenience of not knowing where anything is in the kitchen. – Laurie Gelman (Class Mom)

Two of the greatest gifts we can give our children are roots and wings. – Hodding Carter

Cookies, a dragon dog, and a sword: what every well-equipped little girl takes on a journey. – Deborah Blake (Wickedly Ever After (Baba Yaga, #2.5))

Don’t just tell your children about the world, show them. – Penny Whitehouse

Cookies, a dragon dog, and a sword: what every well-equipped little girl takes on a journey. – Deborah Blake (Wickedly Ever After (Baba Yaga, #2.5)

May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home. – Trenton Lee Stewart

Unusual Family Vacation Quotes

The world is a playground, and life is pushing my swing. – Natalie Kocsis

What do parents owe their young that is more important than a warm and trusting connection to the Earth? – Theodore Roszak

We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. In my children’s memories, the adventures we’ve had together in nature will always exist. – Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal. – Paulo Coelho

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. – Unknown

You go through life wondering what is it all about but at the end of the day it’s all about family. – Rod Stewart

Children have always travelled, and because they are young and bright and full of contradictions, they haven’t always restricted their travel to the possible. Children follow the foxes, and open the wardrobes, and peek beneath the bridge. Children climb the walls and fall down the wells and run the razor’s edge of possibility until sometimes, just sometimes, the possible surrenders and shows them the way to go home. – Seanan McGuire

Vacation Quotes Kids Will Love

In fairy tales it’s always the children who have the fine adventures. – Audrey Niffenegger

Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures. – Lewis Carroll

Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures. – Lovelle Drachman

Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. – Lilo and Stitch

Any day spent with you is my favorite day. – A.A. Milne

It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy… Let’s go exploring! – Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes

Oh, the places you’ll go. – Dr. Seuss

Inspiring Family Vacation Quotes

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million. – Walt Streightiff

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. – Dr. Seuss

To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today. – Barbara Johnson

Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more. – Robin Hobb

Together in our house, in the firelight, we are the world made small. – Jennifer Donnelly

Own only what you can always carry with you: known languages, known countries, known people. Let your memory be your travel bag. – Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but having new eyes. – Marcel Proust

The best memories are those of people you love, the places you have seen together, and the experiences you have shared with one another. – Anonymous

There you have it, folks – our handpicked list of the best family vacation quotes to get your wanderlust gears turning.

Whether you’re planning your next big adventure or just daydreaming, we hope these quotes inspire you to pack those bags and make some unforgettable memories with your loved ones.

Safe travels!

As any seasoned traveler can tell you, airports, train stations, land border crossings and ship ports can be home to some of the most stressful moments while traveling. The truth is, no matter where you go, arriving in a new destination can be disorienting.

Foreign languages, unfamiliar customs, fear of being scammed, and the uncertainty of how to get where you need to go can all play havoc as you leave one country and enter another. While smaller crossings can seem the quietest or easiest, that’s not always the case when you’re in a foreign country and the lack of infrastructure at a smaller terminal can actually makes things worse.

Sometimes the sheer size of the airport, bus terminal or port can be overwhelming and leave you lost. Couple that with time changes, heightened security, a mountain of baggage, jet lag, lack of movement for hours on end and differences in air pressure, heat and even humidity can often make you wonder if leaving home is worth all the aggravation.

More travel tips:

• Our Best Holiday Travel Tips and Hacks
• Budget Travel Tips for Your Family Vacation to Europe
• 25 Great Tips For Planning Your Trip From Top Travel Bloggers
• 13 Expert Tips for Family Travel on a Budget

We can honestly say that while we love to travel, and having been to the far corners of the world and back again, dealing with hectic border crossings can tire out even the seasoned traveler. While those moments are often few and far for most trips, they can still lead to panic for those not accustomed to some of the worlds more zanier border crossings.

In this post I’m going to list a few of our more memorable border crossings, how we dealt with them and the lessons we learned. Don’t worry, once you read everything you’ll be crossing borders like a pro too!

Dealing with touts. Pick me! Pick me!

One of the most chaotic moments for any traveler, whether they’re seasoned pros or first time out-of-towners, is going to be dealing with touts as they enter or leave a country.

Tout (noun).

A person soliciting custom or business, typically in an aggressive or bold manner.

The truth is, touts flock to ports and airports for exactly the same reasons you hate being there. You’re tired, and a little unsure about your next step, and the touts are ready to use that to their advantage.

Nowhere in our travels was this more evident than when we arrived via ferry from the relative calm of Melaka, Malaysia into the craziness of Dumai on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The day we stepped off the ferry in Dumai, craziness literally engulfed us.

After one of the coldest ferry rides in the known universe (seriously, it was sweltering outside but we could see our breath inside the air conditioned ferry), we made our way from the water ferry to the small building welcoming us into the country. Before a single person even exited the water ferry, the local touts were already shouting to get our attention. Luckily, they were still far enough away that each voice was indistinct, but as we left the building after passing through customs, the real chaos erupted.

As we walked the long fenced off ramp down to the landing, what seemed like hundreds of voices were shouting at us to use their taxi, take their tour or come to their hotel. The volume was insane. At that moment, Micki and I severely questioned our decision to come to Indonesia.

The closer we got to the end of the ramp, it got even worse as hundreds of arms tried to grab us to get our attention. Imagine a hallway of arms and a hundred touts screaming for your attention (and not using their nice inside voices) and you might have an idea of our situation.

Luckily, we had read a little about this phenomenon and picked a random driver from the crowd and used them as a shield to further our escape. It seemed the moment we had chosen someone that the majority of the other touts backed away and looked for fresher meat.

We’re not sure we chose well or not, but our choice eventually lead to the most ridiculous, fingernails embedded in the dash, nine hour rally road ride of our lives but, as always, that’s another story.

Lessons learned about dealing with touts

We learned quite a few things that day, the least of which is that when arriving in another country, it’s important to always have a game plan and sometimes, the tout you choose isn’t as important as the speed of your decision.

When arriving in a new location, always know where you want to go and hold fast to your decision.

It also helps if you have a pre-booked room somewhere so the driver can’t supplant their choice of place (with a nice kickback for them) rather than yours.

While you’ll often be charged higher rates for taxi and bus rides from most ports (whether that be bus, train, air or ferry) compared to the average prices in town (don’t worry, it’s pretty much a universal thing in every country), try to have an idea of what it typically costs.

There are lots of websites out there where you can get that information, but in the end don’t be surprised if you have to pay more than you expect. If it’s a lot more, feel free to negotiate a better price or ask one of their competitors. Just realize that the majority of touts have a common number they’re going to tell you the first time you ask and it’s not often they’ll undercut someone who might be seen as a competitor to you, but could very well be a friend, family member or even someone working for the same company.

Another option is to push past the loudest and most aggressive touts and either seek someone less pushy or someone not actively seeking your business. We’ve found some of the best deals this way. However, we’ve occasionally gotten so far past the throng of touts that we can’t find any one willing to drive us to our hotel and had to double back.

A final option, depending on the port’s location, is to just walk directly to your hotel or take a local bus a block or two away from the port. Of course, this totally depends on the how close the port is to everything, so make sure you’ve done your homework before going this route. Also be mindful about security if you’re in a more dangerous country since straying from the norm could make you a target.

The slow bus from hell and chaotic border crossings

Transportation from one country to another can sometimes be tricky. Some places, like the Schengen countries in Europe, have no real border crossings, so going from place to place can be as simple as jumping on a bus and getting off at your destination.

While renting your own car is almost always an option to bounce between smaller countries, you’ll need to deal with unfamiliar driving laws and customs, likely need to get a car insurance quote , and possibly even drive on the wrong side of the road. There’s also a chance that the vehicle itself won’t be allowed over the border, due to insurance, ownership, or registration issues. We almost always take public transit across border crossings for that very reason to reduce hassle.

Some border crossings require you to get off one bus and get onto another after passing through customs, though sometimes you get back on the same bus and keep traveling. These organized border crossing buses can be a boon or a bust depending on the situation.

No where was this more apparent to us than the time Micki and I crossed from Thailand into Cambodia. Rather than jumping on the backpacker bus out of Bangkok (widely known at the time as the slow bus from hell), we decided to go it ourselves.

After doing a bit of research, we settled on a plan. First, we would purchase tickets for a much nicer air conditioned bus that left hours later than the early morning backpacker bus. Once we got to the Cambodian border, we would pay our fee and cross over before hiring a private car to take us all the way to Siem Reap.

It all sounded easy on paper. However, the truth is the border crossing itself was insanely chaotic and left us doubting our choice to stray from the pack.

For instance, we knew there was a crossing fee, but there were people all over trying to collect it. Once the crossing fee nightmare was dealt with, finding a ride the rest of the way was a little crazy as well, since most of the people had passed through earlier and taken the best transportation.

Long story short, we finally found a car to take us to Siem Reap. A few minutes later, we passed the overloaded Backpacker bus that had left hours before ours. Not only was the bus traveling much slower than us, but they had their windows rolled down and the dust that was flying in through the open windows made everyone in it look dusty and miserable. The bus also seemed to bottom out on every pothole they passed, which couldn’t have been very fun.

As we cruised by in the comfort of our private air conditioned sedan, we realized that those few minutes of chaos at the border didn’t diminish the fact that we drove in comfort on both sides of the border for literally only a few dollars more and still arrived hours before the slow bus.

Lessons learned about chaotic border crossings

If you’re crossing a border in a foreign country and aren’t sure how it works, do some research. You can find nearly everything you need online. If you feel safe and comfortable doing so, don’t be afraid to leave the group and do your own thing. Not only can you often save money and time, you can often do it in greater comfort.

Also, especially at more chaotic border crossings, it’s always important to keep your head. Corruption is fairly rampant in many countries and the chance to pull a fast one over on a rich foreigner is often too easy for unscrupulous people to pass up regardless of how poor you might actually be. That’s why it’s important to mind your belongings, and definitely don’t be too ostentatious. Flashy rings and jewelry, as well as expensive clothes and luggage, only heightens the differences and can make you a target.

When it doubt as to whether someone is an official or not, best not to disrespect them. Feel free to question things, but don’t be belligerent or threatening. It won’t endear you to anyone and could land you into troubled water. If you did your research you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect regardless.

Some border crossings, like the Thailand-Cambodia one back then, are more of an outdoor free for all where buses, cars, people and officials all mill about. It was easy for people to think that an official looking person was actually an official and we had no less than five official looking people approach us for payment at different times. Turns out none of them were actual border officials, so we eventually found the person who was the real official, paid our amount and continued on our way.

Choose your routes carefully

The old saying that the journey is often greater than the destination isn’t wrong. Some of our strongest memories after years of travel are the moments in between destinations. While some see them as merely an inconvenience, we’ve realized that the journey can oftentimes outweigh the destination.

No where is this more apparent than when we went to Morocco with our kids. Instead of jumping on a cheap flight and being there in hours, we wanted to see some of the country from a different perspective. That’s why as we left Andalusia, Spain and crossed over the Strait of Gibraltar into Africa, we knew it was going to be a long day.

Forgoing a cheap flight, we decided to travel by every other mode of transportation possible to get into Morocco. By the time we had arrived at our Riad in Marrakesh, we had spent no less than 24 hours taking taxis, buses, a ferry and an overnight train to get there. Considering we had two young children in tow, it was a decent feat even for us.

It was a great journey without any real problems. However, what probably saved us the most hassle was choosing a ferry that landed at the smaller port closer to town, rather than the main port on the outskirts. The caveat to that is we had to be pretty organized, considering that the ferry we chose only left twice a day.

Like a lot of port cities in poorer countries, Tangiers is also well known for its touts. Luckily, the port this particular ferry landed at had only a small fraction of touts the larger and busier port had. Since the smaller port was in town, we managed to get a local taxi that only charged us a few dollars to drop us off at a restaurant, where we killed a few hours before jumping on our overnight train.

The bonus is that the taxi driver liked us, so he waited while we ate. After that, he took us on a short tour of Tangiers before dropping us off at the train station. We gave him twice his asking rate simply because he was so helpful. Again, it never hurts to be nice and everyone benefitted.

Lessons learned from choosing your route wisely

By choosing our route carefully, we managed to make a long journey doable for a family of four with small children. We planned ahead, did a ton of research, had a few contingency plans in case something didn’t go as planned, and then actually enjoyed our journey.

That particular trip shows that timing matters at border crossings. We gave ourselves an extra hour here and there in case a bus ran late or we had trouble flagging down a taxi in time, a real problem we’ve had on numerous occasions where taxi service was a complete hit or miss.

Tip! One of the troubles with doing things independently is that an empty bus or taxi makes no money, so if you’re not someplace busy or popular, every taxi you spot is likely already full, meaning finding an empty one can often take longer than just waiting in line other places. Make sure you factor that in when doing your calculations. Also know that while Lyft and Uber are getting more popular the world over, they still aren’t everywhere yet and you need a WIFI or data connection to hail them.

The second thing we learned on this journey is that location matters. Had we chosen to take the larger, busier ferry from Spain, we would have been descended on by a horde of touts and forced to overpay for a taxi or bus back into the city. By going with the slightly smaller ferry that landed right in town, due to the much shorter customs lines and no need for a taxi, we actually ended up saving both time and money getting exactly where we needed to be with much less hassle.

So sometimes a smaller border crossing makes more sense than a larger border crossing. However, always do your research, because smaller border crossings often have reduced hours and if there is a problem it can often take longer to sort out due to lack of staff or language issues.

Airports and the need for due process

While the above examples deal more with border crossings in Southeast Asia and Morocco, many European border crossings come with their own issues. From ever changing paperwork, to hidden airport fees, to tighter time allowances and banned items not allowed on flights, sometimes it can be more work to cross from one European or North American country to another.

While you may , or may not, have to deal with as much corruption, sometimes bureaucracy can make a border crossing nearly unbearable.

On top of that, when 9/11 hit the USA, airports and even land border crossings changed how every country around the world now dealt with border crossings. Increased security increased lineups, which in turn increased wait times. Now that’s all good from a safety aspect, but it can make the whole process wish you stayed home.

Luckily, these are generally easier to navigate. Besides for a lost pocket knife or two, some nail clippers years ago, and more drinks than I’m comfortable admitting to (when you have kids you carry liquids, what can I say) we haven’t been overly affected by European or North American style border crossings.

Now that doesn’t say how many times we barely made a connecting flight due to overlong customs lineups or having to run a mile through an oversized airport with a carryon and a small child in my arms, but there are a few stories of insight in there.

Like the time we got off a plane into Columbia and all the Canadians on board were herded into a line far from all the rest of the passengers in customs and had to pay a $80 a person fee, since Columbia was annoyed that Canada was charging them a similar visa entry fee.

The frustration and annoyance in that lineup was almost scary. Since the credit card machine was down, any people without the cash were stuck in customs until either the machine got repaired or they came up with the money. Luckily, we had cash on us.

That brings up an important tip, always travel with some USD currency (it’s the most widely accepted the world over) and some local currency. We’ll often grab some local currency at the first ATM we come across the airport however, be careful because sometimes these have extra fees. Another classic option is to convert some money before we go or hit an in airport currency house and change some money over. (Again be careful they don’t severely overcharge you.)

Many airports around the world have fees as you pass through customs that aren’t prepaid with your ticket. While most accept credit cards, it never hurts to have a few extra dollars to cover the costs.

In this particular instance they wanted us to pay for the kids as well, but we managed to talk them out of it. So again, be nice but feel free to question things.

Beware the layover in a foreign country

Another example of issues of border crossings is the dreaded layover.

As Canadians, we often fly through the US to get down south. Whether we’re headed to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central or South America, the odds are that we’ll have to switch planes somewhere in the US. While this isn’t a problem per say, this also means that we have to go through US customs regardless of where we eventually end up.

This means getting out of the plane, grabbing all our things and then going through US customs before doing it all again for the next country. This process often takes longer than we expect and is why we never book flights too close together when traveling through another country. To be honest, more often than not, we’ll usually take the opportunity to explore whatever city we land in for a day or two since we have to go through customs regardless.

Now the biggest issue with this is that next to increased time, while you are in that layover country you are under the same laws as if you are staying there regardless of never leaving the airport.

For instance, on one trip, our son’s passport developed a rip that we hadn’t noticed. Of course it had to be the main page, but the rip wasn’t big and didn’t really affect the ability to read the passport. It hadn’t even ripped completely off. However, as we passed through US customs on our way to Mexico the US customs agent said that they wouldn’t allow a defaced passport to enter the country. Never mind that our son was six years old or that we were literally on our way to our next flight out of their country within the hour.

At that point we were already in the US and would have needed to get back on a plane home or somehow managed to get a new passport issued via the Canada Embassy without leaving the airport. Either way it meant time and lots of money to cancel all our plans.

Luckily in this instance, their boss was within hearing distance and eventually came over to see what all the fuss was. After listening to the customs agent and then looking at us he grabbed a piece of tape, taped the ripped passport and sent us on our way.

The lesson in this story is that no matter your destination, any customs agent, regardless of how close you are to a border has the power to refuse you entry and can severely impede your travels. A second lesson is to always be prepared and in this specific case, make sure your passport and any needed visas are in order before you leave your current location.

Tips for mastering border crossings like a pro

No matter where you travel to, the minute you exit one country you’re crossing into another. Sometimes this can be as easy as tilting your seat back and ordering another drink and sometimes it can mean grabbing every piece of luggage you have and navigating an endless horde of touts or, even worse, bureaucrats.

Regardless of how you got there, there are always a few things to remember.

The first is to do your homework. A few minutes of research is all it takes to let you know what to expect and what steps you’ll need to take to keep your travels going smoothly. Don’t always expect that someone there will make it easy for you. It might come as a shock to some people, however it’s very likely that many, many people have done whatever you’re attempting to do and at least one or two have thankfully written it down to help you out.

Secondly, relax. Take a breath. Check out what’s happening around you. Almost no situations have gotten better because someone got angry or careless.

If you’re surrounded by touts, choose one and move on or tell them all no thank you and decide for yourself what you want. You might decide that it’s easier to pay their inflated prices than argue for a better deal. Chances are the price isn’t so extravagant that it’s worth your energy. Especially after a long day on the road.

If you’re dealing with bureaucracy, God have mercy on your soul. Haha, just kidding. Chances are that everything will be sorted out and you’ll be on your way eventually. Just be patient and keep calm. If things really aren’t going your way, try to find their boss or someone else who is more sympathetic to your needs.

Be safe! While ports and border crossings are generally secure, they’re also an area of confusion for some. Always be vigilant and pay more attention to your bags, since areas of change usually also means it’s an area of opportunity. Now is the time for you to take that opportunity to get your bearings, don’t let someone take that same opportunity to take your stuff.

Above all, enjoy the journey! As you exit one country, you’re entering a new one. Those first few moments might create a lasting impression on you. Don’t judge a country by its initial lack of infrastructure or its overdemanding one.

While ports of all kinds are great places to meet people from other countries, they’re not necessarily the best to meet the locals. Give it time, you’ll have plenty of it once you get out there experiencing whatever brought you there in the first place.

Lastly, have Fun! After all, isn’t that why we all travel in the first place.

Have any great border crossing stories you want to share? Maybe you have a great tidbit of advice to give. Leave us a comment down below.

As frequent travelers with both a teenager and a tween, we’ve witnessed the good and all the bad when traveling with someone whose moods and hormones can fluctuate like a duck on a pogo stick.

The good news is that you can travel with a teen!

Benefits of traveling with a teen or tween

Mood swings and occasional disdain aside, teens can make great travel partners. Not only are they now better at communicating, they can sit still for hours and can better occupy themselves during extended travel or down times. Some can even tolerate museums, art exhibits, and even enjoy the odd architecture tour, which is something we dreaded when our kids were younger.

Teens and tweens can also better create and hold onto memories than younger children can.

We’ve traveled with our children since they were babies, and it always surprises us of what they do and don’t remember about our previous travels. We’ve definitely discovered that they retain way more now, as well as better understand the cultural and historical significance of the places we often stop at. They even sometimes surprise us with their knowledge of certain events and people that made a landmark important in the first place.

Another big plus of traveling with teens is that teens and tweens can generally do the same physical activities we as parents enjoy, such as extended hiking, ziplining, biking, waterslides, and even going on scary amusement park rides.

Travel memories with your teen

I can now look back at certain moments of my childhood with a certain clarity. That’s right, I can remember in perfect detail what that 14 year old teenage me was thinking as I walked into a Disney theme park and compare it to the first time I went when I was only seven. I can even compare it against the 21 year old me’s thoughts as well.

To say that my memories and mindset were in vastly different places would be an understatement. I was at a different place in my life at each age. Not only were my expectations and enjoyment different, but I was different both physically and emotionally.

Trust me, you probably don’t want to know exactly what’s going on in your teenager’s head, however, if you realize that they’re their own person and have their own thoughts, expectations, problems, likes and dislikes, you’ve just discovered the best secret to successfully traveling with a teen.

Why you should travel with a teen or tween

As I get older, I realize I have years of my childhood where I have no significant memories, outside of a few school events or family emergencies. I’m guessing this is common for most of you. We often don’t remember the day to day events of our past and really, why should we?

The fact that I can remember our family trips so vividly is important because it not only gives me glimpses of my past, but helps me realize that the memories my kids carry forward likely won’t be the hours of video games we’ve played together, or throwing the ball around in the backyard or the neighborhood hikes, but of places and events so out of the ordinary that they create a time stamp of their past.

The reason I say that is because even though our teens and tweens are constantly marching towards adulthood, the memories they look back upon will likely determine how they move forward.

Isn’t a memory of shared time, exploration, discovery, adventure and culture one of the best gifts a parent can give their child?

Don’t believe me? In terms of travel, many families will look back at shared trips with a certain fondness, even though regular day to day family life was a struggle for them.

I think the reason for this isn’t the location or sights you see. Often, just the fact that you spend quality time with your teen, experiencing things together, trying new things, getting out of your normal habits and putting their enjoyment occasionally over your own, creates these lasting memories. The rest is just a bonus.

Understanding your teen

Every time I go back to Disney Parks as an adult, I’m reminded not so much how it’s changed, but how I have changed over the years and what my mindset was each time I went there.

The first time I went at age seven, my family took three weeks off and we all drove down to California to check out Disneyland. I can still remember most of the rides and the thrill at being at my first true amusement park. To say it was magical would be an understatement.

Fast forward seven years and now I’m walking into Disney World in Florida for the first time. Considered the jewel of the Disney empire, what did that 14 year old have to say as he crossed the fabled gates? “Ugh, how long do we have to be here?“

So what had changed? The park still had its familiar castle and rides, it had characters I grew up with both old and new, it had everything I remembered from that first visit and much more.

The difference was obviously me. I was going through the awkward growing pains of adolescence. Yup, I was in my teen years.

To make matters worse, I was there with my cousins who were so excited to be there that they could barely contain themselves. The moment we walked in they were literally vibrating with enthusiasm.

My parents, who were supportive as usual, couldn’t understand why I was so bitter. The truth is, even I didn’t know why. They had just spent a small fortune flying with a teenager out to California, and tickets to theme parks aren’t cheap.

I’m not exactly sure when or why it happened, but somewhere that day the unhappy teen cynic that I had become took the day off and I ended up enjoying myself no matter how hard I fought against it. Some might say that it was just the magic of Disney, but given the right circumstances, it could as well apply to any place in the world.

So, what can make even the sourest teen laugh out loud in delight? Well, let’s go over a few suggestions on travel with teens and let’s find out.

Tips for traveling with teens and tweens

Now that we have a teenager and tween of our own, we’re constantly trying to figure out new ways to appeal to their likes and dislikes, and also keep the whole family happy and entertained when we travel. If you have a tween or teen of your own you’ll understand. If yours aren’t there yet, just keep some of these travel with tweens and teens tips handy. You’ll thank us later.

Keep your teen informed

The most important thing we’ve discovered when taking either a teen or tween someplace down the street (or anyplace in the world for that matter), is to give them options and keep them in the loop. Younger children are often happy to just follow along, but teens like to know what’s going on.

Don’t worry about giving them too much information (unless they ask for more details), but make sure they know what’s going to happen beforehand.

Yes, your first instinct might be to skip talking about the two hour bus ride you all have to take, or the overly long airport connection you’re going to have to sit through, but all that’s going to happen is they’re going to resent you once it happens. Give them the info beforehand and tell them that it’s required to make this trip happen.

If your child understands it has to happen regardless of anyone’s choice, they’re more likely to go along with it and hopefully make peace with it before it even begins. There’s also the added bonus that they’re now in the adult loop, which is what most teens crave for anyway.

Telling them beforehand puts them in the right mind space and lets you prepare for possible fallout before it happens. Having a plan to tackle inevitable boredom with video games, books or pre-downloaded Netflix movies isn’t a bad idea either.

Get your teen on board

If you want your teen or tween to feel like this trip isn’t all just about what you want, get their input in the planning stages. Everyone is much more likely to go along with a plan they helped establish.

It doesn’t mean giving in to every one of their demands, but give them options and let them choose from what you find acceptable. If they really don’t want to go, give them a small win by letting them choose the restaurant you’ll eat at that night or picking out the next movie you all watch together.

It doesn’t have to be much, but teens often feel like they have no control over their lives, and often rightly so. If they feel like they can control one aspect of the trip, it should help with the rest of it.

Let your teen help plan the vacation

Want to get your teen excited about your next trip? Give them some material to research before you leave, whether that’s a guidebook, a YouTube video or a couple websites for them to peruse.

YouTube videos are a huge hit with our kids. We often search for videos of the places we’re thinking of going to, and watch them as a family.

Given a little nudge, you might be surprised what interesting research your children do on their own. Whether they read about it in school, have a friend who talked about it, or whether they saw it online, searching for a few answers to a question they have about a place can lead to a desire to find the answer out themselves. This desire can even lead to excitement and that’s the best any parent can ask for in regards to their teen.

Give your teen some space when you travel

Nope, not talking about Space Mountain (but that is an awesome ride for teens), the trick is to give your teen and tween room before and after the days major events. Whether you’re checking out an amusement park, walking through ancient cathedrals or hiking the alps, everyone needs a little time to decompress after a long day of seeing the sites.

Whether that means getting them their own room or just upscaling your accommodations for a bigger sitting area, we’ve found giving our teenager space to relax and unwind pays for itself in peace of mind for everyone.

Tip: At this point in their lives, teens are going through changes, both physically and emotionally. Give them a chance to recharge their batteries at their own pace and they won’t be such a drain on yours.

Split up the group occasionally

It hurts me to say it, but the truth is, not everyone loves roller coasters and not everyone likes magical rowboats. If you find yourself traveling with two or more children of different ages, their interests might not crossover so well. Accept that and split the group up as needed to keep everyone happy.

If you do split up, arrange meet up times so you can swap parents and make sure to choose some activities you’ll all enjoy together so you can make family memories you share. Travel means different things to different people. It only makes sense that your growing children have their own passions they want to follow too.

Let the older kids play

This one is hard for most of us to accept, but your older teen is almost an adult. If they’re comfortable exploring an area on their own, and it’s safe, let them. Just make sure that, as above, you have pre-determined times and places to meet up so you can all have some shared memories as well.

This applies to major sites and activities, as well as amusement parks. Smartphones make it particularly easy to regroup later.

We used to travel with walkie-talkies when the kids were younger. When one of us went to run an errand or take the kids to the beach or someplace similar, it made splitting up into teams so much easier to regroup after.

Schedule some down time

After traveling to more than 30 countries with our children, often for months at a time, the one thing we always make sure to do is schedule in some down days. Whether you’re visiting Disney World or Universal Studios with your teens, exploring quirky and unusual things to do in London, checking out the Louvre in Paris, or gallivanting around the Galapagos Islands with your tween, everyone gets burnout eventually.

When you’re tired and cranky, standing in line or waiting around in the sun can make a good day become a bad day. Unless you’re a family whose members all have extremely high energy, don’t schedule something for every second.

Instead, enjoy a day off in the pool. Hit up a spa while letting your teen get a few solitary hours full of gaming, watching YouTube, reading a book or even checking out their social media and chatting with friends back home. It will go a long way to making every memory a good memory and the holiday a success.

These days, we’d rather miss out on an “OMG, we have to see this while we’re here” place than overburden the family. If it’s high enough on the list, it will happen regardless and if it’s not, there’s always next time. For us, the flow of travel is often more important than the destination.

Choose your destination carefully

Your children are getting older. Soon they’ll be traveling on their own. Try to pick out places today that you’ll all enjoy experiencing.

If you crave a tour of Ireland’s pubs, or a quiet remote island getaway, it might be prudent to visit those after the kids have moved out. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit certain places, it just means that you should consider what your family members will get out of the trip as well.

This realization has rearranged our travel lately more than anything. When our kids became teens and tweens, we realized that it opened up a lot of possibilities that we didn’t have when we traveled with young children.

For one, we can now go enjoy a parent’s night out since our kids are old enough to safely stay on their own for a few hours. We can now do activities that the kids were just too young to take part in like ziplining or mountain climbing. We can visit places we held off because the thought of little ones zooming around gave us panic attacks before we even got there.

On the down side, traveling with teens can get expensive quickly, since in most places they’re charged full adult fares. Don’t even get me started on their much bigger, and more expensive, eating habits. All these combined made us realize that traveling with teens is different than traveling with younger kids, but can still be just as rewarding.

Make your own memories

One of the biggest reasons people travel is to make new memories, to include special places and events that stand out from everyday life.

That’s why it’s just as important to not only see something you’ve only seen in print or online, but create a few strong memories to stay with you long after your trip has ended.

The truth is I’d rather have a single great shared memory of specific time and place with my teen than a jumble of memories all intertwined.

As an example I’m going to go back to the very first time I visited Disney when I was seven. After a very long day of rides, getting autographs signed and watching all the shows, my father and I were feeling burnt out. My older siblings wanted to go on a few more rides, but we needed a break.

My mom decided to take my brother and sister on a few of the bigger rides while my dad and I hung back. It turns out that my sister got motion sickness and my brother lost a shoe or something. It’s not my memory but it is one forever shared by my mother and her two tweens.

My memory is of my father and I stealing away into one of the little bakeries and each having a huge $5 piece of chocolate cake with a little blob of ice cream on it. Seeing this is well over 30 years ago, that was a lot of money for a piece of cake regardless of where we bought it.

The kicker? I can clearly remember my dad looking down at me and saying itwas worth it. To this day, I have yet to taste a chocolate cake that was as delicious and rich as that cake was and, for all the fun and excitement that day brought, that specific memory is still the most vivid of that entire trip and one of my most cherished.

Enjoy the moment

The fun part about when you travel with teens and kids in general is that you never know which moment will be the memory everyone keeps. For you, it might be having that perfect croissant while looking up at the Eiffel Tower with your children at your side. For your teen, it might be standing in line at the airport when someone’s bag failed to show up and their dad chewing out the poor baggage handler.

Teens have their own view of the world, and their own take on what’s important to them. Don’t be afraid to listen to them, they might shed light on things you’ve never thought of and have ideas you’ve never dreamed of.

Just realize that they’re people too and what’s important to them is what’s important to them. Understand that and you’re on your way to having one of the best trips of your life and a shared memory that will last forever.

Are you putting off your dreams of exploring far off places for fear of schoolwork and activities your kids will miss out on while they’re gone?

Have you fell in love with the notion of worldschooling your children to make them better global citizens but don’t love the idea of having to become their teacher as well as parent and now travel guide?

Not convinced that homeschooling while you travel will work for you but convinced that homeschooling and long term travel have to be synonymous?

Well, I can’t say how your kids or your family will deal with worldschooling, however, I can tell you about our personal experience with educating our kids while we travel the world.

Is worldschooling for everyone?

Before we answer that, I believe it’s important to define worldschooling. In its simplest form, worldschooling is getting an education while you travel, with an emphasis on incorporating your journey into the curriculum.

Traditional Worldschooling Methods

While there are many ways for children to get an education while they travel, this post talks about the most common ones we, and many of our fellow travel families, have explored over the years.

Homeschooling: Where the parent takes on the role of teacher and educates the child themselves, usually with a rough outline and somewhat keeping pace with standard curriculums.

Distance education, online learning or e-learning: Where your child is enrolled in a school, but taught at a distance with a teacher, usually online.

Unschooling: Where children learn through life experiences that you or they initiate without following any standard curriculum.

Local schooling: Where children enroll in either local schools or specialized schools in the area that they’re currently visiting.

How to become a worldschooler

This post is actually in response to an email we received from a concerned mom who wanted to break away from it all and travel the world, but was nervous that her kids would miss out on going to a normal school. She wasn’t sure that worldschooling her kids was for her.

We understand her concerns and probably yours if you’re reading this. We thought long and hard about travel with kids even before we started our own family. Considering Micki and I got engaged in Thailand and then later married in New Zealand while on a year long round the world trip, you can understand our desire to keep traveling once there were more than just the two of us.

Tip! If you want to travel and homeschool your children, look into the laws about homeschooling in your country. Some, like our home country of Canada, have relatively liberal homeschooling laws, but others, like Germany, have restrictions on homeschooling.

That said, we’ve traveled with our kids since they were babies, and though we once again have a home base in Canada, that wasn’t always the case. You see, we jumped around Canada and the world for years at a time.

How We Homeschool on the Road

Once our kids were old enough, and we happened to be back in Canada for a stretch, we usually found ourselves enrolling the kids back into regular public school.

If we were gone for an extended trip, we would enroll our children into an e-learning distance education class where our kids would chat with a dedicated teacher from back home a few times a week and got assignments that way.

How we combine regular school and distance education online

In our province of British Columbia, Canada, this is called online distributed learning. It’s essentially distance education offered by our public school system. It’s a provincially accredited online K-12 program with the same curriculum as physical schools in our province.

Our kids were taught by a public school teacher employed by the online learning education department. This meant that they could go back into a regular, physical public school at any time, and be at pretty much the same place in the curriculum as other students from the grade. Many Canadian provinces offer something similar. There was no cost for this.

Typical weeks would see us emailing photos of their physical work to their teacher, and there was also some online work they had to do. As they get older and past the “learning how to write with a pencil phase”, more and more of their learning takes place online.

To stay connected, they would chat with their teacher via Skype, or by email when they needed additional help. Even though we were out on the road somewhere, our kids still roughly followed the same learning plan as they would in school back in Canada.

Unlike a lot of traveling families, we’ve never officially homeschooled our children or even unschooled them. It wasn’t that we didn’t believe in it, it’s just that neither of us ever wanted to be teachers, and for the duration of our travels we were lucky enough to have an online version of our public school curriculum. It also didn’t hurt that there was no charge, and that Canada ranks as one of the best public school systems in the world.

The nice part about e-learning, or distributed online learning as it’s called here in British Columbia, was that they still had a teacher that assigned and checked their work. We were strictly the helpers who made sure the kids completed their assigned tasks. Of course, we were also always on hand if they needed help and support.

A few bonuses to online distance education while you travel

To be honest, being able to be there for our kids is one of the biggest pluses to what we do. When you travel extensively together, you have way more hours together as a family than regular 9 to 5 working parents have.

If you enjoy your you time, don’t become a long term traveling family. You’ll likely get tired of always being together.

Luckily for us, we’ve always enjoyed spending time with each other, so our lifestyle generally works well for us.

The greatest part about following a more standard education while we travel is that we can still work, research our next move, and enjoy wherever we happen to be without also having to make sure our kids learn the basic necessities they will eventually need in life like reading, spelling and math. Having a teacher guide them also forced us to not completely ignore their schooling since, for the most part, assignments and timelines were out of our hands.

In truth, that alone kept us honest, otherwise I know a more traditional education would have faltered if it was dependent on us finding the time to create, assign, then mark their schoolwork while on the road.

World Schooling via e-learning

A cool aspect about the Canadian e-learning classes they took was that the teacher, used to dealing with students on the move around the world, would often assign projects based on where we were.

For example, our kids learned about democratic history while we were traveling in Greece, the home of democracy itself. Our son Cole was especially interested in how governing bodies are formed and who gets a say in a country’s development.

That trip they also learned about the Age of Exploration in Portugal while walking the same cliffs that Henry the Navigator walked on while ushering in the European expansion to Africa, China and the new world in the 15th century. The names of Dias, Gama, Columbus, Magellan, Drake and Vespucci became part of their world and gave our kids courage in exploring their own world.

Even while on holiday exploring the Mayan ruins in Mexico, our kids studied ancient civilizations and their effect on societies today. As a bonus, they also became experts on chocolate and can tell you exactly how cocoa beans were originally harvested and how they go from fruit to finished product.

In terms of culture, after watching the flamenco being performed in Spain, our kids and their teacher decided to learn about different dance and music styles around the world and, having a multi cultural dance off with your kids, is nothing short of fun.

More recently, last year, while we were exploring the Galapagos Islands, they learned about Darwin and his theories of evolution. That same trip, they learned about the Amazon rainforest and it’s effects on global weather before we had the opportunity to visit the Amazon for ourselves and see it firsthand on our Ecuador Amazon tour.

Worldschooling regardless of education

No matter where in the world we’ve gone, we’ve tried our best to tie the kids learning with where we were currently staying. We like to think that it has spurred their imaginations and made them more aware of how we’re all connected.

Though some of that learning was spurred on via a teacher, it’s not to say that when we happened upon an interesting place, event or historical figure that we wouldn’t do our own research as a family.

The truth is that learning new things, seeing different cultures, embracing different ideas and exploring the world around us all come hand in hand with long term travel. Let’s face it, if we didn’t already have an innate curiosity to our world, we wouldn’t be traveling anyway.

Travel as a learning tool

In terms of education, just being in a foreign location is enough to spur curiosity and learning. For instance, our kids learned Spanish while traveling through South America and their curiosity about marine animals was peaked while snorkeling with sea turtles and sharks in Belize which, in turn, lead to plenty of reading about marine life and habitats.

Even our trip to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios was a result of our daughter (who was eight when we went) reading the entire seven-book Harry Potter series while we traveled. Now, it’s not conventional learning, however her reading speed and vocabulary improved a lot because she wanted to read the complete series as quickly as she could. (See our Wizarding World of Harry Potter tips here).

Homeschooling on the road

I honestly can’t talk a lot about homeschooling on the road, however, we have friends who have gone that route and their kids seem to do well. Some have even pulled their kids in and out of different schools around the world while homeschooling as they moved from one place to another.

It’s interesting to read that many studies these days conclude kids actually do better with homeschooling (if done in a structured form) than traditional schooling. See this article from Gwen Dewar, PhD for a helpful look at homeschooling outcomes.

Homeschooled kids get much more one on one time and frankly, even though their school days are a often few hours rather than an entire day, they seem to retain what they learnt better than children in traditional classes. Homeschooling may also get them past their awkward adolescent stages easier since they don’t tend to get caught up in typical school drama such as bullying or peer pressure.

We decided a few years ago that a more standard education, coupled with our own self-driven desire to learn and seek out new worldwide experiences would work for us and so far it has. Our kids do well both in school and out when we’re on the road. There’s even a name for this type of homeschooling and traditional schooling mix: it’s called hybrid homeschooling, and it’s becoming increasingly popular.

Going to school in a foreign country

The beauty of travel is that you can put your kids into schools around the world or continue to teach them yourself. So many more parents are traveling today that there are way more options than even a few years ago.

For instance, we have some American friends living in Spain who put their kids right into the Spanish school system without knowing more than a few words in Spanish. The first few weeks were awkward for them, but they were soon fluent in Spanish and thriving in their new school environment. You can find out more of Heidi and Alan’s story on their blog, Wagoner’s Abroad.

It’s just more proof that you don’t need to follow any set rules while long term traveling. That’s the beauty of it all.

We’ve even taken our kids out of school for three months and without signing up for e-learning. Both their principals and teachers were aboard. We learned the basics of what they were going to teach in that time frame and just taught it ourselves as we went. It was probably the closest we’ve ever actually came to homeschooling, and when the kids got back it only took them about a week to fully catch up and keep going.

Education matters, exactly how, not so much

The truth is that your kids will likely be fine no matter what you choose as long as you cater to their educational needs and make it a point that they continue to learn as you travel.

The negatives of worldschooling

While there are many bonuses to worldschooling, of course there are a few negative ones as well.

For instance, if you take them out of school for long term travel then yes, they may miss their friends and a few birthday parties. They might even miss some memorable class moments however it’s highly likely their new travel memories will stick in their mind for the rest of their life rather than for the rest of the year.

The bonus of growing up today in the digital world is no matter how remote you travel, if you need to connect, your friends and family are likely just a quick call away.

If your kids are into a lot of extra curricular activities like sports or music, then yes, the new life paradigm will be an adjustment for everyone. The good news is that a lot of sports are universal and there’s always new sports to learn wherever you happen to be. Music is the same. Each country has their own music and learning about them has always been one of our children’s biggest travel draws.

The benefits of worldschooling

Yes, there might be a few things your kids might worry about when they leave the safety and comfort of their everyday lives, however, to us and our children at least, the benefits of long term travel outweigh all the negatives.

When kids travel, they will see and do things that stay with them for a lifetime. It’s also likely they will be more mindful of other cultures and ethnicities. They will witness for themselves both the hardships and the beauty that other people in the world experience. They will hopefully also realize that the biggest things holding them back from doing anything in life is themselves.

I only wish that more families and more kids could travel so that everyone had a bit of worldschooling. I truly think the world would be a better place if we could all walk in another cultures footsteps, if only for a while, and try to see the world from a global standpoint rather than only a regional one.

Are you dreaming of extended travel?

If you’re looking into educating your kids via worldschooling during an extended trip abroad, I wish you good luck with whatever decision you make and wherever you choose to make it.

If you go, know that there are tons of websites with useful information out there, as well as Facebook groups that will let you meet up with similar traveling families. We’ve made some great friends that way and there’s tons of valuable advice from other families on the move as well.

The greatest part about travel is that you can go or stay as long as you want. There are no rules. If you want to move to London, Bali or Rio for a year, you can make it happen. If you’re tired of travel, you can also settle down right where you are or stop someplace else. Your kids will adjust and most will thrive however, how you go about their education is up to you.

Long term travel with a family is about options, choice and change. If you think that’s a good thing to teach your kids then start packing your bags.

As long as you make education a priority, they will learn what they need to whether that’s at home in a regular school system, through e-learning or through homeschooling and, if your kids are learning anything while you travel, they’re worldschooling regardless.

Whether that’s to meet new people, eat new food, see new places, or to walk a few steps in another person’s shoes, the result is new memories to record and cherish.

So, how do you keep the memories alive long after your trip of a lifetime is over? Well, the trick to retaining memories is having something that triggers the memory.

Want some ideas? Here are some ways to keep your travel memories alive forever.

Looking for a great gift for your travel lover? Check out these small travel gifts for stocking stuffers, unique travel gifts, or our best gifts for business travelers.

A picture lasts a lifetime

Probably the easiest way to relive a travel experience is to record it. That usually involves taking lots of pictures and a smattering of video which is something most of us do anyway.

Standing in front of some monument is classic but how do you remember the restaurant you ate in with the crazy waiter or the hour long lines at Disney World? Well, the secret is to take two kinds of pictures, what I call the public look at me pictures and the private remember this moment pictures.

Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them. – Bob Dylan

Most of the time we take pictures to impress the people that weren’t with us. Those are what I call the look at me pictures. They’re the kind of enviable photos you see on the best travel instagram accounts. As in, look at me in front of the Statue of Liberty. Look at me in front of the Taj Mahal. Look at me dangling off a cliff. Look at me swimming in the ocean.

Those look at me pictures are wonderful for sharing on social media and letting others know exactly where you are in the world. Years later those look at me pictures will still trigger memories, but the memories will include just the pretty highlights of your trip on the whole, and maybe not any particular, meaningful, moment.

The private remember this moment pictures are usually the photos that don’t make it to social media. Those are the ones you only share with the people you know best or just keep for yourselves. They might include a picture of a flopped cake or a look of annoyance at something in the distance. These are the pictures that will bring you back to the moment the waiter tripped on his shoelaces and spilled dessert all over you or the time you waited 6 hours in customs due to having a major language misunderstanding.

The private remember this moment pictures and videos are the ones that really bring back the details and emotions of your trip.

If you want to really capture a memory, try to make sure your photo or video captures your feelings at the moment. It’s these little nuances that made your trip memorable that you’ll end up treasuring in your photo collection.

You can take it with you

Another great way to relive your travels and keep the memories forever is to purchase a souvenir from abroad. The thing is, the more authentic the souvenir, the more the memory will stay with you.

When Micki and I first traveled together many years ago, we picked up keepsakes from every country we visited. As a result, we have boxes full of memories. In truth, we overdid it in the beginning and could probably furnish a few houses with our knickknacks (which, to be honest, are still in boxes in our basement). Whenever we want to reminisce about our first trips, all we need to do is open one of the boxes and it all comes flooding back to us.

The cool part about mementos is that sometimes the search for the perfect one is a story in itself. Like the time we followed the advice of a few Danish fellows we met in Malaysia and decided to spend three weeks in Sumatra, where we met an expat who told us to go on a hike to a remote village. In this village, we chanced on a master goldsmith and his shop. It was there where I ended up buying Micki’s engagement ring. She still wears that ring today and it’s backstory is one of our favorites.

So don’t stock up on mass produced souvenirs from the first stand you stop at, grab something that’s personal from the farthest or the last. It will make the journey to find it that much sweeter.

The fabric of life

Clothes are also a great way to relive your travel memories and, as luck would have it, we all need to wear clothes anyway.

Whether you’re in love with that Indian silk blouse, that Scottish plaid kilt or that traditional Mexican Sombrero, nothing captures the hands on pure feel of a country better than local adornments.

If you can, try to buy articles that are made locally using locally made fabrics, but if you have to have that t-shirt with a cool looking Bob Marley image, then that’s fine too. The important part is making sure that whatever you buy has an emotional connection to the area you’re visiting, so that every time you don that clothing, you travel back to the land where you bought it.

Write it down

A travel journal is one of our favorite ways to preserve precious vacation memories.

We haven’t always put pen to paper, though. We’ve used a lot of ways to journal your travels, including email, notes on our smartphones, and even this blog! Emails to friends and family from way back in 2002 are still some of our favorite travel journals.

Sounds good

It doesn’t matter if it’s Reggae in the Caribbean, Latin beat in the Americas or Spanish guitar in Spain. Music can be heard on many street corners throughout the world and each one is as unique as the country it’s found in.

One of my earliest memories is of seeing my mother in her beach chair, reading a book under an umbrella by the water’s edge while my sisters and I played beside her. Of all the life lessons she taught me, that is one of my favorites: to take time at a place I love, restore my spirit with books and the beach. – Luanne Rice

If you’ve taken a lot of video, then you’ll notice at least a few of them have some music playing in the background. That’s because no matter the country or culture, music is universal. Now it might be chanting in a remote village in Africa, or a flavorful polka in Germany, but every land has its own beat. One of the quickest ways to relive your travels is to turn on the music and engulf yourself in memories.

If you’re more old school, feel free to grab a CD or vinyl record that highlights the countries brightest stars. If you want the money to stay local, purchase it from some street performer who’s selling her music one CD at a time.

The spice of life

We’ve covered sight, sound and touch, but how do you bring back the tastes from your travels? It’s actually easier than you probably think.

The trick with recalling the tastes of your travels is to bring back a little piece of it with you. The easiest way to do so if you’re traveling in an exotic land is to bring back some of the spices that make the meals so special.

As any worldly traveler can tell you, most places in the world have their own flavor. Whether that’s cumin in India or oregano in the Mediterranean, if you love to cook, then you know that the right spice can make any dish go from ordinary to extraordinary.

If you love the food, talk to the waiter and see if they may just sell you a bag of the chef’s favorites, or hit a market.

Tip! The only problem with spices is that they don’t typically age that well. The best spices are the freshest ones and they’re one of the reasons certain countries use them in every other dish. As with anything in life, you work best with what you have so if you run out, hit up a local shop specializing in spices and ask for a certain countries typical mix.

You’ll be surprised how a handful of spices and herbs can bring back memories of lavish nights on the Mediterranean or backpacking in Asia.

Smells like heaven

As well as the food, everyone knows that a lot of countries have a certain odor to them. Experts say that smell is likely the strongest emotional memory inducer there is.

Though smells don’t have the same memory acuity of, say, an image, they do bring back the feelings of a certain place, which in turn bring back memories of days lounging on the beach or partying the night away in Rio.

Usually, a country’s aroma is of their most used spices, but it can also be anything from ocean salt spray to a certain clove cigarette that the locals enjoy. The trick here is that it doesn’t have to be the most pleasant of smell to trigger a memory.

We have items covered with a cheap preservative from Asia that never seems to dissipate that one whiff will take me back to the day we bought it. Likewise, we own objects from Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and Morocco, where even the tiniest of sniffs brings us back to walking the street markets looking at local goods.

If you’re so inclined, candles and incense can also remind you of your journeys. We don’t typically burn them since we don’t want to use them up, but one sniff can send us back in time and allow us to relive certain portions of our trip.

If nothing else, scents help us relive the feeling of the moment and isn’t that what we truly wish for the most? The freedom, excitement and wonder of visiting a new land and all the marvels that come with it.

Hopefully, some of these ideas will help you rekindle the memories of trips gone by. So throw on some music, grab that hula skirt and mai tai, pull up your pictures and indulge in a little mini vacation as you walk through memories of past trips.

Hopefully, it won’t be long until your next journey begins and your new memories get made.

If you have any more ideas for keeping your travel memories alive forever let us know in the comments below.

It’s no secret. Between this website and our social media channels, Micki and I get a lot of questions from people all around world. My favorites though, are the ones from aspiring nomads.

These are questions from readers who have seen a bit of the world or have never even left their home country. The ones who sit in front of their computer screens for hours each day poring over travel sites and travel blogs and wondering why they’re still doing the 9 to 5 thing. The ones who deep down know there’s more to life than what they’ve experienced, and are just trying to find a way out of the box that they call everyday life.

These messages get me stoked because deep down they further my belief that there are others who share our passion to explore the world. To live outside the norm of society. Who question the validity of what it means to follow their dream.

First off, I want to say that living a nomadic lifestyle isn’t for everyone. It’s not even always for us. However it’s always an option for those willing to make it a priority.

Yup, I said it. Nomadic lifestyles aren’t for everyone.

This brings me to the point of this post. You see, a few months back, I got an email from a fellow asking for a few tips on beginning a nomadic lifestyle with his wife and daughter. They had already gotten a glimpse of what’s behind the nomadic curtain and had decided that their current life wasn’t cutting it anymore.

They had come to a crossroad. They were about to sell their house and leave everything they knew behind to see what the world could offer them. The problem was they were starting to get a little nervous about their decision. You see, it still wasn’t too late to call off their nomadic dreams.

I think they just wanted confirmation that they weren’t about to make the biggest mistake of their lives.

Months later, after re-reading my reply to them, I feel that there are probably a few others that need that same encouragement.

That inspired me to share this letter with any other would be nomadic travelers who wonder if it’s the right choice to forgo a traditional 9 to 5 for a life on the road. In truth, this letter is geared more towards older nomads with kids, but most of it can apply to anyone tired of the daily 9 to 5 grind.

A message and a few tips to those dreaming of becoming a nomad.

Congrats on taking a big step towards changing how you view life. Bet you’re starting to get a little nervous right about now. Maybe even doubting your choice occasionally…

I only have one thing to say, don’t worry about it!

Being a nomad is awesome and rewarding and I’ll let you know a little known secret. Just don’t tell anyone else…. You can always settle down someplace new or go back to your old life any time you want.

I can’t guarantee that  everything will always be sunshine and roses for you, but I can guarantee you 100% that you will never view life the same way again.

You’ll realize that you have options. That there are other ways to live your life contrary to what most of your friends and family think. That you don’t have to get on the pathway of bigger house, nicer car, more expensive toys and work, work, work until you’ve climbed that golden corporate ladder.

100% Guaranteed you will never view life the same way again.

You’ll realize that there are other paths. Other more rewarding pursuits. It will help broaden your mind and your soul to all the possibilities the world has to offer.

That’s not to say there won’t be pitfalls and hard times but at least you’re seeing the world while you’re doing it.

The best advice I can give you, especially when you have a child with you, is go slow.

A nomadic lifestyle is as much about the journey as it is the destination and not the speed in which you go about it.

Long stays

If you’re traveling as a family, then living out of a tiny backpack in an even tinier backbacker dorm probably won’t cut it for long as well. Things like couchsurfing also gets really hard when there’s a group of you.

You’ll want to look at Airbnb and long stays more. Housesitting is another cheap option if you can get into it. For shorter stays, there are even hostels that accommodate families.

Looking for a great deal on your next Airbnb? Click here to get a $35 USD credit (we get a credit too)!

If you can cook for yourselves most of the time you’ll save heaps. Stay away from expensive anything unless it’s something you’ve always dreamed of doing and you feel like splurging.

Saving money

Chances are you’ll have more time than money so seek out free museum or discount travel days. Check out the local papers for any deals or discounts and remember that parades and most outdoor festivals are free entertainment.

Walk and take the metro whenever you can! Search out discount airlines and get a train pass only if it totals less than airfare or includes an overnight stay to save money. It sounds simple but accommodation, getting from point a to b and food will be your biggest expenses.

If you can, always have your first night after a long travel day pre-booked. You can check out other places the next day once you have the energy and patience.

Read next: How to save money for travel.

Taking your time

The best advice I can give is to go slow and don’t push you or your family to their breaking point. With children, you’ll always need to have a little extra energy in reserve in case they need to lean on you. If you manage your time right, travel with kids can be amazing.

Remember if your family isn’t happy, you won’t be either so spend a little extra time in the pool or the park and a little less checking out another once-in-a-lifetime, can’t believe I’m actually seeing it with my own eyes, monument/temple/church/waterfall/peak/sunrise/sunset/view, etc.

Remember if your family isn’t happy, you won’t be either.

Also remember that you have nothing to prove. How long, how far you go and what you see is up to you. You can stop any time, whether it’s a few months or a few decades. By leaving it all behind you’ve already proven that you can pack up your life and make your dreams of a better one a reality.

Don’t trash your friends’ lifestyle

At first, it’s hard to break away from traditional living, and your family and friends might even resent you a little for it, but don’t trash their way of living unless you want to alienate them. Make sure they know that your choices are what you feel are right for you, not necessarily what’s good for them.

Chances are that they’ll eventually realize that they have more options as well and you might be surprised who you see on your doorstep in the middle of wherever one day.

Lastly, being a nomad isn’t about just packing up your things and constantly moving. New destinations are exciting and thrilling but the most important aspect is just enjoying where you are and what you’re doing while you’re doing it.

Hope this message finds you well. Good luck on your new life and take it one day at a time.

Like most nomads, one day you might wake up in the city you want to call home for a while and when that happens, don’t fight it, just realize that you can always move on again if the mood strikes.

To me, being a nomad is about choices, not necessarily destinations and becoming one is the first step to choosing how and where you want to live your life.

Congrats on making that choice and enjoy the freedoms that come with it!

Safe travels,

Charles

Read next: 31 Tips for Better Family Travel.

I’ve wanted to travel for a very long time. When I finally had the resources to begin my first trip, I heard a lot of different opinions. First of all, I was only 18 when I started, I’m 5’0”, and a girl. People were worried about my safety.

On staying safe as a solo female traveler

Safety is very important when traveling alone as a female, but if you take the right precautions, you’ll be far from danger. It’s essential to research the place you’ll be visiting before you arrive. This will give you background knowledge on the area, current issues you may need to keep in mind, and the people you’ll be around. Your background knowledge will assist you in staying aware, another vital part of safety.

Things won’t always go as planned and that’s okay, learn to go with the flow.

Not everyone has practice in this so you may have to consciously focus on paying attention to your surroundings. Pay attention to the area you’re in, time of day, what kind of people are around you, and how far you are from where you’re staying. Don’t be afraid of asking for help if you’re lost, but trust your gut in who you decide to ask.

What does it take to travel solo?

Deciding to travel alone requires strength and ambition. I say this because, like I mentioned, many people will give you negative opinions about traveling alone as a female. It not only takes ambition to do it, but it takes strength to not let people’s opinions control you.

Traveling alone requires the strength to simply be alone, as some people may not be used to it. Through solitude you will come to know yourself better and become more confident.

It also requires physical strength to carry a pack while traveling and being able to push your limits. You don’t only learn to push your limits physically, but also emotionally. Not only by being alone, but by being away from loved ones and forcing yourself to meet new and different kinds of people.

On trusting in the universe

While traveling you learn to trust yourself, others, and the universe. You will surprise yourself, be surprised by friendly locals who are willing to help you, and you will be surprised in the way things will fall into place. You might start worrying about money, or time, etc., but eventually you will learn to trust that these things will work out on their own.

Things won’t always go as planned and that’s okay, learn to go with the flow.

As a girl it can be hard to balance judgement for safety while also being open to people. Over time you will find this balance and learn from people by opening up and trusting your gut.

After about five months of travel so far on my own, I can say that traveling alone was the best decision for me. I’ve learned countless things about myself and the world. I’ve made great friends in several different continents who have all taught me something. If you are willing to push your limits, grow in ways you didn’t even know you needed to, meet new kinds of people, and expand your mind, you too should travel alone.

Don’t be afraid of all the things that could go wrong; be smart, be strong, be open, and be trusting, and your expectations will be exceeded greatly.

Most importantly, you will gain a true understanding of humanity itself, and it is a truly spectacular thing.

About Athena

Athena Sternklar, a 19 year old American, is a solo female traveler. She has now been traveling for about five months and has been to nine countries so far. Throughout her travels she has been documenting her experiences through photography and blog posts. Her photography can be found on her Instagram page, and her blog posts on her website Language of Travel. She hopes to inspire people to follow their dreams, believe in themselves, and of course, travel.

Want to learn more? Check out Athena’s posts on traveling on a budget, or what traveling has taught her about happiness.

Things change. Travel changes.

Back when we first started traveling together in 2002, iPhones were just a germ of an idea in Steve Job’s brain. They didn’t debut until 2007 and most smart phones came well after that.

We didn’t even carry a cell phone; instead, we called home at special booths in Internet cafes.

Since Kindles and Kobos weren’t even invented, we lugged around paper copies of guidebooks and books to read, making our backpacks pretty full and very heavy.

We carried a then top-of-the line 3.0 megapixel Minolta digital camera in a time when most people still used film. We could only take a handful of pictures at a time because our memory card was so small and they were super expensive to buy.

The Internet was far too slow and most remote areas were still on dial-up. We couldn’t upload our digital photo backups to the cloud (not that anyone had even heard of the cloud back then), so we would stop in Internet cafes and physically burn the images onto a CD for safekeeping. USB thumbdrives weren’t even invented back then and external hard drives were still in their infancy.

To get on a plane, we needed a physical, paper ticket, printed specially by our travel agent. On our first trip together, we had to carry our return tickets through New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and Taiwan for 365 days in advance of our return. If we lost the tickets, it would have meant time-intensive trips to a central Malaysia Airlines office in each country.

While a few progressive hotels were booking online, we made a good chunk of our hotel bookings by phone or by walking into a hostel directly. Even companies that did allow online booking, asked you to submit all your information and wait for them to get back to you if they had a room.

Today, we take many of our photos for this blog on our smart phone and upload them to the cloud instantly. We book everything from our hotels and planes to our taxis online, and never need to print a ticket or hotel reservation.

Now, 2002 was only 13 years ago.

It makes you wonder how travel is going to change in another few years.

A new survey from Marriott Rewards Credit Card from Chase asked Americans to imagine the near future and predict what the travel experience could look like by the year 2030. The top predictions have a few interesting surprises, from unique travel experiences to putting the real in virtual reality.

So what do people think travel is going to look like by 2030?

It turns out that 35% of people surveyed think it’ll be possible to travel to space. Interestingly, 40% of men vs 29% of women thought space travel would be a reality. With the development of private spaceflights by companies like Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace, they may be onto something.

Even more people surveyed (58%) think that passports may be available for digital devices. 50% of people think that human face recognition technology could replace passports altogether.

Over half (58%) think that smart watches and other mobile payment options will rise in popularity for travelers.

We love that 40% of people think underwater hotels would be a big thing. I mean, how cool would that be to look out your window directly into the ocean?

Our thoughts on the future of travel

We have a few thoughts about the future of travel as well.

Digital will definitely rule and paper will be all but obsolete. Few people will carry paper books or even have a paper passport any more.

Our smart phones, smart watches  or even an implantable chip will be ultra powerful and contain every piece of information about us from our passports to our medical records. This will also become our way of paying for anything with digital payments becoming the standard payment platform worldwide.

One-click trips will also become a reality, and you’ll be able to purchase them directly from companies like Amazon just like you buy electronics or books today. You’ll also never need to input all of your credentials anywhere again, because there will be a global database with all your information, and all it will take is a swipe of your finger or tap of your smartphone to verify your identity.

We’re not sure hover cars or transatlantic trains will be the norm by then, but everyone will be driving electric or super-efficient hybrid vehicles with batteries lasting for days before needing to be charged. You’ll also see an explosion of electric bikes and electric personal transportation devices like monowheels and scooters everywhere. If you don’t own one, you’ll be able to easily rent everything from cars to bikes via quick kiosks all around major cities.

Have any predictions about the future of travel? If so we’d love to hear about it.

This post was sponsored by Marriott Rewards Credit Card from Chase, which lets you earn Marriott Rewards points on all purchases, accumulate free night stays and more to help you get the most out of your travel.

Like earning points to put towards your next trip? Visit Marriott Rewards Credit Card to learn more.