What is Family Routes?

Family Routes is how our family travels.

Instead of focusing only on destinations, we focus on the route itself, the planning, the miles in between, and the small moments and pull-offs that turn a trip into a memory.

Before each trip, we map our route in a way our kids can see and engage with. In 2025 we started a tradition of writing our destinations directly on the windows of our car and checking them off as we go. As we travel internationally, we’ll surprise our followers with our iteneraries to track cities, trains, and experiences.

The journey becomes a shared project, not just something happening to the kids in the back seat.

Why we do it this way

Family travel can feel overwhelming, too many logistics, too much pressure, repeated “are we there yet?” moments.

We’ve found that when kids can see the plan and participate in tracking it, everything changes:

• anticipation replaces impatience

• planning becomes part of the fun

• the journey matters just as much as the destination

Family Routes turns travel into something the whole family builds together.

What we document

Family Routes isn’t about highlight reels or luxury travel. It’s about real, doable trips for real families.

We share:

• how we plan routes and pacing

• where we stay (cabins, lodges, family-friendly hotels)

• how we balance big destinations with downtime

• how we navigate travel with kids

• the moments that don’t make it into brochures

Our goal is simple: help other families feel confident saying “we could actually do that.”

A routed tradition

Every Family Routes trip follows the same rhythm:

1. Map the route

2. Share the plan

3. Track the journey visually

4. Check off destinations together

5. Look back at the full route when we’re home

That tradition was established in 2025 and it stays the same whether we’re visiting U.S. national parks or traveling internationally.

The map changes. The tradition doesn’t.

Giving back along the way

The places we visit matter to us, so giving back is part of the journey.

In 2025 we started another tradition of putting our Venmo on the back of our car as a fun way to engage with our fellow travellers…this year we are committed to giving back. During our trips going forward, we will continue to invite people following along to “send mom & dad a coffee.” 100% of those contributions are donated to causes connected to the places we’re visiting, such as the National Park Foundation during our national park trips.

We view this as a small way to help preserve the places that are shaping our kids’ memories.

Who Family Routes is for

Family Routes is for:

• parents who want to travel with kids without chaos

• families who value planning but don’t want it to feel rigid

• people who believe the journey matters as much as the stop

• anyone who loves seeing how places connect, not just where they are

You don’t need to travel far. You just need a route worth taking.

One last thing

Family Routes isn’t about doing travel “right.”

It’s about slowing down enough to notice the path you’re on, together. As a family.

Mapping memories, one route at a time.