We Did Something Crazy

We sold our house, packed up our kids, and took off for a year of international family travel. And while that might sound like the kind of drastic life change that only people with a loose grip on reality make, I promise that’s not the takeaway. You don’t have to sell everything and live out of a suitcase for a year to experience the incredible benefits of family travel. You don’t even have to leave the country. You just have to go.

 

Maybe it’s finally taking that dream family vacation to Europe. Maybe it’s loading up the car and driving a few hours to a cabin by the lake. Or maybe it’s just a long weekend in a nearby city you’ve never explored. The destination doesn’t matter nearly as much as the time spent together. Because, as we learned during our family trip to travel the world, the real magic isn’t in the epic moments—it’s in the weird, wonderful, and sometimes downright miserable ones that bring you closer as a family.

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Thrills Are Fun, But the Downtime Is What Sticks

Sure, we had some big, bucket-list-worthy moments. We spent a day at the biggest waterpark in the world in Dubai. We raced go-karts, zip-lined through jungles, and explored ancient ruins. But when I think about what really bonded us? It wasn’t the adrenaline rush of those activities—it was the quiet moments in between.

 

Actually, scratch that. It was also the disasters.

Take, for example, the worst experience of our entire year of travel. The one that, ironically, we talk about and laugh about the most: the infamous 30-hour bus ride through Peru.

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The Bus Ride from Hell (Or: A Crash Course in Family Bonding)

My husband, in what I assume was a well-intentioned but wildly misguided attempt to make international family travel more "scenic," booked us a 30-hour bus ride across Peru.

Thirty. Hours. On a bus.

 

With infrequent stops. This meant that using the bathroom was a challenge, and eating seemed to be more of a concept than an actual possibility. None of us are particularly picky eaters, but when the only food options are gas station mystery meat, the bar gets lower.

 

And just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, altitude sickness hit. Cooper and I were the unlucky victims. I managed to escape the full wrath of it, but only barely—I spent the majority of the ride drenched in sweat, my head in Lila’s lap, willing myself not to puke. Cooper, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. He spent all 30 hours vomiting. Repeatedly.

 

And let’s not forget the other passengers. As soon as we stepped off at one of the few stops, people were literally fainting. It was like a poorly planned survival experiment. We were hungry, nauseated, exhausted, and, frankly, a little traumatized.

 

But we were in it together. And when we finally, FINALLY, reached our hotel in Cusco, it might as well have been the Ritz-Carlton. We were deliriously grateful for the beds, the food, and the sweet, sweet absence of moving transportation.

 

It’s Not About Fancy. It’s About “We.”

Would I ever voluntarily get back on that bus? Absolutely not. But would I erase the experience? Also no. Because as awful as it was, it was ours. It was something we endured together, and now, years later, it’s one of our most talked-about family travel memories.

 

And that’s the thing—traveling the world with your family doesn’t have to be luxurious, expensive, or even particularly well-planned (clearly). It doesn’t even have to be good. It just has to be shared.

 

Because those shared experiences—whether it’s a dream family vacation, a weekend camping trip, or yes, even a horrific bus ride—are what build the sense of "we" that makes a family strong.

 

So go. Take the trip. Even if it’s just for a couple of days. Because years from now, you won’t remember the logistics, the costs, or the minor inconveniences. You’ll remember the moments, the laughter, and, most importantly, the time spent together.