Lost in Translation: Navigating Family Travel

What happens when you uproot your life, sell everything, and decide to travel the world with five children? The gap between expectation and reality becomes your greatest teacher.

In this raw and honest conversation, we dive into our first steps into global family travel after leaving the Dominican Republic in June 2024. Far from the curated Instagram version of nomadic family life, we share the beautiful chaos that unfolded - from our daughter Linavelle's sudden, intense fear of flying (picture a "wild animal trying to claw her way out of the airplane") to landing in a small French airport with no transportation and zero French language skills.

We thought we had it figured out - using Skyscanner's "explore everywhere" feature to find affordable destinations, excited to document everything for a YouTube channel that never materialized. Instead, we learned that the cheapest flights often lead to the most expensive countries, that European summer doesn't guarantee warm weather, and that jet lag with five kids can keep you housebound until mid-afternoon for days.

The real adventure wasn't in the sightseeing but in the adjustments - navigating public transportation with Star Wars helmets and multiple suitcases, discovering that eight people (after my sister joined us) need triple the groceries you'd expect, and recalibrating our expectations almost daily. Yet these challenges became our greatest gifts, teaching our children resilience and problem-solving in real time.

Our journey reveals how families can use the same tools that work at home - deep breathing, honest communication, and respecting autonomy - to navigate the unpredictable nature of travel. We've learned that the messy middle between what we imagined and what actually happened is where the real magic lives.

Have you found yourself needing to adapt when life doesn't match your expectations? We'd love to hear how you've navigated those spaces between.