Travel. If you are like me, and a lot of you are, you are always looking for the next great adventure. My husband and I have always loved traveling, but having kids was a game changer. Not in the way you’d think, more stuff, lots of crying and whining, etc., but it made travel even more amazing! I am serious, every time I think of travel now, I can’t imagine going without my kids. Well, I can imagine it, and have done it, but I am always thinking “wow, my kids would love this!” the entire time. So, we take them everywhere.

In fact, a couple of years ago, and many road trips under our belt, we decided to try the biggest traveling with kids challenge we could think of…backpacking Europe for 6 weeks. You know, like college kids do, but with our children. It was amazing and fun and hot and exhausting, and there was laughing and hiking and crying and whining…from all of us. But I would not have changed a thing. As our family reflects back on that trip, and we do often, we remember it all in big memories and small ones, good ones and even maybe a bad one or two. And you know what? Anytime I mention going somewhere the kids eyes light up and they long for another great adventure.

So stay tuned and I will tell you how we did it, from deciding to planning to departure and return. Always remember…travel is never a matter of money but of courage – Paulo Coelho