Road Trips, Chaos, and Disney Hacks: Our Family Vacation Playbook

When you’re raising kids, vacations are less about perfection and more about presence. We talk through our most memorable trips—from 22-hour drives to Florida (hello, Disney employee pass) to Maine island cottages with pets in tow—and the systems that helped us survive: packing snacks, bringing backup water/towels, rigging a portable TV/VCR, and budgeting with creativity. We also share a hard-earned lesson: if you’re lucky enough to go, disconnect and actually be with your people. Now as empty nesters, we’re relearning how to choose a destination, set a budget, and just…book it.

You’ll hear about:

• Budget hacks (free lodging with family, passes, packed lunches)
• Long-haul road trip logistics with kids + pets
• The cat-on-the-pillow incident (never again 😅)
• Holiday flight chaos (the legendary “hacking guy”)
• Why being present beats being “productive” on vacation
• Our struggle to plan trips as a duo—and how we’re fixing it