A little bit about me…
This is me, Laura. Mom to these two adorable kids, Riley and Tyler, who, despite slowly getting into the spirit of travel, now are as insanely obsessed as I am.
And this is Steve, my amazingly supportive and patient husband, who lets me indulge in my travel craziness and is by my side on every trip.
Now I’m not the 5-star resort, all-inclusive, cruise ship type of gal. I prefer to stay in local neighborhoods, interact with the local people, and independently explore the destination. I’m trying to see the world through others’ eyes. In a way that is entirely different from what I am used to experiencing.
On my continual quest to reach my Travel 80 by 80 goal, I wrote this blog to capture my family’s travels. Hopefully, you can pick up some tips from our different adventures and create your own travel adventures along the way.
A Window, an Aisle and Two Middle Seats
While I believe every trip we have taken is fabulous, my husband and two kids might think otherwise. Our travel experiences differ, which makes traveling together that much more rewarding. Similar to where we sit on the plane, while we are all going to the same destination, the view we experience along the way might be different. The window seat expands our view to the outside, the aisle helps us engage with others, and the middle seats allow us to have time together.
It’s the same trip, yet different perspectives. So while this blog is written primarily from my standpoint, Riley, Tyler, and Steve may share their viewpoints as well. I hope our insight can motivate your family to take that one trip you always wanted to and fully experience the world, one country at a time.
How Travel 80 by 80 was Born
As a kid, I didn’t travel internationally (okay, maybe to Tijuana, Mexico but as a San Diegan, it’s just like visiting another neighborhood nearby). My first trip abroad was in college when I flew to Europe for a quick two-week trip before studying abroad for a semester in Sevilla, Spain. About two years later, I graduated from college, and my friend, Melissa, and I packed our bags and moved to Prague, Czech Republic, for a year and a half of work and fun adventures. That is probably when my wanderlust and passion for traveling began.
But it wasn’t until Melissa’s grandmother was having her 80th birthday party that my Travel 80 by 80 goal took place. See, Melissa’s grandmother, Nana, had traveled to 80 countries, and she was celebrating this accomplishment at her 80th birthday party. She loved to travel and went to so many unique places. I decided right then and there that when I’m 80 years old, I want to have traveled to 80 different countries. Hence Travel 80 by 80 was born.
The Ride of Reaching 80 Countries
Luckily a lot of the countries I visited were during my time while studying abroad in Spain, working in the Czech Republic, and on a few work trips. Once I had kids travel significantly stopped. We didn’t travel much during those toddler years as we wanted to wait until they were a bit older and would require less “stuff” to travel with (though we did fit in a quick few trips to Mexico!). When they were 4 and 6 years old, travel picked up significantly. I was 37 years old and had been to 31 countries. I decided to make 40 countries by age 40, my half-way goal. Those three years were kind of crazy. I did it, though, with my children and husband in tow. By age 40, I had reached my 40th country (the beautiful island of St. Lucia), or so I thought. Read more here about my most recent discovery.
I decided that if I eventually wanted to reach my ultimate goal of traveling to 80 countries by 80 years old, a wise plan would be to match my country count to my age. If I traveled to one county a year, I could easily accomplish 80 by 80.
It’s been a wild ride. Those three years of striving to reach my 40th country were challenging, but we did it. Once I turned 40 years old, we slowed it down a bit by traveling to 1-2 countries per year. I kept up the goal of the number of countries to the age I was. But you know how it goes, once you get a little, you want so much more. In the summer of 2018, we were fortunate to spend seven weeks traveling, which allowed me to visit many new countries. At the time of this writing, I’m 46 years old and have been to 59 countries.
My goal is still to reach 80 countries by 80 years old, and I know I will. What happens after I travel to my 80th country is yet to be known!
I Count Countries, But It’s More Than That
Since I have a “number goal,” it may seem that I only count countries. And yes, of course, I do. Don’t so many of us? I’m assuming most of us know how many countries we have visited. And while I have a goal I am striving to reach, I do not travel to a country just to get that number. I travel to explore the country, meet the locals, and better understand the culture and people of the country I am visiting. So while my travels will eventually bring me to my 80th country, the experiences along the way with my family are why I do it.
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The adventure continues, and we enjoy every travel opportunity together. My “must-sees” change and the list grows longer every year, but it’s fun to check the box off on the unique countries we have experienced. To travel the world is life-changing. Even if you can only travel to one other country in your lifetime, do it! The world is an amazingly beautiful and unique place, and you have to see it to fully understand it.
Welcome to Travel 80 by 80!
Recent Features
I’ve recently had the pleasure of partnering with some incredible family travel bloggers. You can find some of my guest interviews, guest blog posts, and podcasts below:
- Travel Tribe Podcast – Create a Fantastic International Family Vacation Experience
- Home Travel Guide – Best Family Destinations to Visit with Kids
- Gather and Go Travel – Travel Blogs I Love to Follow
- Novel Excursion – Cultural Activities with Kids when Traveling
- You Just Pack – Best Family Blogs to Check Out in 2022
