About Us
Over the past 14 years, our family has traveled to 30 states, 12 countries, and 24 National Parks. In between all of these adventures, we live an ordinary life of work, school, and assorted small town activities in central Illinois. We started this blog as a response to frequent questions from friends and family about the details that go into planning our travels, and we hope that it will be a helpful resource for your family as well.
We know that planning the perfect family adventure takes a lot of time, and can be quite stressful. It is our goal to help alleviate some of that stress for you. Our travel itineraries aim to answer the main questions we are asked about our trips:
WHO went on the trip?
WHAT did we pack?
WHEN did we travel?
WHERE did we stay?
WHY was it so much fun?
HOW exactly did we fit it all in?
Currently, we plan and pay for all of our travel on our own - just like you. We are able to share our honest thoughts and opinions, because we are footing the bill! No free hotel stays here. However, many of the trips we took as a young family were in conjunction with family reunions generously paid for by Sky’s grandfather. Because Granddad recognized the value of experiences, we developed close relationships with our extended family and a genuine love of spending time together - no matter where we are. We will be forever thankful for the legacy of family fun that Granddad instilled in all of us through his kindness and generosity. We love you Granddad!
Meet Our Family
Sky
The best husband and dad around, Sky is an explorer at heart and is happiest when he’s on a snowboard… which doesn’t really match the flat cornfields surrounding our rural Illinois home. As a result, Sky works extra hard at his job at a construction management company so we can take lots of trips to the mountains!
Sky is in charge of the videos you see on our Instagram stories, and is our designated rental car driver (especially if a stick shift is the only option).
Allyson
I am the main planner, packer, and photographer for our family travels, as well as the writer for all of the content on this blog. I am generally an introverted homebody, so our family adventures sometimes push me out of my comfort zone. However, I love seeing the beautiful world that God created, so that inspires me to plan as many family trips as possible!
When I’m not planning trips, I coach the competitive Speech Team at the local junior high and high schools, and substitute teach.
Eden
Eden is currently 17 years old and in the 12th grade in high school. She loves theatre and music, and is looking forward to college next year! Eden is the most playful member of our family, but also the pickiest eater. Through our travels, she has learned that we can do hard things with a positive attitude!
Averhy
Averhy is now 20 years old and a Junior at the University of Illinois studying Political Science and Urban Planning. During the summer of 2024, she studied abroad for 7 weeks in Denmark, which gave us the chance to visit Scandinavia for the first time! During our travels, Averhy continues to be our main food critic.
Contact Us
Do you have a specific question you’d like us to answer?
Are there destinations you hope we will visit?
Do you have suggestions for packing gear that you love?
Send us a message today!