Meet the Family
We are a family of 4 living in New Zealand. I’m a teacher (great profession for travelling) and my wife Connie works in project management. We are also proud parents of two travel-loving boys.
Travel has been in my blood since I was 10 years old. I was fortunate to have my parents take my sister and me to America and Mexico for 2 months.
We weren’t rich, they worked hard and they spent many years after the trip paying it off.
However, what they did was open my eyes to the world, and I was hooked.
Our first trip to America with Mum and Dad, wish I had more photos
I spent many a year after dreaming and looking at places and countries in our atlas, imagining where I would like to visit.
It took a while for me to head overseas again, but once I finished University and secured my first job as a primary school teacher,
I flew to Vancouver and headed straight to Whistler. Winter skiing at its best! I had a close mate living there, so I moved in, living in his walk-in wardrobe for a month.
It was big and even had a window looking at the mountains. To be honest, I thought this was my O.E. (Overseas Experience).
The walk home around the golf course. It was a 15 minute walk from the home to the chairlift. Longer when returning… I could have caught the bus but I walked everyday… a winter wonderland
After this trip, I planned to focus on my teaching career, buy a house, settle down, etc.
However, spending my last few days in Vancouver, I met a great group of people at the hostel, many of whom I’m still friends with today.
We tripped around the city and partied hard. It just so happened we were all leaving on the same day, but I was the only one heading home.
Everyone else was heading off on more adventures. As I boarded the flight, it dawned on me: I wanted more’ more adventures, more experiences, just more of everything.
I completed just one year of teaching, and then I was off, moving to London, England, and following the motto ‘work to live, not live to work’.
Family photo on Church of Our Lady of Škrpjela.
This was my base for the next 7 years and allowed me to travel and explore all parts of the globe, usually with very little money.
But I made it work, and I had many amazing adventures within Europe, the Middle East, Asia, The Pacific, and North/Central America.
During this time, I met my German wife, Connie, and together we continued to enjoy travelling the world, creating so many amazing memories.
We eventually left London and moved to Dubai for nearly 4 years.
Though we worked longer, we certainly made time to travel.
Family photo at Ehrenbreitstein Fortress over looking the city of Koblenz
Living in Dubai opened up more of the Middle East and parts of Asia that we hadn’t yet ventured to.
Dubai was an interesting country to live in, fast-paced and fast-growing, with construction happening 24/7.
I remember watching the Burj Khalifa grow a story and a half week by week.
I really enjoyed our time there, and we made many great friends while exploring many parts of the country and surrounding areas.
Eventually, we realised our time was up. We wanted to start a family, and for us, New Zealand seemed like the perfect place to raise our children.
Temple Lot Temple at low tide
At the beginning of 2009, we moved back to New Zealand to start the next chapter of our lives.
We started our family, and while we weren’t earning the money we did in Dubai, we were saving.
I wanted to give my kids the same opportunity my parents gave me.
And that’s exactly what we have done. Lukas’s first trip to Europe (Germany to visit family and friends) was at just 4 months old, and since then, he’s had many more adventures.
He’s caught the travel bug big time and is always looking forward to the next adventure.
Quick photo with the family on our cruise of San Francisco bay
So far, he’s visited 17 countries and can tell you how many flights he’s had.
Sawyer, our youngest, had to wait until he was 6 months old for his first overseas trip, but he has taken to travel just as well.
Though I think he’s still too young to remember things, we have countless photos to show him in the coming years.
We love creating memories with our children.
The days of all-night parties are long gone, but they’ve opened up new doors of fulfillment, as we now view travel through our children’s eyes.
Relaxing in Sultanahmet Park with Hagia Sophia in the background
This perspective has been amplified even more by our recent trips to England, Germany, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Istanbul, and Bali.
Each destination we visited offered unique experiences that strengthened our family bond.
In Germany, we reconnected with Connie’s family and enjoyed old traditions. Croatia’s coastline was perfect for relaxation, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro gave us a chance to reflect on history and culture.
Istanbul’s cultural diversity allowed us to meet amazing people, and Bali provided a great mix of relaxation and adventure.
These travels brought us closer together, deepened our understanding of the world, and helped us form lifelong friendships.
Chance to get a quick family photo as we wander along the walkway at Laguna Beach.
Through all of these travels, we’ve learned to embrace the unexpected, to laugh at the challenges, and to celebrate the small moments.
It’s not just about the destinations, but the journey and the people we meet along the way.
Travel has allowed us to make memories that will last a lifetime, shaping our family’s story in a way that we couldn’t have imagined when we first began our adventures.
We hope that by sharing our knowledge, passion, and experiences, we can inspire other families to get out and explore the world.
There’s so much to see, and the memories created along the way will stay with you forever.
We’re excited to continue this journey, to see where the road takes us next, and to have our kids reflect on all these experiences as they grow.
Meet the family
We are a family of 4 living in New Zealand. I’m a teacher (great profession for traveling) and my wife Connie works in project management. We are also proud parents of two travel-loving boys.
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