Our family of five spent about $8,432 in cash on a 17-day trip through Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing, including a 3-night Disney cruise. That’s roughly $1,686 per person, or about $99 per person per day. We also used nearly 1.6 million points and miles on flights and hotels, which is the only reason […]

We spent five days in Shanghai and Beijing with our three girls and never applied for a Chinese visa. We used China’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy, which lets citizens of 55 countries, including the US, stay in mainland China for up to 10 days without a visa as long as you’re passing through on your […]

We’ve sailed both. The Treasure made us a cruising family. The Adventure nearly undid it. That’s not a knock on the Adventure’s hardware, which is beautiful. It’s about what these two ships deliver once you’re on board, and the gap is wider than the marketing suggests. If you’re in North America and you want a […]

There’s a great ship here. The execution isn’t there yet. That’s the honest summary of the Disney Adventure after three nights on it. The hardware is beautiful, there’s a rollercoaster at sea, the shows are some of the best I’ve seen on a cruise, and Duffy and Friends finally have a home on a Disney […]

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to pull your kids out of school to travel internationally. A typical American school year includes somewhere between 8 and 10 weeks off outside of summer, spread across Thanksgiving, winter break, a February break in some states, spring break, and a handful of three-day weekends. The work is […]

In our family, when a kid turns 10, they get to pick the family trip. Our twins turn 10 this month, and they picked… Disney. 🙃 So we compromised and went to the Disney parks in Asia. And in doing it, we crossed the finish line on something we’ve been chasing for 15 years…with this […]

Packing carry-on only with kids sounds impossible. I know, because I thought so too. But after 10+ years and 24 countries with three kids, I can tell you it’s 100% doable, and it’s the single best travel decision we’ve ever made. No dragging roller bags through crowded airports. No standing at baggage claim with three […]

There’s a version of family travel where you toss things in a bag the night before, grab your passport, and just go. Welp, that’s not us. After 24 countries with 3 kids, I’ve learned that the difference between a smooth international trip and a chaotic one is the two weeks before you leave. The prep isn’t the fun part (nobody’s romanticizing a […]

If you’re the parent who plans the trips. You know, the one with the spreadsheet, the confirmation emails buried in your inbox, and a mental list of which hotel rooms actually fit a family of five…then this guide is for you. Travel Keeper is built to hold your whole trip in one place, keep your […]

People assume a nine-day trip through three countries with three kids is either a points miracle or a second mortgage. Ours was somewhere in the middle. And the middle is the best story, because it’s the one you can copy. If you want the day-by-day version, our 9-day Greece and Croatia itinerary is where that lives. This post […]