We are often asked questions about how we’ve managed to create this life or plan our trips, what books we use for teaching our kids geography or what sorts of books might be good to go alongside the unit studies we produce.We will attempt to give some helpful information on those topics on this page. Happy hunting!

How we planned this trip:

There is no 12-step program to follow for planning a family adventure. Much depends on the individual family and it’s members.

What is fun for us might be a nightmare for you! (With a friendly nod to the Wood family!)

Our best advice is to start small, expect failure and roll with the punches. The more kids you have, the more fun it will be and also the more potential for disaster.

Example: What should have been a rather benign long weekend camp with the Grandparents in Washington D.C. turned into our WORST camping experience ever:

• Mom had a broken foot and had to take the walking cast on and off to get in and out of the tent, fifty times a day
• Dad had to push Mom around the museums in a wheel chair
• The nights were so cold we had ice on the inside WITH a heater plugged in and running all night – it was April, not December
• Four out of five kids were throwing up (in the tents, all over the bedding in the middle of the freezing night)
• We were backed into by a non-English speaking illegal alien who did not own the car he was driving; nor was it insured
• He pretended not to understand my Spanish either
• You get the picture.

We could have packed it in for life and said, “NO MORE!” Instead, we made the best of it and had a very memorable weekend with Grandma & Grandpa’s Great. Even the worst weekend makes for a funny story later!

Below is a list of some of the books and web-sites that we found helpful in organizing such a big undertaking. Also, be sure to check out our Frequently Asked Questions page; with answers, of course!