Suzy: Hola, I'm Suzy and welcome to the Wander World School and Slow Family Travel Podcast, where we discuss the stories, logistics and finances of long-term traveling families and the multitude of ways to learn and educate along the way. Today, I'm joined by Travis Perry. Welcome to the show.

Travis: Thanks for having me. We are a homeschooling family of 10. We have been doing this for I think about 18 years now. We have three adult children who are off to challenge the world and make a difference. We have age ranges from 21 down to 1.

Suzy: Nice, I'd love to hear more about your personal travel origin story, such as if you traveled as a child or if you have any travel memories that helped shape you as an adult.

Travis: When I was younger, I found out my grandma was actually from Denmark. It's this tiny little country that saved about 3000 Jews during the Holocaust and smuggled them over to Sweden. They are very kind and generous, loving people. And I found out that my grandma was on a boat at 19 and came to the States for religious purposes actually. So I really wanted to know more about my family history and my grandmother still had her mom living in Denmark. And we call her our Olomou, which means directly translated old mom or essentially great grandma. And so my great grandma would come to visit every other year-ish for about three or six months, depending on how long she could come for and just stay. And I felt very inspired to connect with her. And when I was about 10, my mom and dad said, hey, we're going to go on a trip to Denmark. We're going to go surprise your great grandmother and we're going to show up at her apartment and for her 80th birthday, let's go. And I was just, you know, in heaven because I loved her. And I loved everything about their story. She was a single mom and through world war two raised four kids on her own. So very first time I flew on an airplane was to Denmark. I remember flying over Canada and Greenland, Iceland, and just, I was enthralled with flying. We got there, we rented car, we traveled all over Denmark, visited friends and family. And I think I was hooked. I love traveling. Some people like to buy big expensive things in cars and homes and, you know, RVs and stuff. And that's great. Everybody has their thing. For us, it is traveling.

Suzy: That's great. So let's talk about some of your family travels. I know you've mentioned quite a few trips over the last many years. What's one that was really meaningful to you and your family?

Travis: Yeah, so my wife and I were kind of limited with where we could travel or so we thought. We bought a big minivan and now we have a transit van that fits 15 people and we can get all of our gear and stuff. And so we've done a lot of road trips. we've really covered most of the states except for New England. There's about four or five states we just, we haven't hit just yet. So I could talk about a ton of travels, but my wife and I started branching out and realized, hey, there's a lot of other places. We went back to Denmark. We went to Mexico, And then we started hearing about this place called Costa Rica. A lot of homeschool families talk about it. And my wife and I kind of scoped it out with some friends, some homeschool friends. And wow, we were just blown away. We were blown away by this sense of what they call pura vida. Pura vida means like pure life. Just enjoy life, live it up. be kind, be gentle to the environment and just very eco-friendly type of people. Ecotourism is an industry that they support, number one. And so we really enjoyed that so much that we said, we're going to bring our entire family back. So we planned a five week stay. we packed like all the suitcases. We brought like the Instapot, the double stroller. We brought a keyboard because we all play the piano. we wanted to give our kids an immersion experience. We rented an Airbnb for the entire time. We were local at the local beaches. And quite honestly, that was life-changing. That became, I think, a pivotal moment for our family. Like, if we can do this, what else can we do? Why not do things that you really want to do, dream bucket list items with your family? That could give them just open their eyes to experiences to people, the cultures, languages, foods, that they would never have otherwise experienced.

Suzy: That sounds really special. And you are bringing an interesting perspective as a larger family. A lot of families sometimes think that, once I have maybe a third or fourth or more of the kids, that travel just becomes maybe too burdensome or maybe too difficult. Lots of kids in lots of different stages of life. Tell me more about travel as a large family. What are some of the challenges and the joys? I can imagine a joy is that like the built-in friends are already there. But what are some of the challenges besides packing everything, including the keyboard?

Travis: You know, there are a lot of challenges, they're not outweighed by the experiences. And so when I think of Costa Rica, yes, I think of like the amazing things we saw, the monkeys that came in our backyard, the pool that we had every single day that we could swim in, in, you know, 90 degree weather outside and ultra humidity, but just how cool it was, the beach, the surf spot that was local to a local surf pro that I surfed with. Like there's just all these things, hiking in the jungles, hiking a volcano. hiking waterfalls, swimming, like I could go on and on and on. Those are the things the brain remembers. I don't remember the fact that we got lost several times because the GPS is not great in Costa Rica. We don't talk about the fact that even though you plan everything out, The car rental companies, like that's the biggest scam in Costa Rica is the car rentals. You have to really, really vet them. But to find a bigger vehicle, I had to go to a different company. And when I went to the different company, I got there and I had everything sorted out. And I said, we want cash upfront. So here I am with my family who are getting hot, they're waiting, they're frustrated. and this guy wants me to pay all of my cash on hand. so I just. honed it up and said, here you go. Luckily the car rental worked out. Everything was fine. But it was one of those things, like these unexpected things that can totally throw off your vacation. So what did I learn from that? Always have like, way more money than you need on hand in a credit line or credit card or cash stash someplace else. You're right. They have built-in friends. And what we've done is our elders, they have a partner with the youngers. And I think a lot of people think, my goodness, I can never do what you do. Really, you raise the first two or three. And those first two or three really helped raise the next two or three. I'm not saying you don't spend time with your younger kids, because you do. And they sleep in your bed. And my wife was breastfeeding to that whole experience and there were diapers to be changed. But there was joy in that journey. So I think if you come into it going, there's not going to be any struggles, you're silly, but just know there's going to be a lot of struggles. There are going to be a lot of challenges, but how can your family work together to make sure that you have a great experience even when those challenges arise? Because they will. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. I think our family had great unity working together and trying to tackle these challenges as a family.

Suzy: That sounds really special, My mom is the oldest of five, so she relates to being the oldest and helping out And I think it's helped her bond with her siblings, But I thank you for bringing up that perspective of how, yes, we don't always remember those challenges. And sometimes they even actually make for funny stories later once you've gotten through. What was something that one or more of your children remembers from that experience?

Travis: When we got there, so one thing we didn't expect, we didn't expect the property to be so cool. so we'd go in the mornings. And we'd have a wonderful time at the beach because the ocean is 86 degrees. but it gets too hot. So it's not refreshing. So then you go in during the day. And when you go in, we'd go back to our pool. And so we play in the pool. And a lot of times we'd see these monkeys that line the back of our property. There were all these trees and they had like this little road. every, you know, early afternoon, They'd make their little way down the trees, all the way down to where their fruit and food was, and then they'd come back as a family. So we'd just sit there and we'd have our monkey highway time and just hang out. The other thing we didn't expect is on the property, there was all these fruit trees, And my sons just loved climbing the coconut trees or getting big sticks and knocking them down, learning to crack it open and then clean it out, get all the coconut water. We had the coconut water and we put the coconut water in smoothies and other things or just drink it. It's so good for you. And then they'd carve out the coconut. We'd have fresh coconut for our smoothies, And then we'd create out of these coconuts, coconut bowls. And we would take some oil after cleaning it all out and washing it out really good. And we still use them today. Two years later, they're in our cupboards. I use them when I eat a smoothie bowl or something like that. So that was kind of the unexpected memory. When I asked my kids, like, what's your favorite thing? We hiked waterfalls, jungles. We went to and saw sloths and did all these volcanoes, like just climbing the trees and eating coconuts. Okay. And they cracked over a hundred coconuts while we were there.

Suzy: Oh, that's amazing. That's so fun. And how unique, because you're right. I'm assuming where you're at right now, there's not many coconuts out there. I do think that kids really do hone in on those distinct moments that we wouldn't necessarily always think are the most impactful.

Travis: None, none.

Suzy: And so that's the joy of like when a trip is over or when you leave a certain destination, kind of reflecting back on that and seeing what kids found to be the most exciting just gives us a window into their mindset, right? I'd love if you could tell us more about your approach to education while traveling. You mentioned you've been a homeschooling family for a long time. How does that work when in your home base or also on the road?

Travis: We really believe that traveling is learning. You learn so much. Like we could go to a classroom and sit down with an air conditioned building and open a book or now even an iPad and you can get a lot of learning that way, but the mind doesn't remember it very well because we see so much. But when you go to that place and you have an experience there, you're locked in. And it could be a mental, physical, spiritual experience. Like it could be all of the above, where just being immersed in something. So we spent a lot of time before we went to Costa Rica, teaching our children about the experience. Because my wife and I, kind of, we like to go and go visit the place. Is it safe? Is it good? Can we take our kids here? And then we decide, do we want to take them back? Is this a place for just older kids? Or do we want to take the whole family? And that's kind of our MOs. We've done a lot of travel. to alone and I think it's great for the relationship, great for the marriage. I highly, highly recommend it. I'm a marriage and money coach, so I suggest that. But on the family side, being able to be in that location gives them a sense of, my goodness, that's a sloth? Whoa, wait, there's different kinds of sloths and they're out at different times. So we're always learning. There's never a time where we're just like, okay, shut off their brain, you're not learning anymore. And quite honestly, even those who do really well in public school know this. They never stop learning. They're always reading in the off times, in the summer, the breaks or whatever. Because as soon as you turn your brain off to learning, then you're behind when you come back. But when you're out there and able to learn, now it makes sense to get a book on Costa Rica or to now pull up the app and learn Spanish so that we're prepared for that immersion experience. And a lot of my kids did that. and their Spanish just skyrocketed by the end of that five week experience, they can have full blown conversations. So I think that just being in the location not only gives you the experience and the memory, but allows you the motivation and the desire to learn. So we look at travel as an investment, as a learning experience versus some kind of, I don't know, like vanity experience of Instagram. It's less of an identity as it is a learning experience.

Suzy: Absolutely, like a way to build relationships within your family and learning opportunities and just take learning from, okay, it's not just eight to five during the day. It is a everyday experience, And thank you for bringing up the permission to take parent-only trips. And I love that, especially with a large family, it is an investment. costs and time to get to a location for five weeks. I'm sure if you showed up somewhere, it wasn't great. You would probably adapt and make it the best you can. But I can see that how it serves twofold purpose. You can go and enjoy time with your spouse and really build on that relationship, which is so important with a big family, especially. And then just know by the time you come back, you have a little bit more things in place. My husband and I have a trip, just the two of us, to Germany for a wedding coming up and I'm really looking forward to it. As much as I love traveling with my children, I'm really looking forward to just time with us to build that relationship, enjoy different things that are just difficult with children. So thank you for giving parents and families that permission to say not every trip needs to always be every family member. How do you make that work though? Do you have a great network, a great support system, family that helps with the children? How can families if they wanna take a parent only trip, what's the things they should think about?

Travis: You need to have the support at home, right, to take care of the kids. I think a lot of families are like, well, I can't go because I don't have a mother-in-law or a mom or grandma or a sister or whoever that can help you. And man, if you don't have that, that's rough. And I can understand that things can be difficult that way, but there are nanny services out there. My daughter. loves kids so much that she's a nanny. She loves going out and helping other families And you can vet these people. There are wonderful people out there. It doesn't mean the first thing you do is invite them over for your two-week trip. Maybe have them to babysit once in a while. And I get it, like leaving your children, can tell you this. The first day you leave your kids, it's the worst. trust me, it's heartbreaking. I hate it. But being alone with your spouse is absolutely worth it. 100%, 1000%. Because think of all the time you invest in your children. All the time you invest, even if you're on the same page as parents, with your kids, helping them, teaching them, they are your world. they have that physical, mental, spiritual connection. when you leave that first day, it's a heartbreaking day. But the next day when you wake up, you're like, Hey, everything's still good. We're here. And all of sudden it's like back to honeymoon time. And you're like, woohoo. you have the permission to be the person who is, you know, having fun, enjoying time together. And by that third day, you're like, this is amazing. We need to do this like every month. So I highly recommend like it quarterly. Go away on a quarterly vacation. And I don't care if it's a one night away. Make it a 24 hour period. when you go away for 24 hours, hey, the first hour you kind of reconnect, you talk about some stuff and then it's like, you're going to go do something, have fun, create new memories together. You need that. Because when you come back home, you're gonna be better parents. You're gonna be more energized and you're gonna have a stronger sense of unity for the marriage. And you what the children need the most of anything in life? They need happy, loving parents. So if you want to keep kindling that relationship, keeping it alive and yeah, helping your kids, then you need to work on that marriage So yeah, it works out that my wife and I can travel and kind of check out locations, but oftentimes that's our excuse to get away anyway. So we just got back from a two week family vacation. We did a church camp and I shouldn't call it a family vacation. We call it a trip because it's a trip. in September, I'm taking my older four they're self-sufficient. So we're going to treat them like adults on this trip. And we're going to expect them to come up with ideas and solutions and have a lot more freedom. Because we're not running around looking for little kids. We're not asking them to run around and look for little kids. It's a vacation. And then in October, I'm taking my wife to Italy alone. And we're just going to have a ball.

Suzy: Absolutely. How do you fund your travels and any financial advice to those who want to start traveling more?

Travis: So I am fortunate that I run my own business and I do help a lot of business owners with their time management, with their family and with their financial situations. But what I do allows me the time and the flexibility. The financial side, this is a fun one. You just have to decide where your values are. I teach this. I believe you balance is actually not doing everything at the same time. It is focusing on your highest priorities in life and what you really value. That's how you feel psychological balance. the truth of the matter is when you're doing the things that are really most important to you, you will feel. fulfilled, you will feel balanced. So then how do you translate that to money? Well, a lot of people, they go out and they do the things that they think are going to bring them a desired outcome. But if they're not putting their money where their values are, then they're going to be feeling less fulfilled. They're not going to feel balance in their financial life. So this is the connector. And for us, my wife and I, what excites us the most is travel. Is traveling with each other, our family, our older kids, like I said, like those various variations and stuff. That's what lights us up. We found that it's just better for us to take a big van and do Airbnbs. That's just what we do. You know, if you make good money, you can literally buy stuff. But stuff doesn't bring family unity. But what does, and what my kids will always remember is that coaster ticket trip. They'll remember going to see civil war sites. They'll remember our trip to the East Coast when we visited Washington, DC in New York. and Philadelphia, and we saw the bell. They'll remember those things. And it has changed their life. Travel can change your family's life. And for me and my wife, that's a conscious decision. Something else that we do with these older kids, we do some of these trips. We're not paying for their way all the time. We say, you want to come to these older kid trips, you're paying at least half your flight if you're younger or all of it if you're an adult. We'll take care of the car rental, we'll take care of the stays and maybe some of the food, but you're paying, They're learning to save. They learn to save up. They learn that if I want to have a better experience, I better learn how to budget and manage my own money. So that said, I know that's very general, but I can imagine because I've helped thousands. couples and families, like reorganize their finances. Most people are not putting their money where their values are. They're doing what their financial planner says to do. And quite honestly, that's where I started. I started as a financial advisor and I started to see these problems with families. like, is not really getting at the heart of it. really understanding what money is really about. we have chosen like, this is something we want to do now. We want to enjoy, we want to learn, we want to explore today like, oh, what are you going to do? And there have been times where we've really had to scrimp and save. And we've had to make a decision between, we go on this trip or Or do we keep our investment property? And one time we sold an investment property and we went on the trip. And they're like, that's insane. No, it's our values. And when we live those values, we feel fulfilled. And so that's why I suggest that anybody out there is like, I don't know how I could do it. Examine. If travel is not really high up on your financial values, don't do it. Don't be pressured to do it because every, you know, people you see on Instagram are doing it. And don't do it because I'm saying, it's so great. Examine it, try it out. And maybe as you look at your own values, you look at your priorities financially, maybe. It is a little bit higher up and you're not putting as much money towards that as you should. Open a travel account, a basic savings account, just throw money at it and say, we're going to put this for this vacation, this family thing, this overnight quarterly thing for our marriage, invest in that. So I talk a lot about that in my book, Marry and Grow Rich. I teach you how to prioritize.

Suzy: That's a perfect phrase to encapsulate what I think is part of travel planning, it is a balance between priorities now and later, but it all boils down to values. And we've talked about that with my husband, like our values are travel, skiing, and languages right now. And so I realized that those things cost money, but I feel good putting our money into those things because we've identified it as a value. I like to feature just any numbers that you feel comfortable sharing. mentioned the Costa Rica. So, you know, to get a better idea of some past spending, what is the financial snapshot of one month of travel?

Travis: Yeah, I'll do Costa Rica and the family trip. Kind of do some comparison here. So with Costa Rica, one of the biggest hurdles was the car rental. It was close to like, I think it was like five grand for like a 12 passenger van. Again, that was for five weeks. The Airbnb though was like three grand for five weeks. Now there were, there were some things while we were there. the air conditioning went out, which air conditioning in Costa Rica, some places don't even have it. Like it just. You just kind of learned to live with humidity, but it was really bad. So we got some fans and they were helpful. There were, there were some things. It wasn't the, the newest home. affordability wise, like, this is just a little bit more expensive than my mortgage at home. Anyway, so that was about the cost of the five week, again, because with Airbnb, when you hit that past a month mark, they give you a huge discount. It would have been almost the same for about two weeks to stay there. Food, food is fun to find. They have a lot of great local fresh stuff, but a lot of it is different than our food. And so that was actually a little bit more expensive than we thought. And again, for a family of nine, We were at the grocery store quite a bit. We eat whole foods, plant-based, and at that time we weren't cooking any of our food. We were eating raw. We're kind of having a raw cleanse for five weeks. And it was a great experience according to my wife and I and my kids, different story. some of the fresher foods cost more. honestly, the experiences in Costa Rica, where they nab you is the ecotourism. So yes, you can go to the beach. Yes, you can find free beaches. Yes, but a lot of times at these like tourist traps, they will get you to pay for like overpriced parking right there. And then they'll get you to rent an umbrella and then rent a board And then all of a sudden you're flying behind a boat. Like, none of those things are bad. But when you're a family of nine versus going there alone or with your spouse or something, you're like, okay, let's stay away from the really big tourist traps. Let's go to where we can just enjoy the beach. Cause again, the kids only like the coconuts. You know what I mean?

Suzy: They remember knocking coconuts down, building on the beach. Yeah. Not necessarily the jet ski ride.

Travis: Exactly. Now you compare that to our two week, family, you know, church camp. We spent the same amount on a hotel for two weeks as we did for five weeks in Costa Rica.

Suzy: Exactly. where slow travel can make a big difference.

Travis: That's it. So having that comparison was actually like, this is crazy. We did have a family suite of three rooms and we had a kitchenette and little dining space with two bathrooms, but we had 10 people in there. So, you know, it's packed. But what's cool about that is when we get home, We are all so much more grateful for the space that we have in our home. that was probably the biggest cost savings right there is driving your own vehicle. And that always gets us, because even when we fly, even if I get good tickets, by the way, to Costa Rica, you can get great tickets. Pomelo Travel, I have nothing to do with them other than just love their service. The other thing we like to use is Google flights Like, hey, this is when we like to go and you can watch those prices go up and down. When we went to Costa Rica, family, I had a ton of points and I think it only cost us, and I know this is crazy. but there were nine of us, I think it only cost us a few hundred dollars to fly there and back because of my points. In my opinion, I don't know how this for you, Susie, but from my opinion, the way that we make a trip happen is either getting the Airbnb if you're driving there or you buy the plane tickets. So once you buy the plane tickets, you're going. Like you're committed.

Suzy: Yes, you're.

Travis: And she was like, they're non-cancellable, non-refundable, those kinds of things. That's an issue. Like you invest in it. And so for me, like I really do a great job of like researching it, buying the tickets and like now we're going.

Suzy: We've discussed a lot of great resources here. Is there anything else that comes to mind as a resource that's been helpful for your family when it comes to either trip or travel planning, schooling on the road, financial, tips or tricks?

Travis: I would say be resourceful. There's a lot more help out there than you probably realize. And ask others who travel a lot. So we have families that we stay in touch with, and they may not be our bestest friends in the world, but they're traveling a lot in their homeschool. Like, hey, what have you done? What's worked? We're planning to go to Cusco and hike Machu Picchu. What worked for you when you were there? Yes, you can find out a lot on Google, but a lot of times what we have found is just people who have been there and done that. So great to talk to a human these days, find out what worked for them, what did not work for them. And interestingly enough, with my work, I've actually used travel. to help married couples. So I do a retreat now in Costa Rica every year. I'm doing one in February on Valentine's Day where I'm bringing couples now because I've been there several times. I know the lay of the land. Yes, I am partnering with a company that's helping us put this all together, but I feel absolutely confident having that retreat there with these couples. So now I'm making money off my travel. And it will pay, because I'm going to bring my whole family, it'll pay for our entire experience. I'm not saying you have to open a travel company, but be resourceful. Maybe there's something you can do. Maybe you can start a blog. Maybe you can do a YouTube channel. Maybe you can be a resource to others and pave the path for them. So that's my thing. Like my dad always said, where there's a will, there's a way. desire to do this, you want to do some slow travel, you want to travel with a big family or small family, whatever works for you, be resourceful and you will find that there are people out there very willing to help.

Suzy: that retreat sounds very fun. Valentine's day is actually our anniversary. And if we are going to be back in Spain, which is a little bit of a jaunt to Costa Rica, but I want more information about that. If people want to connect with you, learn more about your resources, especially this upcoming retreat, where can people find more information about you?

Travis: what? you guys should come. Yeah, the best place for them to go right now is, my company website, make time institute.com and they can sign up for the newsletter. They can follow my blog. I have both my books, achieving balance and mangrove rich on that site. I was talking about how couples need this time away. It is so vital, but it's also great to spend some time talking about how are we doing financially? Where are we? How could this work? How can we better make our financial experiences line up with our values? So that's what I offer. It's a week long event. If you want my new book, marryandgrowrichbook.com. And I got it for five bucks online.

Suzy: And I can't imagine someone better to talk about making time than a father of eight juggling businesses. Anything else you'd like to share?

Travis: you know, just keep trying. if it doesn't work out your first time, your first travel is horrible. I'll give up. It is so good for the family. And again, it's so good for your relationship and just you as an individual. Like I, lot of business owners struggle with this. They think, well, if I leave my business, it's going to be gone. But you know what happens to me every time I go on vacation? I come back with a renewed ambition to work harder, smarter. And sometimes a lot of ideas come to me because sometimes we're so close to the business. We're so close to our family. So that when we come back, my wife's got like new ideas for homeschooling. She's got new ideas for parenting. And I've got new ideas for, you know, the business and other things that we're working on that it gives us time and space for the brain to think. It gives us time and space to be away from what it is that we might be so stressed about. Again, travel is an investment. Investment for your mental health, your relationships, your learning, like so many things that I really could not recommend it more.

Suzy: That's great. Thank you so much for sharing all your insights today.

Travis: Absolutely.