Suzy

I'm Suzy, a travel loving money nerd, mom of two and our family lives between Spain and Colorado on the wander world school and slow family travel podcasts. We discuss the stories, logistics and finances of traveling families and the many ways to learn along the way. Today we get to know Courtney Orjess.

Welcome to the show Courtney.

Courtney

Hey, Suzy. Thanks so much for having me. So my name is Courtney Orgias and I have been living abroad and traveling all over the world with my husband and our two kids who are now three and six, but were once when we first packed up and left, I guess two and a half and not quite three months. So ever since my daughter was 10 weeks old, we've been gallivanting between Spain, Morocco, Brazil, where we are today, Mexico, Colombia, you name it, building community and collecting memories as we go.

Suzy

So you've been through the thick of it with babies and toddlers on the road. So I can't wait to hear more about what that experience is. And I know you'll share an offering that you all have next summer. But before we get into that, you have some traveling families, they develop a love for travel when they're young or as adults. What was your travel story like growing up?

Courtney

I grew up in Florida and like so many Florida kids, I Disney World a lot, Busch Gardens a lot, and then we cruised a lot. So that was always sort of there. But I didn't really start traveling, traveling, I think, until I got into college.

I did a study abroad in Copenhagen in Denmark. And so I got to, Europe for my first time, know, independent and see some things and get on the train And I think that's really where it picked up for me. But I do appreciate the domestic travel we did a lot.

When I was a kid, just getting to see different parts of the country, I think that for people that travel internationally, domestic travel is kind of like slept on and overlooked for sure. And then being able to, go all throughout the Caribbean, of course, is so much fun, especially when you're a kid on a cruise ship.

Suzy

Florida has proximity to some really great parts of the world. And you're right. The U.S. has a lot of opportunities. There's a family from Germany that's RVing around the U.S. right now. And so I'm following them. there are some amazing parts of the U.S. we have the same wanderlust to get out of the U.S. as well. And where did where did you meet your husband along the way?

Courtney

so Justin and I actually went to the same high school. We were absolutely not high school sweethearts. I was way too cool for him and I still am. I like to remind him all the time. we grew up in the same area. He's originally from Toronto in Canada and he moved to the Atlanta area, I think around like eighth grade. And I moved to the Atlanta area when I was younger in elementary school and we just

wound up in the same hallways. And we reconnected a couple years after graduation through some friends and we were very much besties for a little while. And then one thing led to another and now we're in Rio with our kids.

Suzy

What a fun adventure, but you have so much history and friendship together, which is very important when you're traveling to have that strong relationship with your partner. So let's talk about some of those family travels. You've been traveling full time for going on three years then now,

Where did you first go when you left the U S

Courtney

Yeah, we first went to Mexico. One, because we'd been there before and we loved it. Two, I speak Spanish and Justin was committed to learning. So we were like, know, soft landing. And then of course, close proximity to the US with a newborn, right? In case I need my mom, she's like a two hour flight away.

⁓ But we stopped in Playa del Carmen and we got some beach and I like, rode out the rest of my maternity leave and we decompressed and said, my gosh, we really did it. We just like sold everything and dipped out. You know, and we screamed into the void for a couple of weeks. And then we went to Guadalajara, Mexico and we sat down there for, I want to say something like nine months. So as we've traveled, we've alternated.

slow travel, so having longer, you know, one, three, six, nine months since places. And then we've also had periods of time where we're moving pretty quickly between cities, like ⁓ six to eight week, you know, spurts sort of here and there, we crisscross places. But yeah, we started out in Mexico and it was a it's a great soft landing. the visa situation is very easy to navigate. the culture obviously is very different, but being

Americans and then the South, know, there's that familiarity there. So it's just a nice sort of transition, right? Away from everything you've ever known your whole life.

Suzy

Very true. Mexico offers a lot of ease into the travel lifestyle. And like you said, the proximity is great because if you do need to get home, there's many direct flights to the U.S. You realize actually like some parts of Mexico I'm closer to in Colorado than like even New York City by flight. So it's just a matter of perspective. so you're in Brazil now and planning to stay there for a while, from my understanding, what does that look like with landing on Brazil?

Courtney

so we're in Brazil, we're in Rio de Janeiro, and this is my favorite place in the world. And there was about a year between the first time we were here and this time. And I say this and I'm being dramatic, but also I'm not being dramatic, but also like I just am dramatic, so I'm gonna say it. I woke up angry every single day that I was not in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Like I've never missed somewhere so badly.

upon leaving, we came here for the first time in 2023. This is actually where Whitley, my daughter, like took her first steps. We were here right before her first birthday. And I don't know, we just fell in love. There's something about karaoke, the people from Rio and the beach and the mountains and, the food and everything and the culture that's just really amazing.

We were here for a few months. We lived here a few months and then we like went back to the States and then Columbia and I think over to Europe and were in Portugal and we did the whole thing. And the whole time I was just like, wow, I really wish we were in Rio. So earlier this year when we were leaving Italy and trying to decide like what's 2025 going to, look like for us, you know, I looked at Justin and Justin looked at me and I looked at Justin, Justin looked at me and I'm like, let's go back to Brazil. And he was like, all right, you know, let's do it.

Yeah, we're here now. I think we're trying to determine what all next year will look like. but definitely through the end of this year. And then we'll definitely be somewhere in Brazil at some point next year, but I can't commit to, you know, being in Rio the whole year. My feet get itchy.

Suzy

Exactly. And we actually have a Brazilian exchange student living with us this fall. So we have dived a little bit into culture from Brazil. She's shared some of the dishes that they make growing up. I have a hard time pronouncing them all, but they've been very delicious. And then also she's, we've gotten some books from Brazil. We've talked about the language and I just see so much.

cultural and community pride in her when she talks about Brazil. And, you know, she's young and her family's there. Of course, that's a big part of her life. But I really appreciated hearing about the many different parts of Brazil. And you look on a map and it's huge. there is so much to see. You could be there forever and not really experience all the variety, the Amazon, the ocean. So it does offer a lot. And Rio is, of course, a beautiful place from everything I've seen.

Is it really family friendly, would you say? Like with the younger kids is that easy to get around and experience things in Rio?

Courtney

Absolutely. I know that when a lot of people hear Brazil or Rio specifically, like red alerts and like danger, danger and favelas, you know, there's a lot that kind of goes off in the mind. So the first thing I'll say is just like anywhere else, different parts of the city are going to have different, vibes and levels of accessibility and safety in the south and the third. The most popular tourist areas in Rio de Janeiro, that's like Zona Sul. So that's like Lebanha, Ipanema, Botafogo, Flamingo. Like there are a few neighborhoods.

I will say it's all very walkable. There is a train that is air conditioned The sidewalks are fantastic. There are lots of parks. There are lots of play spaces. And you know, something else that I noticed

living in different places, I'm sure you experienced this, but it's like people just like genuinely like really like kids. They just like kids, they just look out for kids, you know, they're always trying to give them something or pat them on the shoulder. you see it at the beach when a kid's like walking towards the water, eyes on that child for safety, this sort of thing. and there's always something to do.

as Brazilians love to celebrate, there's always a festival, a party, someone's braiding hair and painting faces, and there's a lot. You'll never get bored. And as I'm gushing, I'm like, well, of course, I sound biased. I just said that Rio was my favorite place. But the short answer to that question is yes.

Suzy

That's great. your daughter, this is pretty much all she's known is traveling and being with her family and on the go and, your son too, for a big part of his six years, right? I'm just curious kind of what they've expressed about traveling, especially when it's, a full-time lifestyle.

Courtney

it's funny because now that Xavier, my oldest, he just turned six in August. So he's like, finally sort of at a place where he can like really express, you know, like what he thinks and how he feels. And he has like enough memories to build on now to say that. the other day I had to get up like in the middle of the night to go get Whitley. I think she was having a bad dream and they were sleeping next to me.

We betcha it's a whole thing, I'm very tired. But I accidentally woke him up and he shoots, he's like, are we going to the airport? He like shoots up groggy. He's like, are we going to the airport? And I'm like, no baby, like it's fine, go back to bed. But I was thinking about it and like you said, they're really so primed to travel. Like they're ready to go. And I was like, wow, that's so cool. But for the most part,

they really like it. think sometimes when we make friends places or when there's like a particular park that Xavier really likes and he's like, wow, I can't go to this park anymore. Like, I'm not going to see these people anymore. Like he has a moment, you know, like of approach of like, you know, time out because that's my favorite park in the world. And I'm like, you've said that about the last three parks, my love. But I think that's the thing that's hard.

And then also just not being able to have like a whole like lot of stuff or like a dedicated space. think sometimes Justin and I think more about that than the kids do. Like Whitley doesn't know what it's like to have a room like painted in a color that like she chose, but sometimes I'm like, I wonder if they'd miss that if they did experience it. But overall, I think they really like.

seeing new things. They like getting out and exploring and like walking around and asking questions. And one thing that I notice about them and just their behavior now that we've done this quite a few times is that when we touch down in a new place, like they're so excited for the mundane. They're like, you know, I want to see what kind of snacks they have here at the grocery store. And let's go like discover the parks in the neighborhood. And I wonder if there's any kids that live in this building. they have a lot of

I would say like positive anticipation when it comes to traveling and moving and discovering new places. And I always loved that because they're just so adaptable and so cool. And getting to experience places that are new for myself and also through their eyes is probably one of my favorite parts of this whole thing.

Suzy

Absolutely. Having traveled younger, and then doing it with kids, it just really opens your, opens your eyes up to how exciting travel can be. And my youngest turned six in September. So very similar age to your oldest. And so I can relate cause when we are in our home base here in Colorado, the kids have a room, but yeah, they like, they don't sleep in it. They're always with us. so to maybe

E some of your thoughts there. I mean, when we're here, they have some toys, there's some hot wheels and there's some things they play with and they'll play with it, but it's not like they're attached to it they have just one or two things like one or two stuffies that do matter to them. But I find that the stuff component is really not as essential as maybe we think it might be for kids, that really active play and

playing with toys and things can happen in so many different ways that it doesn't always require the stuff part of it. I find that when we're in Spain, we have fewer toys and things as well. it's not suddenly they're more creative here in Colorado when we have more toys, right? It really comes down to just our time with them and

I love that you're traveling when they are so young because all they really want to do is spend time with you and their parents and each other. it does shift at some point, right? But you're in that sweet spot, I think of ages where they're interested in just the basics of life. And that's why slow travel can be so great.

because they don't really need to see all the top sites in every country right? thank you for sharing all that. And I know that your kids are a little on the younger end. So I know maybe schooling isn't part of your plan yet, but I'm curious what your thoughts are on the education piece.

Courtney

So I've always felt, regardless of, schools or institutions like my kids, education is primarily my responsibility. It's always been on my shoulders. And so ever since, Xavier was a baby, I'm trying to speak multiple languages and counting and just talk.

If you cannot tell, I am very much a talker. So I'm just yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip,

know, tracing numbers and shapes and whatever is age appropriate. Right now they are enrolled in an international school here in Rio de Janeiro that works off of a Canadian curriculum. Xavier and Whitley both were enrolled in school in Mexico City that was on an international curriculum and Xavier was enrolled in school in Guadalajara.

Whitley was still too little. And then they both did like a world school thing in Italy. we've also had nannies like here and there and then a conjunction of like nanny schooling. And then we've done everything but virtual at this point, which we're actually, I'm looking into even if it's just supplementary for Zaya, just kind of want to see, you I want to know what all the options are. I want to touch and look at everything.

And I'll say it's been really interesting. I think for the language component and also the integration component for our schools have been really great. it's even nice to be able to connect with like other like local parents and practice the language and set up some play dates and just helps to get really involved in the local community you know that way and also schools are

an investment. they are expensive. It's very expensive. And when the kids were, you said you like a finance nerds, like I feel like this, you know, this part matters too, right? It's very expensive. And when the kids are younger and you thinking your head like, we'd be paying for daycare anyway, it makes sense. And then they hit that, five, six, seven, and you're thinking like,

money could be going towards tuition, you know, and you start to do that sort of math. So we've sort of explored a myriad of options. I will be sort of looking into virtual. The most important thing for Justin and I is always like what's best for the kids. So as their personalities develop and as you know everything kind of unfolds around us and we see what they prefer.

it's our responsibility to lean in the direction of where are they really going to thrive and what's going to work best for them? And we're starting to take notes and think about these things

Suzy

get

especially when kids are younger, getting integrated in a school, a preschool can offer that language support as well as that community integration. We found that we met a lot of families in Spain through the school and it's really just helped to build up a social life for us as well as the kids.

Speaking of the language piece, what languages have been important in your journey? do you have goals on certain languages that you would like your children to speak? You mentioned some Spanish from the get-go and then obviously Portuguese now. What does that language part look like?

Courtney

I need to attain fluency in Spanish because I'm at that point where like if you don't speak Spanish, you think I'm fluent, but I'm very aware that I'm not fluent and I would never tell a native Spanish speaker that I am fluent, right? I'm at that little bubble. The kids understand Spanish. Zay doesn't like to speak Spanish. I think he has an affinity for French. We're currently in Brazil. I don't know what's going on. I would like for us all to have at least three languages at the end of the day.

And I joke all the time that like we have to pick separate languages so that we can all kind of translate for each other when we need to. But I think English, obviously that's our native language. I think Spanish is essential. And after that, looking at Portuguese and or French. So we've been practicing our Portuguese while we're here. The kids actually have a nanny. So she's been working with them with Portuguese too and talking to them about, do you ask the kids to play at the park and that sort of thing, right? And then,

I from there, mean, whatever they have an interest in, wherever they have an affinity for, I wanna support them in that. I think, I really do think Ze was...

take well to French, because I remember the first time we went to France, like even he was little, but he was just so excited. He'd be like, croissant, croissant. And I'm like, my gosh, she's so native. Like, how are you doing that? Which is partially me just being like a silly like first time mom. But also even now, like he hears French words and he like does, he like does up the accent, you know, so we'll see where it goes. But I think three languages for each of us is kind of the, the goal.

Suzy

what a great priority. And you did share a little bit about though the costs of schooling and just life on the road in general. How are you funding your travels? And you mentioned some remote work in there, I believe as well. Tell me a more about how you can financially sustain the long term travels.

Courtney

the first thing that helps is when we left the US, we just sold everything. just, boop, house gone, cars gone, all the things gone. And, you know, with that, you also have a nice little, fund that allows you to say, okay, worst case scenario, all else fails. There's parachute over there. And then the other thing is we took our jobs with us.

We just, we took the nine to five, right? And figured out how to make that work. it's always going to be, I think, more expensive than you think it's going to be on the front end until you figure it out. I think depending on where you are in the world too, one thing we've noticed is that certain things are going to be exorbitantly more expensive.

think you would think, well, other things are cheaper and you can do a lot of research, but you just have to have that cushion. So we've always operated in a way of like, this is here in case we need it, tucked away, we know that. And also let's keep working just to make sure that we're building up, we have other goals and we can really live comfortably and how we want to abroad while making sure that we keep an eye on how much things cost. Because when you travel,

When things are in international currencies and when you're using a card it can get away from you very quickly. If you're not doing the conversion math, it's one thing or going from like, you know, USD to euros or Canadian dollars or something, but you wind up in Columbia where it's like, you know, you know, 2,500 times, you know, 1.63 divided by eight, but is that even the conversion today? And things, they can snowball, they can snowball very fast.

Suzy

Exactly. So having a cushion is helpful. Gives you peace of mind. And then working along the way helps. What are some of those, like a one month spending snapshot, whether that's Brazil or a different country that you've been to,

What have you found to be a range that you've spent for travels?

Courtney

one of the places that we have been the longest and therefore we just have like the steadiest range of that is in Mexico City. Mexico City, we lived in a neighborhood called Del Valle, which is important because the neighborhood is so important, right? Because that funnels into like the rent the groceries and everything else, which

is very local, but it's close to sort of like Invesa and like the other like more popular neighborhoods. We had a three bedroom, three bathroom furnished fully that included like dishes and everything. No dishwasher, but a very cute building, nice and large. There was a little like bonus room, very comfortable. And our rent fluctuated from 1700 to about 1500 a month with the conversion.

honestly, groceries are like the most embarrassing part of it. And it's only because we like big box stores. So if you're shopping like, at markets and like little local places, your grocery bill is going to look a whole lot different than if you're at like Shidawi and the Kroger's and the Publix's, right, of whatever country you're in. But even with that, honestly, I would say groceries are coming out to

$800 a month. That's mostly, cooking at home, but occasionally you have to buy goldfish, which unfortunately is $15 for the best. Of course. And then the international school, they're on the full day there, walking distance to the house. Very nice curriculum, bilingual. That was for both kids around $1,500 a month.

So those are like the biggest expenses, right? And then you have the other things in flux. So, especially when we're in Mexico, we would build travel into the budget, right? So if we wanted to go to Puerto Vallarta, Oaxaca, we wanted to get down to Oaxaca or something like that, we're setting aside, you know, a couple hundred dollars here, a couple hundred dollars there, just so that that's not, one big impact. We try to make sure that we're staying under

$5,000 to $5,500 give or take for the currency conversion in any given month where we are. So that's why sometimes too, if we get it in our heads that we want to go somewhere more expensive, like if we want to bop around Europe, we're staying in places for like those shorter stints, just to make it make more sense, like monetarily, whereas somewhere like Mexico,

or when we're in, Guatemala or Columbia where it's a little less expensive, we're staying places for a longer period of time.

Suzy

And then a lot of those expenses are things you're going to spend no matter what, wherever you are. once you get some of those big pieces down, it's just a matter of, like you said, saving for some of those, those travels that you want to take in between some of that.

Speaking of travel on your blog in 2021, I was looking through some past articles and you shared a post that was titled travel inspiration for families are ever growing bucket list. So I thought it would be really fun to go through that list since it's been about four years since you put that together. And I know sometimes family priorities change, but I was curious if you've been to some of these locations, what your thoughts are about them. And if you haven't been yet, if it's still on your bucket list.

So the first one was the Aurora Borealis.

Courtney

⁓ the Aurora Varyalis is my number one. I have not gone yet, but it's strongest between October and April and my birthday, my husband's birthday and our wedding anniversaries in October. So I'm hoping that next year is the year we'll be like, get away without the kids and we can like do the whole, you know, Northern Lights thing.

Suzy

Save some of those big trips for the ones that matter to you and your husband for when you can do it on your own, which is important to Apple picking in New England.

Courtney

No, but I want to go. Well, actually, you know what? We just went apple picking in Toronto. We've done apples and strawberries in Toronto. So I'm going to say that halfway counts. I think I want to get the full New England experience one day.

Suzy

And

that has to be in the fall too. put that like, it with Aurora Borealis somehow. Hot air balloon in Turkey.

Courtney

Ooh, we did Hot Air Balloon America. That's another half credit. Yes.

Suzy

I think that counts. Pyramids of Giza.

Courtney

No, not yet. Gotta go there.

Suzy

Still on the list. Safari hot air balloon.

Courtney

No, gotta do that. I think there's a wildebeest migration around Xavier's birthday in Kenya. So I kind of want to make that like about him like a him trip. I'll see if he even actually cares to like want to see it, but I have like a plan for that one.

Suzy

you're right. As the kids get older and have more thoughts on where they want to be for certain things, some of these like big ticket items are a little easier to plan for, than when they're younger and you're like, are they even going to realize how awesome this is? So it's a trade off. ⁓ canal tour of Venice.

Courtney

Yes, we actually ticked that off earlier this year. Venice was amazing. It exceeded my expectations.

Suzy

What time of year were you there?

Courtney

We were there in February? No, maybe March, like early March. It was still chilly.

Suzy

It feels like

it might be right before some of the summer tourist crush. do you feel like that was actually a good time to avoid some of the crowds?

Courtney

I think it was a great time because it wasn't crowded at all. And I'd actually heard that like during the hotter months, just because of all the water, there can be like a bit of a smell. And so we didn't have any smell. There were not a lot of crowds. And nowhere was booked up. We didn't have an issue finding like a table, going out to eat. So I think March was really nice and it was sunny, clear skies. It was a little chilly, but

Again, I'm from Florida, so I'm kind of dramatic with that stuff anyway.

Suzy

But that's a win for traveling a little bit in the off season What about Eiffel Tower?

Courtney

Yes, we did. Xavier slipped through it though. I have a picture of him just like conked out in his stroller. But Justin and I got some cute pictures. So a one is a one.

Suzy

That's great. tour the coast of West Africa.

Courtney

haven't done that one yet. That one's coming up though. I think I've finally gotten like my mom and my sister and my dad and like our family like on board to do like a big like West Africa trip specifically even going to Benin. again my wheels are turning on that one. The pieces are coming together.

Suzy

especially if you want to include other family members that can take a while to plan and coordinate swimming in the Dead Sea.

Courtney

No, not yet. I'll have to lump that one in with the pyramid zekisa.

Suzy

Make sense. And Marrakesh markets.

Courtney

Yes, we've done the Medina in Marrakesh. Marrakesh was amazing. Another place where I'm like, ugh, I have to get back to there.

Suzy

Absolutely. like you said, it's your ever growing bucket list. So you have things on it you still want to get to, and I'm sure there's been things that you want to add to it as well. I love to hear about where people's minds were a couple of years ago, like when they're starting out with travel. And then sometimes we think we can fit more in than we really do, but it just gives us more to aim for in the future.

⁓ you highlighted it on your blog that your family's been featured on CNN and USA Today to represent the possibilities for black families who want to adopt the digital nomad lifestyle. Can you tell me more about that journey to advocate for black family travel and how this has influenced your travels?

Courtney

Yeah, of course. I think one of the biggest things is particularly with, anyone who wants to live an international lifestyle or be a global citizen or bicontinental it's more of a possibility now than it's ever been. Right.

And for so many people, they look at the young 20-somethings backpacking through Europe, and there's that sense of FOMO, or you have people that don't have a remote job, or they have a good reason not to be able to leave where they are, and they're looking at people who have moved abroad. All I want to do is to be able to stand up and say, hey, I am now a 30-something. Life comes at you fast. I've got kids. I'm married. I'm a nine to five employee.

still found a way to make this work, you can too. I also think it's really important for groups that have been historically underrepresented in travel and in having the opportunity to choose immigration, as opposed to being forced to a fro, to be able to take that back and to give the gifts of that to their children. There's so much in the world that Black kids or

queer kids or immigrant kids, know, whatever marginalized group you want to put on it, they just don't think certain things are for them. They don't see people doing it. They don't think it's an option. know, unfortunately, sometimes the call even comes from inside the house and we have people that look like us telling us that that's not for us. So my goal and to bring it, you know, a little bit back more interpersonally, when I look at my kids is for them to know that there's nowhere that they just can't go. There's nothing they can't do.

There's nowhere that they just don't belong, right? And I want to give them that wonderlust and that ability to be able to feel comfortable in different situations and to be able to come into someone's culture and respect it and adapt to it. And to be able to pick up all of the good, beautiful pieces of things that we've experienced between Portugal and Guatemala and the US and...

⁓ Mary Cash and Rio and to be able to integrate that into who they are so that they can be their most, elevated and aligned and best selves.

Suzy

that's really well put. Thank you for sharing. think that's so important to have that representation and to know that it's possible and to advocate for other families that might not know if this is something that they can do to be a voice for that is so important. we also like to talk about the wins of long-term family travel and sometimes the challenges that come with it, especially when it's full-time. What are some struggles or challenges that your family is experiencing now or has experience on your travels?

Courtney

I think this past year, I think for the first time, we've really felt the weight of being far away from family. last year in November, my grandmother died and it was a situation where it all escalated really quickly. Like she was fine and then she wasn't and then we didn't know and then she was gone.

There's a special kind of panic that comes with having to be on Google flights, know, fighting through tears, trying to figure out, I make it today? Can I make it tomorrow? And then again, the financial component, it's eight times more expensive if I'm trying to make it today versus tomorrow and weighing the cost of that. Whereas, you know, if we were still in Atlanta, Jacksonville, that's a five hour drive if you speed, you know?

You can leave immediately. It's a five hour drive. All you have to do is stop for gas and know, Praia State trooper doesn't stop you. And then similarly, you know, my husband's father passed away in August and it's a similar thing where it's like, well, the doctors are saying, but, and you know, and that it's a long flight between Rio and Toronto. That's an even longer flight. So I think the biggest,

hardship that's come along with that. And again, with these two examples, particularly within the past year is just like, wow, how far away is too far away to be for an extended period of time? So,

I think that's the biggest one. And aside from that, I think it's things that people can guess. Like I said earlier, things can get really expensive really quickly. Our first few months, I swear we just lit cash on fire before we got a handle of what was going on. And then there are other smaller things, like figuring out how to pack and what you do and don't need. And like you said, the kids have a few good stuffies now. But before, we were trying to lug around this huge thing of magnetiles.

125 pieces of magnetiles, know, TSA looking at us like we are just absolutely bonkers for trying to do that.

Suzy

there's a lot of things to consider, But let's also talk about the wins because you've been at this for a couple of years. what are some of the positive parts

Courtney

one of the largest positives is that when you change where you are and how you live and what you encounter day to day, like you change your whole perspective on life and you start to want different things and appreciate different things. And when you're thrust into new cultures with new languages and new surroundings, you know, that neuroplasticity in your

brain just like rewires, right? You become a different person. You really, really do. I was talking to Justin about this the other day, but it's interesting because the person that I have become since traveling is so wildly different than the person I was before. And like maybe the kids have something to do with that, right? Just rewiring my brain every day in their own special way.

But I think that's really amazing because now I'm at a point where like I see visions for the future that I hadn't seen before, right? I have desires, I want things, I wanna create and build things that I didn't even know there was a need or desire for some months ago. And then again, watching my kids really adapt and pick things up and seeing the gifts of travel reflected into them. I was talking to Xavier in Spanish in the kitchen earlier.

and he can understand me. And then his nanny turns around and says something to her in Portuguese. And he looks at her and kind of squints for a second. And then I see him respond in English and she responds in Portuguese. I was like, my God.

Suzy

Those are magical moments.

Courtney

Absolutely. was like, that's three languages in 10 minutes. Like it's magic. You know what I mean? I got so excited. And then he told me too that Whitley was like starting to like say things like in Portuguese, like to other kids at the park. And also seeing the clear and tangible benefits for my children, right? Like even if it's just a little bit of foundation and a couple different languages, that's putting them ahead.

Being able to navigate different cultures and different languages, even if it's just different parks, that's putting them ahead. I'm giving them advantages that I wouldn't have been able to give them had we just sat in one place and not taken to Globetrot.

Suzy

I agree. It's such a gift we can give our children. I'd like to jump into a lightning round One item that you cannot travel without.

Courtney

Ooh, toothbrushes, new toothbrushes, hard bristle toothbrushes. They have to be hard bristle toothbrushes.

Suzy

First thing you do when you arrive in a new country.

Courtney

Find the parks and grocery stores.

Suzy

Got to know where the food is, right? What is the most delicious food that you've ever tried on your travels?

Courtney

Ooh, they're like ⁓ palitos, I don't remember what they're called, but they're little like baked, cheese filled, like cheese bread in Colombia.

Suzy

That sounds delicious. What is one piece of advice you have for a family that's just starting out?

Courtney

Don't feel rushed to go everywhere you see on Instagram, hit all the landmarks, or keep up with whoever the Jones is of family travel are. Just do your thing and settle into your rhythm.

Suzy

That's so, so true. if you could teleport to one place right now, where would it be?

Courtney

Ooh, you know what, honestly, I've been itching to ⁓ get back to Madrid. I miss Madrid. I had amazing Senegalese food and I've been thinking about Madrid lately. So as long as I could like pop over for lunch or little aperitivo maybe and like pop back, I would choose Madrid.

Suzy

I so wish we could actually have that ability to like teleport around the world for lunch. That was lovely. Yeah. If you ever end up back in Madrid when we're in Sevilla, just let me know. We could always ⁓ somehow meet up in Madrid or something. That would be great. You also have an opportunity coming up next summer. Would you like to share a little more about your travel opportunity for families?

Courtney

Yeah, I'd love to. So we are hosting the Village Abroad, which is a retreat. There's an option to either just stay for one week or stay for the full two weeks in St. George's Grenada, June of 2026. And we're making this an all-inclusive thing. So we're going to have the accommodation. We have cottages and villas with ⁓ two-bedroom options available. Monday to Friday, childcare for both older children to do like an active camp.

and for younger children to get to do some crafting, creative hands-on activities in Spice Island. We're going to build in some excursions and also just give families who travel, who live abroad, who are bi, tri, quadruple continental, what have you, an opportunity to come together because sometimes that's hard to write, especially through the screen. We meet people on social media and we don't get to connect with them all the time in real life.

So we're putting this together, just a retreat to share resources, build community, have some fun, do some great things for the kids so that they can make some other third culture kid friends, and also make sure that we set aside time for parents to connect and relax and network and enjoy everything that the beautiful island of Grenada, which is actually where Justin's family is from,

Suzy

so that's how you pick the location. This is where his family is from.

Courtney

Yeah, yeah, it is. And actually, the kids and I, our first time going will be in February to put things together for this and to hug the necks of some cousins that we've only gotten to see on the screen and stuff like that. So it's really exciting. But yeah, all of his grandparents are from Grenada and then they moved up to Toronto. So it's also nice to just be coming back to the island and being able to celebrate it this way.

Suzy

That's so special. And I do agree that for families to be able to travel, incorporate a little childcare so they can get some rest and relaxation, it's like the perfect combination of, plenty of family time, but there's also time to socialize and be with community and get a little bit of a break for the parents. So I'm like wondering why did I ever plan a trip that did not involve some type of community and childcare or learning opportunity? when you're doing everything,

just in a new location, it's actually not as relaxing as when you get to partake in an opportunity like this. So I will share that in the show notes and where can people connect with you?

Courtney

Yes, so they can find us across social media. are on Instagram primarily. We're on YouTube a lot, dropping some Rio de Janeiro content if you want to be jealous and see the ocean and the mountains. But across all channels at ⁓ o.family.adventures.

Suzy

great. I'll link all that in the show notes and yes, I've been appreciating your YouTube channel because it just offers that visualization of where you're at and the travels you've been on. I've really enjoyed hearing more about you and your family

Courtney

Yes, thank you for having me.