The truth is, we’ve entered a new phase of life for our family, and our focus has shifted yet again. I haven’t been posting on social media either, but those of you following our journey through our Weekly NOW newsletter will be up to date on what’s going on for us.

In short, with our oldest daughter turning 17 this year, we’re continuing to put as much focus as we can on making these last years at home with them count. After eleven years of semi-nomadic travel, and our youngest daughter born on the road, we’ve chosen a new adventure for this next phase that our kids have especially been wanting to experience – a settled lifestyle in the USA.. :)

Of course, intentional travel will continue to be a part of our lives. But we are very much enjoying a more inward, rather than outward focus, for the time being. With the onset of COVID-19, this decision has felt natural and well-timed for our family.

In addition, we’ve decided to end Family Adventure Summit moving forward, as well as the other events, projects, and courses we have been involved in. While there is some sadness in this, overall, these events have left sweet us memories and dear friendships, and we’re grateful for the opportunity we’ve had to learn, grow, and serve in this way.

What Are We Up To Now?

With the costs of living in the U.S. much higher than other places we’ve lived (mostly due to the higher taxes and insurance), I’ve been learning more about investing, cleaning up and consolidating our finances, and have also purchased another online SaaS business that I’m enjoying growing.

Jen is continuing to do coaching and loving the experience of working one on one with people. Emily (16) is continuing to run her video editing business with many happy clients. She also continues to create films, music, art, stories, and 2D animation. Marie (14) is continuing her 3D modeling and animation practice, and is also getting into coding games, and learning to play the harp. Aysia (9) still loves ballet and is taking online classes 4 days per week.

We’ve moved into a house next to a beautiful forest in the southeast, U.S. and are currently in the process of furnishing it. We’re enjoying learning about design and practicing creating functional and beautiful spaces for our family to enjoy together.

For the past several months, we have also had some dear friends living in our basement while they’re building a house nearby, which has given us plenty of social opportunity during this time of social distancing.

Having taken on so many new projects over the years, and focusing so much on maximizing my productivity and creative output, it’s interesting to be entering a phase of consolidation and integration, creating space for us to simply be and feel into. We don’t know what might emerge from this in the future, if anything, but it feels good to be saying “no” to most new opportunities now, and just observing what makes us come alive in smaller ways.

And some questions she asked brought up some revelatory insights that I’ve been pondering.

Mainly, I realized that I don’t necessarily want to be the spokesperson for the brands I’m creating. Marketing gurus talk so much about the importance of “building a personal brand”, probably because that’s what they did to succeed. But in my case, I created my first successful business very much from behind the scenes. People were attracted to Music Teacher’s Helper because of the product, not because of me.

Same with my real estate properties. My tenants don’t even know my name. These business are run entirely by other people. Almost completely passive, and separate from my personal and family life.

Sure, after Tim Ferriss and Chris Guillebeau published my story, I became more well-known. But this didn’t actually have an effect on my business (except perhaps negatively in that it inspired others to create competing products). Still, I started creating new opportunities from this by marketing myself as a business coach, and also as a kind of “family travel guru” to inspire families to live with intention and adventure through long-term travel.

And we continually run into people who have seen my YouTube videos or read our blog and felt inspired enough to make important life changes (we met another such family recently upon leaving a restaurant – they rented our villa in Bali  2 years ago, saw our website, felt inspired, went home, sold their house, and are now living in Bali and expecting their first baby).

It’s nice to know that I’ve had an influence, and continue to influence people to tune into themselves, believe, and create a life that inspires them. Though it doesn’t feel as good as I thought it would. I suppose this is because I know at the core, the decision was theirs, not mine, and I can’t take responsibility for it – I can only congratulate them for living from their heart.

The problem is that in order to earn money as a “guru”, a coach, or a thought leader, I have to keep marketing myself and promoting my family story, and there is a different energy around that than there is around promoting a product or business that I own.

It seems that all my social media posts lately are either promoting one of my events or are in some way self-promotional. Perhaps that’s the nature of what social media has become (simply an advertising platform), but it seems a long way from the vulnerable and connecting conversations I used to have there and on my blog. Interestingly, I never promote MTH or my real estate properties, because the target market isn’t necessarily in my friend circle, and this marketing is already handled by my staff. Ironically, these are the businesses generating the majority of my income.

So, I’ve realized that while I enjoy owning businesses and having a positive impact on the world, I don’t necessarily enjoy marketing or selling myself as a solution. And I especially don’t enjoy the requirement to continue doing that in order to earn an income, as I think this can quickly lead to inauthenticity. When “you” are your brand, it also makes it more difficult to be vulnerable, as personal decisions can then have a greater affect on the business. (i.e. would I have hesitated more to publish vulnerable and controversial posts like why I left the Mormon church and healing sexual shame if there was a chance they could negatively effect my income? Who knows….)

So what am I taking from all this? Just that I’m considering extraditing myself more from the marketing tasks, and working more in the ownership role (big picture visionary, and overall organization), not the operations or management roles in the businesses I own, as this seems to be where my best skillset lies anyway.

I am also toying with the idea of buying another business (yes, buying rather than starting) – but not running it myself, as an experiment to improve my leadership skills and increase my income (potentially with much higher returns than real estate).

Lesson: I value the authentic and vulnerable connections I’ve had online and off, but that can be inhibited if the majority of my interactions feel like a potential sales opportunity. I need to step back from marketing and sales and into leadership and ownership, leaving more space for vulnerability and authentic relating on a personal level. Also, rather than trying to strengthen my brand through self-promotion and labels, I need to remember the benefits of living beyond labels and freely being and expressing myself despite what image others may have of me. How can you be more true to yourself this week, perhaps shedding expectations you may have absorbed from outside influences regarding how you should be?

Note: This post is an excerpt from my Weekly NOW email newsletter. If you’d like to hear what I’m learning each week, click here to opt-in for free.

I suppose when I was around 14 years old, I did start doing random work for people, including typing documents, computer repair, or consulting people on computer purchases, just because there were people who insisted on paying me to do these things. But I didn’t consider myself an actual business owner or start managing other people in my business until my late twenties.

Recently, our daughter Emily (15) hired her first employee (part time contractor) – other than her sister – for her Crystal Cut Studios video production business! She started her business about the same way I did – at 13, people saw her videos and asked if she could do some work for them. But unlike me, she treated it like a business. And two years later, she has several consistent clients, and more asking her for work all the time. So she’s realized at a young age her ability to scale her services, as well as free up her time to pursue other creative passions and further her education. (Whether that’s creating an environmental documentary, studying biology, or animating a short film to your singing voice.)

How did she hire someone? She created a job posting on Upwork.com, looked through dozens of applications, interviewed the most promising ones, and hired the best candidate for a test period to see how he does. He’s a young man from the USA who has a good skill set and video editing experience, and she negotiated paying him a little less per hour than she has tended to charge her clients.

We don’t really know how this will go. Her income will take a hit at first, as she has her new team member help share the load. And she’ll have to train him in her processes, explain her creative ideas, allow for his creative expression, and carefully check the quality of his work to make sure it matches her standards.

Even if this ends up a complete financial failure, I’m happy to see her doing this because of the lessons she is bound to learn through the process. This is an education in management and business operations that’s hard to get without jumping in and doing it, and it will serve her well throughout her life.

When we’re traveling, or she has other things she wants to prioritize, she’ll be happy knowing that she can hand off a project to her teammate if she doesn’t have time to complete it herself, so her client’s projects can continue being delivered in a timely manner.

Lesson: The teenage years are the perfect time to start entrepreneurial endeavors, because teenagers are capable of doing so much, and the consequences of “failure” are much less intense when you’re living with your parents and have everything provided for you. Emily was nervous to do this, but through our encouragement and support, she knows we’re here for her, and it’s great to see her passion for her work help her push through her fears. What can you do this week to encourage your kids (or yourself) to create something you’re passionate about, or push yourself through your fears?

Note: This post comes from a recent email I sent on my free Weekly NOW email newsletter, where I share what I’m doing, what’s I’m thinking about, and what I’m learning each week. Would you like to get these emails? If so, click here to sign up to receive it.

Why Laos? Because:

1. We had never been here before
2. It looks absolutely beautiful from the pictures and reviews
3. It’s a short and cheap flight from Bali (just $364 round trip)
4. It’s a cheap place to eat great food and get some work done

How well did it meet our expectations?

Well, when we arrived, we could hardly see anything because of a thick blanket of smoke that covered not only the city, but the mountains, rivers, and everything for miles around. It reminded me of a winter-scape without the snow.

It turns out that throughout much of Southeast Asia this time of year (March and April), there is a lot of agricultural and other burning, and the smoke settles thick in places like Luang Prabang. The day before we arrived, we were told it was bright and sunny. But it was smokey and gray our entire time there (sometimes even raining ash!), though we did see minimal blue sky maybe 2-3 times.

(No, she is not a bandit, it was so smokey Emily had to wear a mask in an effort to protect her throat and lungs.)

Beyond that though, there was a lot to love about Luang Prabang! Friendly people. Delicious and cheap food, like a French/Thai mix. Beautiful architecture. A relaxing vibe. The Internet wasn’t great (A speed test said 16mbps, but it was actually more like 1mbps), and I might have enjoyed it there better a different time of year (without the smoke), but overall it was a great experience.

Here are 7 things to do in Luang Prabang.

1. Night Market

Our first night (and most nights), we went to the Luang Prabang’s night market, which was huge, but still chill and pleasant, although I hear that it can get really crowded during high season (Nov-Jan). We enjoyed one of the vegan buffets with amazing options for around just USD $1.80/person, and delicious fresh fruit smoothies for around $1.20/person.

The night market spans several blocks on the main street – far enough that you can’t see from one end to the other.

There were many little treats and French-style pastries, crepes, little coconut pancakes, and much more.

Beyond the night markets, the streets of Luang Prabang come alive at night, as the city comes out to eat and shop. The main street is lined with interesting shops and many delicious and unique restaurants with cuisines from around the world.

2. Mekong River

One day, we hopped on one of these colorful boats for a cruise down the Mekong River. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful, with limestone cliffs, and a chance to visit some smaller villages. There wasn’t much wildlife, though we did spot some water buffalo.

3. Pak Ou Caves

From the boat, we stopped at the Pak Ou Caves, filled with many Buddha statues of all shapes and sizes. If you choose to take a river cruise up the Mekong, it can be a several hour journey, and not much opportunity for food along the way, so we recommend bringing some snacks, especially if you’re traveling with kids.

4. Paper Making

Luang Prabang is famous for its paper crafting, and you can participate in a workshop to make lanterns books, or other paper crafts, from start to finish, including picking the flowers that are pressed inside. It’s a fun activity for young and old.

5. Kuang Si Waterfalls

To me, the Kuang Si Falls were the highlight of our time in Luang Prabang. The Kuang Si Falls are probably the most picturesque waterfalls I’ve ever seen! (With really cool natural swimming holes, too.) It’s like stepping into a work of art!

6. Butterfly Sanctuary

Near the Kuang Si Falls is a butterfly farm. With lovely grounds and many different varieties of butterflies in various stages of development, it’s a great place to take a nature walk and learn about the process of metamorphosis.

7. Temples

And of course, Luang Prabang is filled with beautiful temples, ornately carved, often with monks chanting inside. As you walk around town, these are hard to miss. Each morning around 5-6am, there is also a beautiful ritual the locals have of feeding the monks on their morning walk to their respective temples.

8. Storytelling

Alright, just one more. While in Laos, we also enjoyed a fun storytelling activity, where we heard tales, legends, and songs about the history and people of Luang Prabang. This gave us a bigger glimpse into the culture and mindset of the place and was a fun way to spend an evening.

We hope this post gives you some ideas of things you can do while in Luang Prabang. Remember to expect smoke if you come in March or April. We recommend bringing your own face mask, as we couldn’t find any quality masks there that will actually filter the smoke. But whenever you come, there will be delicious food, friendly people, and lovely scenery, and a beautiful culture to enjoy.

Since we came back to Bali several months ago, Emily has been working on a documentary about the pollution problem that exists here, as well as some solutions that are in place and are making a difference. Through creating this film, she hoped to increase her sense of hope that things could get better, and to feel empowered herself to effectively contribute to the solutions.

This project has been an IMMENSE amount of work for her. Here is a quick list of what she did:

• She researched organizations in Bali working on the pollution problem.
• She contacted their leaders to schedule interviews.
• She met with them and recorded the interviews (I helped with this part, as her camera man – though I regret that my lav mic adaptor was broken, affecting interview audio quality. But Emily compensated well).
• She researched scientific studies, contacted universities, and verified sources.
• She scripted and recorded the film’s narration with her own voice.
• She wrote, orchestrated, and recorded the film’s entire music score from scratch.
• She created several hand-drawn animated sequences that appear in the film. (Her sister Marie also helped by creating a couple 3D animations).
• She edited the entire film in Final Cut Pro (amidst all the editing she does for her clients in her Crystal Cut Studios business).
• She created a logo for her new brand, Earth United, where this film will be housed.

With hours of footage to go through, it was no easy task for her to choose what to cut and how to make the story interesting, informative, and to flow well. But after months of work (and a couple of preview showings to her parents for feedback), she has whittled this down to about a 20-minute short documentary film, which she has now released for free on her new Earth United YouTube channel!

Unlike many environment-related films that leave me feeling a bit depressed about the state of the world and our future, this one left me with a sense of hope and empowerment, as well as a stronger desire to do my part moving forward, knowing I’m not alone in my efforts.

If you can spare 20 minutes this week, I invite you to watch this film, and also share it if the message resonates, so more people can be inspired to take better care of our planetary home.

I’ve learned a lot through watching Emily do this. First, our planet is facing big environmental problems that require big solutions, and our individual efforts can feel like a drop in the bucket. But there are solutions out there in various stages, and we can contribute in various ways, starting with reducing our own impact. Second, Emily sometimes tends to push herself too hard, in ways that aren’t good for her (such as staying up until 4am to achieve a self-imposed deadline, or getting only 4 hours of sleep for several nights in a row). But I can also see ways that sometimes my own work ethic can get out of balance, and I’m reminded of the importance of perspective in this and being aware of the impacts of our choices on ourselves and others. How can you become more aware this week of how your choices are affecting you, your family, and the world? And what is one thing you can do to make that affect more positive?

First Impressions, and Varkala

Kumarakom

I want to be more like Kuttappan. More generous and giving in my interactions, and with a greater appreciation for the value of other kinds of wealth beyond the monetary kind. These are the kinds of lessons and changes I love to receive through travel.

In our modern culture, we’re often taught the value of becoming self-reliant and independent. Sometimes as we “succeed” in this, it leads to a sense of isolation. Or we may shut ourselves off from deeper emotions in order to get ahead, or to not upset others. Or we may simply feel too drained with all our commitments to give 100% in any of our relationships, and we wonder if it’s possible to have fulfilling connections, even in our own families.

These past two weeks, we ran our At Home in the World Family Retreat here in Bali. The families who came showed up fully, committed to deepening their relationships. Each had their own internal and external struggles they came with, whether family or personal challenges. While at first reserved, everyone quickly opened up to new ways of thinking and seeing, learned new skills and more confidence to trust their intuition, and gained clarity on their path forward.

By the end, most parents said this retreat felt like a major turning point in their lives. It’s changed the way they will parent, live, learn, and work moving forward, becoming more inclusive and supportive of their children’s needs, as they grow together as a family. Some families even expressed that this retreat saved their relationship with their kids or their spouse. (And some kids expressed similar sentiments.) Here is one example from 11-year-old Sky-Marie. I cry every time I watch this (especially at the end).

I am so grateful to be a part of this and to witness the positive changes these families are experiencing.

But what makes this possible?

What does it take to create truly fulfilling relationships? I would say nothing short of awareness, presence, authenticity (with ourselves and others), and vulnerability.

During the retreat, these inspiring families felt deeply, and shared vulnerably with courage and compassion. There were tears, laughter, dancing, shouting (and repeatedly punching a pillow in one case), and many moments of mindful presence and introspection. There were excursions to local Balinese villages, to temples, to rice fields and waterfalls and jungles as we adventured together, learned together, and faced the challenges that arose together (such as our bus getting stuck in the mud in the rain and needing to be dug and pushed/pulled out).

All this led to deep transformation, supported also by the framework we facilitated with and the strong community bonds that were forged and will last long past the retreat. The children also made lasting friendships with a mix of ages, and learned to love and support one another.

We went deep. We had fun. And we came out connected, grateful, and transformed.

If you want fulfilling relationships, then I invite you to look to yourself first.Consider some of these questions: What are your needs? What can you give? How can you express yourself with more courage and compassion? How can you use gratitude for what is going well as a container for what is not?

And as you look to the week ahead, what is one thing you can commit to do this week to honor and deepen one of your most precious relationships?

If you are looking for more support with this or are interested in attending one of our upcoming retreats, please visit our At Home in the World Retreat website, join our mailing list, or connect with us through email or Facebook. Our next retreat will be in Transylvania, Romania from July 1-14, 2019. If you or someone you know is interested, we encourage you to reach out right away.

You can also watch this summary video of the highlights from our Bali retreat this year to get a taste of what it is like:

Wherever your path leads, and whatever relationships you are currently involved in, I wish you the best as you tune into and honor yourself and your needs, as you also honor others in their needs with courage and compassion.

May you enjoy deep fulfillment and connection even now,

Brandon Pearce

Travel

As a family, we traveled to 9 countries over 3 continents in 2018: Mexico, Indonesia, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, India, and the USA. Some of these we visited more than once. Five of these countries we had never been to before, bringing us to a total of 41 countries that we’ve traveled to as a family (not counting quick airport stops or overnight stays).

Lost over $9,000 in missed flights and theft

In between our flights to Bali and Spain, we missed a flight, which ended up costing us over $4,000. And when at the bus station in Budapest, my bag was stolen, which contained my laptop, phone, cash, hard drives (with valuable backups), all my clothes (except what I was wearing), my wedding ring, and many more things, totaling over $5,000 in additional loss, plus a lot of time and energy to replace these things.

Camino de Santiago

We walked 180km along the Camino de Santiago in Spain through gorgeous scenery with our dear friends. We faced blistered feet, injured knees, and walking all day long for about 9 days.

Portugal Road Trip

We took a short family road trip through Portugal visiting picturesque towns, forests, caves, and monasteries, as well as the charming city of Lisbon. Every day we were there, we made sure to enjoy our favorite Portuguese treat, Pasteis de Nata, a type of custard cream tart.

Lake Balaton and Budapest, Hungary

We spent a week on Lake Balaton, preparing for our At Home in the World Retreat with the Kaponay family, along with ping pong matches, movie nights, and a visit to a hot springs lake. We also visited some of the most famous places in Budapest, enjoyed Hungarian food, and celebrated birthdays with an escape room and a fancy hot springs visit at Szechenyi Baths.

Retreat run-through Transylvania, Romania

While we didn’t end up filling our retreat in 2018, we had an amazing experience in Transylvania running through our learning program, trying out the excursions, and preparing for 2019’s retreats in Bali (Feb 25-Mar 10) and Transylvania (Jul 1-14). We gained many new insights that helped our own family, and deepened our family connections and friendships as well.  We left feeling much more confident about the impact this will have on the families who attend.

Our documentary project ended

We were disappointed that the documentary project we’ve been working on came to an abrupt end, due mostly to communication difficulties around the team not being able to agree on the direction the film should take. While we felt saddened by this, we are grateful for all we’ve been able to learn through the process so far both about documentary filmmaking, teamwork, and communication.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

From the moment we arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia, we felt completely charmed! There is so much we loved about this city, and we spent an entire month here soaking up the place, enjoying the markets, the food, the cleanliness, the people, and recovering from our earlier losses.

Attended a family wedding in Portland, Oregon

We so much enjoyed spending more time with relatives we hadn’t seen in so long. Brandon’s cousin J’Neil got married, and we hung out with Brandon’s mom and sister’s family before the wedding, exploring Portland a little. We also enjoyed some fun time with Brandon’s mom in Everett, Washington.

Maui, Hawaii couples trip

Every year, Jen and I like to take a couples trip – just the two of us – to focus on each other, experience something new together, and deepen our connection. In 2018, we visited Maui, Hawaii made possible because my mom so generously and lovingly watched our daughters while we were gone.

Family Adventure Summit in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Family Adventure Summit 2018 was incredible! We had been preparing for this event the entire year, securing accommodations, scheduling speakers, organizing the program, arranging performers, finding volunteers, and so many details that go into making this an epic event for families intent on living with purpose and adventure through travel. Over 400 people were in attendance at the event in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and we had such an amazing time. Over 200 immediately booked for 2019’s event, which will be in Bali, Indonesia (Oct 2-6, 2019).

Here’s a fun video of the highlights of the event that Emily put together.

Emily (age 15) strengthened her love of animation and launched a business

On two different brief trips to Burbank, California, spearheaded by our daughter Emily’s passion for animation, we visited with the Vice President of Frederator studios, took a tour of Disney animation studio, and attended the CTNX expo so Emily could further her education regarding the animation industry, and decide whether she wants to pursue it as a career.

Earlier in the year, Emily also released her Dance in the Rain animation. She drew over 6,000 frames by hand to put this together as a music video to a song she wrote, recorded, and produced. She also sang a cover of “Love Like You” (the theme song to one of her favorite cartoons), and completed an animation for it (above).

In 2018, Emily also started her own video editing business called Crystal Cut Studios and continues to serve a good list of happy return clients. All this while she intensely studies to deepen her understanding of the environment and the causes and effects of climate change – another strong passion.

Marie (13) developed her skills in aerial silks and 3D modeling

In 2018, Marie became quite skilled at aerial silks, where she practiced multiple times per week in Mexico (at a class) and multiple times per day in Bali (because we have installed silks in our home there). She learned several new tricks and falls that terrify her parents.

In addition to the intro videos she’s created to grow her Jamnastics Youtube Channel to over 1,100 subscribers, Marie has also been doing a lot of 3D modeling and animation with an educational license of the professional Cinema4D software.

In December, she and Emily, and their friends in Bali decided to start their own study group, where they will meet 3-4 times per week to study math, English, history, humanities, and more.

Aysia (7) fell in love with ballet

Aysia has become very passionate, even obsessed with ballet. She loves her teacher in Mexico so much (and the feeling is mutual), so they are now continuing lessons online even as we travel. She also discovered that she is extremely flexible, and can do many contortionist moves, such as putting her feet on the back of her head (and beyond). Like Marie, she has also been enjoying aerial silks.

Announced Family Adventure Academy

In addition to Family Adventure Summit and our retreats for families, we decided to launch a third event specifically for parents, that is like a boot camp that deep dives into the main topics parents need to take their kids on a long-term travel adventure. From saving money to travel, to various educational approaches up through university, to ways to fund your travel adventure, and deepen your family connection, we’re excited to support more families in living their travel dreams through Family Adventure Academy.

Attended Inner Guidance Training in Bali

Upon arriving back in Bali in December, Jennifer and Brandon attended an Inner Guidance facilitator training in Bali, leaving us feeling so much more connected to our hearts, our own authentic power, and gaining new skills to heal and transform ourselves and others.

“Retired” from Music Teacher’s Helper

After nearly 15 years of running Music Teacher’s Helper, taking it to near the million dollar level in annual revenue while serving thousands of music teachers around the world, I realized I’m no longer as passionate about it as I used to be, and am no longer the best person to be running it. So I’ve hired an experienced professional (our former Commercial and Marketing Director) to be the new CEO, and I’ve stepped down into a non-operational “Founder” role. While this was not an easy decision to make, I’m trusting it will infuse the company with needed energy and leadership to serve our customers better and take it to the next level.

Visited India for the first time

On Dec 28, we left for a 2.5 week visa run to Kerala, India. Though most of this falls into 2019, we ended off our New Year’s Eve in Varkala, India. During our trip, we enjoying fantastic Indian food at rock bottom prices (at restaurants, we would feed our entire family for $5-12), and some of the kindest people we’ve ever met. More about this trip will come in future posts.

Summary

Of course, this is just a short summary of all that we experienced in 2018. But we exit the year with greater commitments to focus on what’s important, strengthening our family, our relationships, and serving the world through ways we feel called to, such as our various projects and events.

As a family, with our kids growing up and their needs (and ours) evolving rapidly, it’s a constant negotiation and challenge to say connected, meet all of our needs, serve our dreams, and support each other to feel like we’re thriving in the world. From nightly “family time” to periodic “no electronics” days, to weekly dates with the kids (and each other), we’re hopefully building something meaningful for all of us. Yet, we know there is room to improve. This a fun and rewarding journey we’re grateful to be on.
Thanks to all of you who have experienced it with us.

Here is a video our daughter Emily put together about our time in Ljubljana, and some of things we love about it.

Here are a few things we love about Ljubljana:

1. The architecture is beautiful and human-sized, with colorful flowers lining the streets, lovely fountains, charming bridges over a river, and quaint shops.
2. It is quiet in the center, as no cars are allowed. It feels so peaceful walking the wide, flat, stone streets.
3. There is free drinkable water flowing from fountains, and restaurants happily give you free water when you order, unlike most of Europe.
   
4. There is free wifi throughout the town (free for 60 minutes per device)
   
5. There are so many delicious international restaurants and markets, and at reasonable prices (3-4 EUR for a high-quality sandwich, 5-9 EUR for a dinner plate, or 10+ EUR for nicer restaurants), including many vegan and vegetarian-friendly places. They also stay open all day, unlike many parts of Europe where they close for the afternoon.
6. There’s a good bus system leading to the city outskirts where there are malls and other shopping (through the help of a friend, I was even able to take a bus out and buy a new charger for my drone!)
7. Ljubljana is surrounded by beautiful green hills and parks, and nature is never far.
8. There is plenty of live music and many talented street performers in the evenings.
   
9. It’s so clean! They have a fantastic recycling program, with solar-powered dispensers around the city with an underground waste system, and many electric vehicle charging stations – we’re told it’s the “green” capital of Europe.
   
10. The local food markets were amazing. We were able to find plenty of fresh, organic produce for reasonable prices at local farmers markets, including a yogurt and milk vending machine – all open daily. And during the summer, there is a weekly market with international food vendors for a fun and delicious atmosphere.

Overall, the energy of the city felt peaceful, spacious, refined, respectful, friendly, and just good all around to us. Ljubljana feels like a good match for our family. What places have you been that feel like a good match for you?

Maui is so incredibly beautiful! The weather is just about perfect, with a misty rain that periodically falls throughout the day, followed by beautiful rainbows.

On this small island, there are rainforests, deserts, dozens of waterfalls, volcanos (including Haleakala at over 10,000 feet!), beautiful beaches, cute shops, art galleries (we spent hours admiring Vladimir Kush‘s work!), great food, and much much more to love about this place.

It is, however, very expensive. And the roads can be very winding “up country”. But we really loved our time here, especially due to the intention we set.

Our intention for the trip was to connect more deeply together, reflect on and integrate our past experiences, read and learn together, talk for long uninterrupted stretches of time, and experience new adventures together. We rented two separate places. One near the center of the island near Makawao, and one near the beach between Kihei and Wailea.

In the first location, we had a bathtub out on the deck from which we could see the milky way at night!

Having at least a week is important for us, because it tends to take us a couple days to land and orient ourselves, and there is a depth we tend to be able to reach only after several days of focused attention. It’s also important to us that this time is spent without the distraction of computers, work, or meetings. And of course, we want time to enjoy what the place has to offer, such as the breathtaking Road to Hana, the charming town of Lahaina, and the incredible snorkeling right with the coast with sea turtles (Turtle Town near Makena is a great spot)!

One thing we’ve also realized is how important it is to take these kinds of trips with our girls, too. Of course, in our semi-nomadic lifestyle, we’re always “traveling” together, but we’re not usually on “vacation” (or “holiday”). We have work, classes, projects, meetings, planning, and many things that occupy our time and take our focus away from each other.

This is one of the challenges of our lifestyle. Even though I run a literal “4-hour workweek” business, there is a mindset and intention to my time that needs to be crystal clear, or I can easily overload myself with projects and tasks that are less important and meaningful to me than my family relationships.

So in addition to simplifying in the months ahead, we also want to plan regular extended periods of a week or more throughout the year where we can set everything else aside and just focus on each other as a family. It doesn’t have to be in an exotic location, but it must have an intention of connection and fun together.

Something longer than a few days, where work, electronics, and other commitments are set aside with the intention of connecting with each other in a deeper way than we can in shorter periods. What ways have you found helpful to strengthen your relationships as a couple or family? What will you do to connect more deeply in the coming year?

If you’d like help with achieving your family dreams, be sure to check out my Dream Achievement Blueprint program, or get in touch with Jennifer for Embrace Being coaching.