Sometimes I sit down to write these blog posts and I wonder where the post will take me. I know this may sound silly to you if you are not someone who is a writer, but I have talked with others who agree with me that part of the joy of writing is waiting to see where the writing leads.

This is especially true with this blog.

I’m literally sitting in a trailer with my wife outside of Valdez, Alaska living a boon-docking life with my son and his wife. They are moving from Alaska to Spain and wanted to take a summer of being “homeless” as they ventured from Alaska to Arizona before heading international. When they invited us to join them for a week, it was an easy “Yes!” To have the freedom to come spend a week with them, in this amazingly beautiful state of Alaska has filled up my soul in both the nature category and family category.

I follow some people on Instagram that post these amazing photos of some of the most beautiful places. Sometimes as I look at these photos, I get excited when I see a place that I have been. It is a moment that is typically followed with gratitude that I have been able to travel so extensively. I love photos, but many times they just can’t capture the full effect of the scene. Part of why I am so passionate about challenging people to travel is that it is better to see places yourself and not only through someone else’s social posts.

Which is why I know that it really matters to me not only to travel, but to travel with people I love and meet new people in the places I go. I cannot express how deeply I loved and valued the time with my son and his wife this past week. Every morning as my wife and I woke up, the scene before me was breathtaking, and the time with people I love was precious. In just a few weeks, my wife and I will get to do it all over again as we go and spend time with our older daughter in Europe. The scenery will be different, but time with her will be equally precious.

Travel to places you’ve always wanted to go with people you enjoy. That’s my simple message this week. I hope you’ll take this advice…

My son and his wife have a vlog capturing all of their amazing adventures as they experience an adventurous life on a budget. Their YouTube channel is All Swartz of Adventure. I hope you’ll check out this video about their summer travels. As you watch it, they would want me to tell you to, “…like, comment, subscribe…all that jazz!” 😊