Last year I read this book and my whole perspective on travel suddenly changed. I realized that my preconceived notions that travel is “too expensive” or “I don’t have enough time” were just excuses I had been giving myself since the beginning years of becoming a young adult. It’s easier to believe something is unattainable rather than working hard for the life you really want and deserve. 

Last week we took a trip to Northern California, which is a place near and dear to our hearts. Doug grew up there and it was the first place I had truly been that exposed me at 19 years old, to a different way of life. Growing up I only knew life in Southern California and Doug’s from a farming town where he is the minority and there is a heavily influenced Mexican culture everywhere so it was all totally foreign to me! Although we only grew up 8 hours away from each other, our life experiences were totally different and he’s taught me so much through his background.

We want to give our children even more of an experience throughout their childhood. Our biggest aim is to teach them the things that matter most (love, compassion, grit, dignity, honesty, hard work, etc.) through experiences rather than by reading about it in books or learning about it in school. We were both pretty closed off to the world because we had only known what was in our backyard and we want to carve out an entirely different way of life for our girls. Doug’s dying to go back to Japan, so I think we will probably start there and eventually explore Europe in 2020!

The highlight of our trip to NorCal was exploring the redwood forest, particularly with Annabelle. She’s obsessed with animals and the forest and had never really seen one in real life since we spent all of last year in Charleston (there aren’t even hills there!). I had never seen her more taken aback than in that forest. We wore our rain gear from Joules because it’s much colder up there than Orange County and it was perfect for the trip! There was a light drizzle in the morning, but luckily the skies were clear most of the day. Annabelle is so obsessed with her unicorn printed roll up rain boots that she’s worn them almost daily for the last 2 weeks at our house! They are the perfect thing to travel with because they roll up entirely and fit into a tiny packable bag perfect for travel. They went perfect with her lightweight rain jacket that comes in a ton of different fun prints.

I wore this packaway printed jacket from Joule’s “right as rain” collection and I’m obsessed! Polka dots are my favorite especially when paired with these green floral “wellies” as they call rain boots in Britain. All of our jackets had taped seams and elasticated cuffs to keep the rain out and Doug’s Portwell navy jacket even came with an adjustable hood and inside pocket. They are really the most high quality jackets and boots we own and I know we will be keeping them for years and years!

We set out to walk the trails of the forest and had a picnic lunch. The amazing thing is that this particular forest is right across the street from his grandmas house! I wish I had vlogged more of her house because it really is a magical fairy land (see more here) with a lush garden and back deck surrounded by the most grand redwood trees. The ocean is even on the other side of her house. It’s to die for!

Have you guys ever considered taking an extended travel year or traveling for a long period of time? I’d love to hear recommendations on the best places you’ve ever traveled or if you have any tips!!

*A big thank you to Joules for sponsoring this post!