About Me

By the Numbers:

Total Countries & Territories I’ve Explored: 95

Total Countries My Son (2.5) Has Explored: 41

Toddler Flight Log: 100+

Unique Airlines Flown: 57

Total Cities Visited Outside the U.S.: 345

European Christmas Markets Visited: 42 markets across 13 countries

Tactical Intel:

Essential Gear:

Uppababy Vista V3 Stroller- it folds easily and quickly when you have to jump in a rideshare car or on the plane. Opt for the expensive travel bag. Normally I don’t succomb to buying extra things like this, but they guarantee any damage to the bag or the stroller inside for 2 years. We had a free bag replacement when it was destroyed on a flight and separately some replacement parts to the stroller when they were damaged on another flight.

ErgoBaby Omni 360 Baby Carrier - Essential for carrying a baby around the world for Mom or Dad.

The App Stack - Apps to Travel the World:

• Hotel loyalty app - Make it easy to check-in and get points for your stays

• VPN app - Essential for security of your device and for accessing U.S. content while abroad

• WhatsApp - Many ride pickup or tours you will connect with your guide with WhatsApp

• FlightAware - Great for checking flight status, delays, where your plane is coming from, and typical arrival time

• Citymapper - Great app for directions utilizing public transit. It even tells you when to get off!

• Google Translate - Essential for translating restaurant menus and conversing with locals

• Airline loyalty app - Make it easy to check-in and get points for your flight

• Get Your Guide - Great for any tours you may have booked. I highly recommend private tours as they’re often not that much cheaper and it is way easier traveling with a young one and not have to worry about delaying others or fitting into someone else’s schedule

• Ride share (Uber / Lyft / Bolt) - Most countries have some form of ride share app available and they all essentially work the same way

• Google Fi - Forget getting sim cards in each country you visit. Google Fi has seamlessly connected me to nearly every country I have visited in the world

• Food delivery apps (Uber Eats / Lieferando / Wolt / Deliveroo) - Many cities have their version available. It’s so much easier to get food delivered to your BnB or hotel when you have a toddler in tantrum.

• Priority Pass - Essential for making airport visits a bit more hospitable and scoring free food

One Place I’d Never Revisit:

India - I haven’t officially visited the country as I’ve only ever been there during several layovers, however, the people were always rude, horrible customer service, delays and cancellations every time I visited, and way too crowded. How that airport is rated so highly is beyond me!

The One Thing:

• My wife has been collecting pins to put on her L.L. Bean tote bag (durable enough to last 100+ flights). Almost every country has them and they add flair to her otherwise plain canvas tote.

• After getting too many souvenirs and posters to fill our house, I started to collect authentic recipes and foods from our favorite places. I picked up a matcha kit in Japan to make homemade iced matcha latte…a pasta maker in Italy…a stroopwafel maker and recipe from the Netherlands…Thai milk tea recipe and filter from Thailand…Tzatziki recipe from Greece.