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Packed for Life | Family Travel & Easy Recipes

An ever curious traveler and foodie with a passion for making memories with my family. I love helping families confidently explore our beautiful world at home & abroad through food and travel. No matter your budget. Join me if you'd like to make more memories with your kids, without straining your finances, going into debt, or feeling like you'd have to sell off a kidney to fund your next vacation or enjoy healthy delicious food.

An airport departure board listing various destinations and times.
Featured Post

and the winner is.......

Hey Reader, Thanks to everyone who voted in last week’s poll about your dream vacation. and the winner is.............. European Vacation...... Hopefully with a lot less hijinks than the Chevy Chase version. Beach getaways came in second, with cruises and camping / national park trips tied for third. I get it. In the 90's I took took two trips to Europe that I'll never forget. The first was with my aunts to England and Scotland as a graduation gift. We stayed in the cutest B&Bs and I quickly...

An overhead view of an oval bowl of Caesar Pasta Salad, with wooden serving spoon beside it.

Foodie Fridays What's cookin' this week Hey Reader, Weather here in Victoria, BC Canada is warming up and those grey days are getting farther in between, now that Spring is in full bloom. I don’t know about you, but the second the weather even hints at being nice… I start craving salads. Which is funny, because if you’ve been around here for a bit, you know my usual go-to is soups and stews. Cozy, comforting, throw everything in a pot and call it a day. Homemade Salads? They’ve always felt a...

Vietnamese rice rolls, meat, cucumber and pineapple slices on a bamboo serving tray.

Hey Reader, Sometimes it’s best to show, rather than tell. When we were in Vietnam and Thailand, we didn’t want to waste meals on mediocre food or tourist traps. We wanted the really good stuff. So we started using the Michelin Guide app (they also have a website). I know… it sounds fancy. But we found so many incredible local spots on there. Some super affordable, and honestly some of our favorite meals the whole trip. Like our first meal in Vietnam at Mặn Mòi (An Khánh) in Ho Chi Minh (we...

a Delica van at a rest stop with the leaves of Fall trees behind it a bright yellow.

Foodie Fridays What's cookin' this week Hey Reader, Today we are going to combine two of my passions, food and travel. Specifically road trip food. There’s a very specific kind of chaos that happens 2 hours into a road trip. Someone’s hungry.Someone’s sticky. The kids are fighting, and your patience is wearing thin. And suddenly you’re pulling into a gas station wondering how it all went wrong so fast. I’ve been there more times than I can count. So over time, I started building a simple...

Welcome to Las Vegas Sign

Hey Reader, Happy Tuesday! My partner Derek and I are headed to Las Vegas soon, and leaving our youngest at home with his sister. I am definitely not a Vegas expert, as it will only be my second time. A follow up to our first ever parent-only trip about eight years ago, that I mentioned last email. Last time I won money playing the slot machines, which for my tiny daily budget was amazing. It covered almost our whole trip (YAY for the USD to CAD exchange rate in this case :). The impetus for...

Overhead view of a square bowl of Bunny Bait Snack mix with popcorn, pretzels, white chocolate and pastel colored M&Ms

Foodie Fridays What's cookin' this week Hey Reader, Happy Friday! We're in the middle of Spring Break for our youngest who's still at home. She's already complaining that the break is too long. I've never seen a kid so eager to go back to school. Which got me thinking… having a few fun things to make together definitely helps break up the boredom. So if you’re looking for something fun (and delicious) to make this Easter… you’re going to love these 🐣 Here are 3 of my favorite festive treats...

a cute puppy wearing a green St. Patricks Day hat.

Hey Reader, Hello from Victoria, BC Canada and Happy St. Patrick's Day! Apparently I have some Irish ancestry back on my mom's side, but my English heritage from my dad's side was definitely more prominent in my family growing up. My Grandma was a war bride, brought over from London after the war, and I always remember being given weak tea and biscuits every Saturday visit growing up. Do you believe in luck? I have definitely been lucky more than a time or two travelling. Like the first time...

An overhead view of rotini pasta salad with mozzarella balls, salami cubes, black olives, and cherry tomtoes, with a sprig of parsley on top.

Foodie Fridays What's cookin' this week Happy Friday! I hope you're week has been going better than mine... 3 ER visits, and two doctor visits later for my elderly mom, and I am ready to skip seeing the inside of medical facilities for quite awhile hopefully. She ended up having pneumonia, but after some antibiotics is on the mend and feeling wayyyyy better. If there’s one thing I always keep in my back pocket for busy weeks, it’s a really good pasta salad. They’re quick.They work for dinner,...

View of a marina with sailboats framed by evergreen tree branches.

Hey Reader, Happy Tuesday! I'm curently sitting in the Marina Dockside Eatery in Victoria, BC, Canada watching two local seals swim around the boats. They are such curious creatures. This café has some pretty epic west coast views of the marina and ocean. It's a great spot to grab a coffee, especially in the summer when you can sit out on the patio and then take a stroll along the waterfront. Moments like this remind me how easy it is to overlook the places right in front of us. I can...

Hands holding a clear jar with money inside, and travel related icons at the bottom.

Hey Reader, Happy Wednesday! This newsletter is coming out a little late this week... well because life. And wow, is there a lot going on in the world right now. Between shelter-in-place orders in Puerto Vallarta and everything happening in Iran, plus the closed airspace in that region, travel safety and planning for the unexpected has definitely been on my mind. Because if there’s one thing travel teaches you quickly, it’s this. Even the best-planned trips can go sideways. Most of the time...