Let me start from the beginning.
In 2014, we were a young family — working hard, raising a kid, and not doing much else for ourselves. We hadn’t been on a real vacation since our honeymoon in South Padre. That Christmas, Matt surprised me with tickets to see Maroon 5. I was excited — until he told me he bought them in Florida.
“We haven’t been on vacation and you’re always working,” he said. “This will force us to take one.”
And honestly? That was the push we needed.
Rewind a little. Back in 2006, I studied abroad in Brazil. It was the best decision I ever made. Being thrown into a new culture, a new language, a new everything — I was hooked. The following year I interned at a corporate travel company and realized people actually got paid to travel. That sealed it for me.
Fast forward through a few years of real life, and we finally started taking vacations again. Disney three years in a row — fun, easy, affordable, and great with kids. No complaints.
Then in 2017, my youngest sister decided to study abroad in New Zealand. Matt and I looked at each other and said, “Why don’t we just go?” So we did. Two weeks in New Zealand with a 1.5-year-old and an almost 5-year-old. People thought we were out of our minds. We heard it constantly — “Why take kids that young? They won’t even remember it.”
My answer was always the same: it’s not about what they remember. It’s about the moments we create.
New Zealand was a big trip and a big expense. No regrets.
Now, I want to be upfront about something. Our trips might look a certain way on the outside — like we’re just out here living lavishly and jet-setting whenever we feel like it. But that’s not really the story. I am a frugal traveler through and through. I hunt for deals, I stretch every dollar, and I will absolutely book a flight at an inconvenient hour if it saves us a few hundred bucks. It’s not just about the money — it’s about making sure the money we do spend goes toward the memories, not the fluff. You’ll see that theme a lot around here.
That same year, my cousin got married in Tahoe. We turned it into a week-long trip. Beautiful — but we couldn’t stop comparing everything to New Zealand. Still, more memories made. 2017 was a good year.
We swore off travel for 2018. That lasted about five minutes.
A friend had a condo in Phoenix — too cheap to pass up. We road-tripped out, stopping through Colorado and Arches National Park. If there’s a deal, I’m in.
While we were in Arizona, I found cheap flights to NYC. Logan had been asking to go see the Ninja Turtles for years. Done. That trip turned into a tradition — every five years, I’d take each boy on a one-on-one trip.
Then a friend posted about Belgium and I discovered Scott’s Cheap Flights. Belgium for under $400. Matt and I went adults-only — Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam. Our first and only couple’s trip. We loved it. But we missed the boys the entire time. The guilt fully set in by the time we landed home.
So when Iceland popped up for under $400, we booked it for the whole family. October 2018 — all four of us. Unforgettable.
We had sworn off travel that year and somehow did more than ever. Looking back, I think there was a reason for all of it.
Because that Thanksgiving, everything changed.
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Matt was diagnosed with a massive brain tumor. He’d had slurred speech, balance issues, double vision, fatigue — things we’d been trying to make sense of. We were in our early 30s. The news hit us like a wall.
On December 14th, after a 15-hour surgery, he temporarily lost his ability to talk, walk, and eat. He’ll never see normally again. But he fought hard, and he slowly started coming back.
It was the hardest thing we’ve ever been through. It still is.
All of those trips in 2018 — none of them were planned. We just kept saying yes. And I’m so grateful we did, because those memories carried us through the hardest season of our lives.
That’s really what Wander Hungry is about.
It’s not about having the perfect trip or the biggest budget. It’s about showing up, saying yes, and figuring it out as you go. We’ll share our travels, our tips, the honest wins and the messy moments — because that’s real life.
Travel if that’s your thing. Do whatever fills you up. With kids, without. Solo, with a partner. Do it your way.
This is our story. Welcome — I’m really glad you’re here.
