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    • They've spent eight years travelling the world with their kids. But there's one thing they miss

    Jessica and Garrett Gee and their three children Dorothy, Manilla and Calihan are known as 'The Bucket List Family.' (Garrett Gee/National Geographic) Jessica and Garrett Gee and their three children Dorothy, Manilla and Calihan are known as 'The Bucket List Family.' (Garrett Gee/National Geographic)
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    Aside from a one-off trip to Europe, the furthest Jessica Gee ever travelled while growing up was to Walt Disney World in Florida with her family.

    However, over the past eight years, the travel influencer, known as 鈥淭he Bucket List Mom,鈥 has visited more than 90 different countries with her entrepreneur husband Garrett and their three children Dorothy, Manilla and Calihan.

    鈥淚 never had the thought in my brain that 鈥業 want to travel around the world,鈥欌 Gee, from Denver, Colorado, tells CNN Travel. 鈥淭hat was never me. But the more I get out there, the more I want to see.鈥

    According to Gee, everything changed when her husband, whom she first met while on a church service mission in Vladivostok, Russia, sold his app to Snapchat for US$54 million in 2014 and decided to quit his desk job.

    Unique opportunity

    鈥淲e were in a weird situation that maybe not a lot of twenty-something-year-olds are put in,鈥 Gee admits. 鈥淲e were sitting on some new wealth, and we didn鈥檛 know what to do. So we decided that we were going to set that all aside, and see what鈥檚 out in the world.鈥

    The couple, who鈥檝e been married since 2009, were keen to experience different cultures and 鈥渏ust learn a little bit.鈥

    鈥淲e still felt so young and naive,鈥 adds Gee.

    They soon began planning an extended trip to Southeast Asia and decided to launch an Instagram page, , to collate their adventures.

    鈥淗onestly, I do think we kind of had this perfect storm of Garrett鈥檚 creative skills, and my background in marketing,鈥 Gee says, explaining that she studied product placement in college. 鈥淣ow I just do it with my own life.鈥

    After putting the acquisition money into savings, they sold their furniture and most of their belongings, raising around US$45,000, and headed off around the world with Dorothy and Manilla 鈥 Callihan was born while they were on the move 鈥 in August 2015.

    They had initially planned to spend a few months travelling, visiting Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia, as well as Pacific islands Fiji and Tonga, but after briefly returning to the US, they decided that they wanted to keep going.

    鈥淭he little bit of travelling turned into three years full-time,鈥 adds Gee, who has just released a travel guidebook, , in partnership with National Geographic.

    The family went on to visit dozens of countries across the world, including Germany, Morocco, Japan, Brazil, Guatemala and Dominica.

    The family of five has travelled to more than 90 countries. (Garrett Gee/National Geographic)

    Family favourites

    Gee lists Belize among her top 鈥渇amily-friendly鈥 destinations, describing the Central American country as a good 鈥渟tarter destination鈥 for U.S.-based families who aren鈥檛 ready to venture too far afield.

    She also recommends 鈥渋ncredible鈥 Alaska for those seeking outdoor adventures for their children.

    鈥淵ou have the fishing, the wildlife, the whales and the bears,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great for kids who are maybe a little bit older 鈥 five and up. But I took my two-year-old there and he had a blast.鈥

    Gee was also incredibly impressed by East African country Rwanda, a destination that she was apprehensive about visiting due to preconceived notions.

    鈥淚 had seen [the movie] 鈥楬otel Rwanda鈥 and that鈥檚 all I knew,鈥 she says. 鈥淪o I was nervous, and scared. And it ended up being the most life-changing destination for me.鈥

    After spending so much time on the move, Gee is accustomed to extended travel and actually finds it easier than short-term travel, explaining that she often feels exhausted after taking a week-long vacation.

    鈥淲hen I鈥檓 travelling for a month at a time or more, I get into a groove, I get into a routine,鈥 she says, adding that she packs more or less the same amount of items regardless of whether she鈥檚 travelling for a month, six months, or a fortnight.

    She spent her entire third pregnancy 鈥渓iving out of a suitcase鈥 before welcoming son Calihan in 2018.

    鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 realized how much of a toll flying is on your body,鈥 says Gee. 鈥淪o it was exacerbated [due to my pregnancy].鈥

    鈥淢aybe it was also because it was my first pregnancy over the age of 30, but my back and my body hurt.

    鈥淏ut at the same time, we went to so many places in those nine months that I loved.鈥

    Big adventure

    Gee makes a point of ensuring that her children feel involved in their travel plans before they set off anywhere, getting them to help pack their backpacks, while framing everything, even a long-haul flight, as a 鈥渂ig adventure.鈥

    鈥淭hen as soon as they sit on the plane, they鈥檙e so stoked to pull out the toy, the book and the snacks that they packed,鈥 she explains.

    According to Gee, one of the best ways to make travelling with young children as painless as possible is to 鈥渃hoose the best attitude.鈥

    鈥淜ids 100% feed off of parents鈥 attitudes,鈥 she says. 鈥淪o when things are tiring, exhausting and stressful, you just have to buck up and be positive. Because if you鈥檙e losing it, they鈥檙e going to lose it.鈥

    While she tries to plan for all aspects of their travels, including scheduling flights during nap times and making sure their luggage is ready, Gee鈥檚 learned from experience to always have a backup plan.

    鈥淭hings go wrong,鈥 she says. 鈥淵ou lose your luggage, or a flight gets cancelled. Those hiccups.

    鈥淗aving to deal with that and navigate kids and their needs 鈥 that鈥檚 always been the hardest part.鈥

    The Bucket List Family鈥檚 Instagram account has amassed nearly three million followers over the years, and they鈥檝e since launched successful YouTube and TikTok accounts, with the income earned from partnerships with different companies helping to support their travels.

    Gee acknowledges that their situation is unique, and there are many parents who simply can鈥檛 afford to jet off around the world with their kids.

    She provides money-saving tips in 鈥淭he Bucket List Family Travel,鈥 including home exchanges and budgeting apps, and encourages families to figure out what they want to do travel-wise and then try to 鈥渕ake it affordable.鈥

    鈥淎 lot of times, it鈥檚 just finding a national park and camping or hiking,鈥 she says. 鈥淥r seeing if you can work enough to earn some time away for an extended period.鈥

    The Gee family have 鈥渟ervice鈥 listed among their travel goals, and do their best to incorporate activities like volunteering at an orphanage into their trips.

    鈥淯sually travel is a selfish endeavour. Taking the time to really look outside yourself and your own family and see who you could serve locally will be a huge blessing,鈥 Gee writes.

    After three years of being on the move full-time, the family of five returned to the U.S., purchasing a bungalow in Hawaii, in 2018.

    Jessica and Garrett met in Russia and have been married for almost 15 years. (Garrett Gee/National Geographic)

    Ever-changing bucket list

    鈥淭he one thing that we miss when we鈥檙e on the road is community,鈥 Gee says. 鈥淲e missed having friends and family [around] and wanted to get our kids into sport and let them experience that.

    鈥淪o that鈥檚 when we decided to settle down and then try to have the best of both worlds.鈥

    They鈥檝e continued to travel as a family in the years since then, and recently spent an entire summer in Africa.

    But staying in one place for a long period of time has proven to be something of an adjustment for her children, particularly son Manilla, who was around 11 months old when they first set off.

    鈥淗e was used to sleeping in a different bed every night or every couple of nights [when we first came back],鈥 she explains. 鈥淪o he would sleep in different rooms of the house every night.

    鈥淚t was a weird adjustment for him to learn that we weren鈥檛 going to the airport and that we were staying home.鈥

    Although Gee does her best to schedule their travels during school vacations, there are occasional exceptions, such as an upcoming visit to Antarctica.

    鈥淲e have extra tutoring just to keep them on track,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd we鈥檒l bring our school work along with us.

    鈥淎nd even during the summer when they don鈥檛 have school work, we still bring along those extra books and try to make it exciting for them.鈥

    According to Gee, her family鈥檚 bucket list has changed over the years as they鈥檝e all become huge wildlife enthusiasts, so things like seeing the 鈥減andas in China鈥 and the 鈥渙rangutans in Borneo鈥 have moved close to the top.

    鈥淢y favourite thing to do with my family is go on safari,鈥 she adds. 鈥淲e鈥檝e done that a handful of times now.

    鈥淏ut to me, there鈥檚 nothing better than being out in an environment where something new [is happening] every single day.

    鈥淵ou wake up and you don鈥檛 know what you鈥檙e going to see, and then to see these animals and wildlife and how they all live together and depend on each other.

    鈥淚t sounds so corny, but literally the circle of life. Experiencing that and witnessing that with my family is just so beautiful.鈥

    She advises other parents keen to travel more with their children to try to step outside their comfort zone and 鈥済et out there and explore,鈥 whether it鈥檚 鈥渇or one week of the year or for a lifetime.鈥

    鈥淚 feel like the more you get out and experience things, the more your bucket list grows,鈥 says Gee.

    鈥淚 think a lot of American families have their vacation that they go to. For me it was Disney World. And I love Disney World, don鈥檛 get me wrong.

    鈥淏ut [it鈥檚 important] to be able to get out and see the world and realize there鈥檚 so much more out there.鈥

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