When you travel as much as we do, things naturally start to sort themselves out. Tasks fall into rhythms. Responsibilities become familiar. And over time, without really sitting down and planning it, you build a system that just… works.
For us, that system is very much a team effort between myself and Justin.
Now, to be clear—these aren’t rigid rules. We’re not walking around with assigned job descriptions or checking boxes. There are plenty of times one of us picks up something that typically sits in the other person’s lane. But generally speaking, this is where things tend to land.
What I Usually Take On
I tend to live in the planning and logistics space—big picture thinking mixed with kid wrangling.
High-level trip planning (where we go and how long we stay)
Booking accommodations
Flights, trains, and ferries
Big activities and tours
Physically prepping the house before we leave
Writing blog posts and managing social media
Planning and organizing packing—for myself and the kids
Acting as the default parent when someone gets sick
Being “on kid duty” during travel days or while exploring, while Justin is focused on navigation and execution
Essentially, I’m thinking ahead—trying to make sure things are organized before we arrive but once our feet hit the ground my default focus falls to the girls.
What Justin Naturally Owns
Justin’s strengths lean more toward systems, execution, and on-the-ground problem solving.
Anything car-related: Car seats, rentals, airport parking, cabs/Ubers, managing our cars back home and all the driving
Credit cards (payments, points, and making the most of them)
Insurance (home, car, and health)
Phone plans and connectivity
Scoping out food spots while we travel
Being the go-to parent for quick runs—whether it’s grabbing medicine, snacks, or anything we suddenly realize we need
He’s incredibly good at handling the moving pieces that keep us functioning smoothly—both at home and on the road.
And of course… things don’t always go to plan.
Flights get delayed. Bookings get mixed up. Someone gets hurt, tired, hungry, or overwhelmed (sometimes all at once). When that happens, we fall into a rhythm we don’t even have to think about anymore: I take the kids.
Keeping them settled, distracted, fed, and calm becomes my focus, while Justin gets the space to figure out whatever just went sideways—rebooking, rerouting, or troubleshooting the situation.
It’s not something we formally decided—it just evolved over time and it works (most of the time).
This method is about playing to each other’s strengths and trusting the other person to handle their lane and treating each other with understanding and grace when something gets missed. I have messed up bookings and gotten us some shady accommodations over the years and never once has Justin ever said anything other than ‘these things happen, we’ll figure it out’.
Having a partner who is truly on the same team and having a good division of responsibilities reduces stress and helps avoid duplication. And most importantly, it lets us move through travel—especially the chaotic moments—with a sense of a plan and intentional teamwork. Because when you’re navigating airports, new cities, tired kids, and the occasional curveball, having that understanding of who does what makes a big difference.
If you’re planning to travel as a family for the first time, it might be worth having this conversation upfront. Talk about who will handle what—especially when things go sideways. It may not seem like a big deal in the moment, but during those stressful situations, you don’t want your partner wondering why you’re seemingly “not helping.”
We’ll let you know if our system survives a year of travel…