Meet Charlie
A precocious and curious 10 year old, Charlie has been addicted to exploring new places, cultures, food and adventures since our first trip to France and Ireland at 3 years old. When he’s not out traveling he writes poetry, plays piano, and is working his way through the Zelda universe. He prefers sushi to pizza, and has not seen Jurassic Park yet.
Meet the Hevenors
Having a kid accelerated our sense of adventure and travel, and we love piecing together our own tours across Europe and Asia (more continents soon). We started recording video montages of our travels in 2021, on our trip to Iceland, but we’re a long way from influencers — just a regular family that treats vacation as an essential reset.
We don’t believe in the American version of a vacation, and usually take two- to three-week trips thanks to flexible work arrangements (Dad runs his own business, and Mom works in healthcare). When we’re not traveling we race biathlons, take adventure rides, refurbish cowboy hats, and sing karaoke.
About Travels with Charlie
This blog exists to share memories and inspire more trips by more families. We aim to provide helpful, free advice and collect revenue through affiliate links.
The name is a nod to Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck’s account of driving the country in a camper with his standard poodle for company. He published it in 1962, the same year he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Our Charlie is a boy rather than a poodle, and he spells it with an ie — but the spirit is the one Steinbeck described:
A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.