Originally sent to my email list on 2/28/2025.
Subject line: “Man Plans, God Laughs.”
I don’t know if you knew this, but…
I had BIG dreams.
🌟 Work my six-figure software engineering job, Monday–Friday, 9–5.
🌟 Write for my family travel blog.
🌟 Help parents, grow my audience, monetize, quit my job.
🌟 Live a flexible lifestyle—be there for daycare/school pickups, spontaneous trips, and family adventures.
Well… it didn’t quite work out like that. 😅
I had so much I wanted to do—research, write, teach, and share. But between my full-time job and giving my 3-year-old and 1-year-old all my attention after work, it just wasn’t happening.
The few nights I did work on my blog from 10:30pm to 2am felt amazing… until the next morning.
I was a zombie at work, struggling to focus. I was there, but not mentally there. I had to admit that I couldn’t keep up with all that I wanted to do.
One thing I knew in my bones: traveling with kids is HARD. But so worth it. And I wanted to keep learning, sharing, and helping parents feel confident doing it too.
I was tired of saying, “I don’t have time.” So, I decided to MAKE time.
My Grand Plan
✔ Quit my job in January 2025.
✔ Get the family on my husband’s work insurance.
✔ Take the whole family on a 6-week trip to Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines) .
✔ Write about our epic trip.
I crunched numbers of our monthly expenses, checked my savings more times than I can count, and talked it over with my husband, Bryan, who has been endlessly supportive. We shared our travel plans with our kids’ daycares. Everything was set.
Then life threw a curveball.
The Plot Twist
In just the first 2 months of 2025:
- My husband lost his job.
- His father passed away unexpectedly.
None of this was in “the plan.”
So now, we’re pivoting.
- We canceled our Asia flights to be with family and attend the funeral.
- We’re looking into Medi-Cal and Covered California for health insurance.
One silver lining?
We booked our flights with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which automatically includes trip cancellation insurance. One of the covered reasons: the death of an immediate family member. We’re now navigating the claims process to get reimbursed for our “non-refundable” flights.
If you ever need to cancel travel for a similar reason, feel free to ask me about it! I’ve recommended this credit card before, but after this experience, I swear by it even more.
We’re hoping to reschedule our Asia trip for April, but we’re taking it one step at a time.
What’s Next for the Blog
Even with all the chaos, I’m still working on my blog because this mission matters to me. (And because I quit my job so what else am I going to do? 😆)
Here’s what’s coming up:
📌 Toddler Flight Playbook (Infographics Guide) – I’ve been deep in this project for weeks! It’s a visual, quick-reference guide packed with travel hacks, car seat and stroller strategies, toddler entertainment ideas, and must-know rules (FAA, TSA, airlines) for flying with a toddler.
Because who has time to read walls of text? (Except me—but I’m turning it all into easy-to-skim infographics!)
My goal: take all the dense, overwhelming info and make it clear, quick, and easy to digest—so you can skim in under 15 minutes and actually feel prepared.
I’ll share more next week, but reply to this email if you’re interested! 😊
📌 Family travel tips on Instagram – I disappeared from social media after having my first baby. Posting, I mean. I still scroll plenty. 😆 If you have tips on being consistent or hacks to make it faster, send them my way!
📌 Regular email updates – If you’re reading this, hit reply and say hi! It keeps me motivated.
Oh Life
Life has been a rollercoaster lately, but we’re taking it one step at a time. Plans changed, but the dream is still alive—I’m still here, still figuring out this blogging thing, and still obsessed with helping parents travel stress-free with their little ones.
My father-in-law was a simple guy—never big on gifts, but he showed his love through his presence. He was always there, always showing up. He was still going to my husband’s tennis tournaments and practice matches… and my husband is almost 46.
This reminds me to be more present, to put my phone down, and to truly soak in these moments with my kids. Because in the end, that’s what really matters.
If you made it this far, you’re the real MVP. 💛 Hit reply and say hi (or drop an emoji) so I know you’re out there.
Talk soon! 😊
Adventure Awaits,
Jennifer Pham
Diapers To Destinations
Officially a full-time blogger (currently making as much as my toddler—$0). 😆
P.S. And if there’s anything family travel-related you want me to cover, let me know—I’m all ears.
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