Part 4 of 4! 

This is a great episode to share with another family, so I'm going to challenge you to share this with TWO people you think will get something positive from it for their family. 

This episode is all about setting "SMART" goals. Not sure if you're setting "SMART" goals? Listen to see what they are and how you can create them in your family. The point is to make the goal, and create a plan to accomplish it. 

Get Your SMART goal setting guide here. 

Have an idea about an episode topic? Email Marissa Here!

Part 3 of 4 in Leading our Families Well series: Spiritual Health

GET YOUR GOAL SETTING GUIDE HERE

PLEASE NOTE: My family is a Christian family, and the couple that I interview in this episode are leading a Christian family.  Nothing we say is meant to offend, we are simply stating our personal beliefs. If you don't agree with us, that's fine. 

This is a space where people can come together and learn from others with different worldviews. If you hear something said in this interview and would like to talk more about it, please reach out to either me (Marissa) or Alicia or Wadell Simon. 

Make sure you follow Wadell and Alicia on Instagram! 

Part 2 of 4: Leading our Families Well: Physical Health

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In this episode we talk with Lindsey Bomgren from Nourish Move Love all about leading our families well in the area of physical health. Check her our on her website and make sure you sign up for the newest program we chat about in the show!

If you haven't already subscribed to the show, please do. And if you've listened to 3-4 episodes, leaving a review would be amazing!

SIGN UP FOR YOUR GOAL SETTING GUIDE HERE

PART 1 of our Leading Our Families Well Series. 

In this episode we get to hear from Tiphini Axtell (be sure you check out their WEBSITE and INSTAGRAM) all about leading our families mental health well. 

Tiphini shares so many wonderful thoughts in this episode and I can't wait for you to listen! Mental health can be a hard area to lead well in our families, but this episode will not only encourage you to do so, but also give you ideas for HOW to lead this part of your family stongly. 

Have a minute? Please go leave us a rating and review on iTunes! 

As a full time traveling family, we understand the valleys that this lifestyle can bring, and home-sickness is one of those lows that can happen to our kids. 

In this episode I have a very special guest, my daughter Rilee, on to talk about 4 ways parents can try to help their kids when they are feeling home-sick. 

We would LOVE a reivew on iTunes! If you leave one, we may just read it on an upcoming episode!

Follow us on Instagram to see the daily adventures we get into:  Family Of Dashes.

GET THE DIGITAL NOMAD FAMILY HOLIDAY GUIDE HERE

As a full time traveling family, holidays can be tricky. First you have the “what holidays DO we celebrate?” question to sort out. Then you have the “are there any holidays that we need to be back in our passport country for ''. Not to mention the “when I was growing up we celebrated like (fill in the blank with the amazing holiday tradition you had when you were young). Knowing how to manage these important yearly events can help you live your best nomadic life as a family. 

In this episode of Digital Nomad Family Podcast I will help you feel as confident as you can about keeping and creating Holiday traditions as a nomad family.

Make sure you follow me and my family on Instagram!

The 6th of 6. This one is for all things random. There’s no logic here people! So please don’t try to find it. These are just things that I, Marissa, mother of nonsense, enjoy and find helpful as I travel full time with my family. So, without future ado, or sponsorship, I show you my 5 Favorite Random items for travel. If you want any of these things please click on the link below, I get a small commission from Amazon if you buy through my links.

Wysi Wipes: We found out about these guys when planning a backpacking trip, and boy are they great! They come in a few different sizes, but we really like the smaller ones. I always have a few in my bag. They are great for cleaning faces, wiping off dirty swings at a park, cleaning a dirty table, and so much more! You can use any liquid to make them big, including rubbing alcohol to clean cuts. But we only do water. They are great! 

Shopping Bags: Ok, full disclosure, I don’t have these ones, BUT they are on my list to get! I love how small they get and they have a zipper! That would be great for using as a beach/park/school/personal item bag! Having our own grocery bags is great because that way I don’t have to pay for bags at each new place, and it’s better for the environment than always getting plastic ones. 

Reusable water bottle: Ok, I understand if you don’t want THIS water bottle. But hear me out! Grayl is a fantastic company with a solid product. Not only can you use this to filter water if you are at a place where you question the quality of drinking H2O, but you can also use it as a “normal” water bottle without the filter factor. I think the size is great, but I like a bottle on the smaller side, I don’t like lugging a huge thing around the world. 

Amazon FireStick: It’s small, it’s convenient, it’s just nice! While a lot of places that we stay have smart TV’s it’s so very nice to not have to log in and log out of all the different accounts we have just to watch TV! We went on our test trip without this and for us, having it is better than not. If you like to watch shows on multiple apps, I’d highly suggest sticking this in your bag. 

Extra Phone protectors: Accidents happen…just ask my phone about Paris…and when they do it’s nice to have a backup screen protector to put on. These really don’t take up that much space, and being about to put a new one on without shopping around for one in a new country is nice. We didn’t buy an entire pack of these for each phone. We bought the pack in the USA, put one on our phones, then brought the ones that were left with us. 

Ok, that’s it! The last list of my 5 Favorite Things. What about you? What random item do you travel with that you truly think makes travel better for your family? Let me know either via an email or over on Instagram. 

Episode 5 of 6! Wow almost at the end of this 5 Favorite Things series. The 5 items talked about in this episode are all about health/safety. What can you do to make sure your family stays as healthy as possible when traveling full time? And what can you do to be safe in a different country?  Check out what my family takes with us to make sure we stay healthy and safe in a new place. 

Ring Cameras: These are a huge comfort. Not only do they allow us to keep an eye on our house when we are out sightseeing or on an extended trip, but also when you are first getting to know the sounds of house, it’s nice to be able to pull up the cameras while you’re in bed just to make sure everything is good. We travel with 3 of these and love the comfect they give.

Smoke Detectors: Other countries have a very loose relationship with smoke alarms. In fact in the 14 houses we have stayed in NONE of them had any type of fire detection. These help us sleep in peace knowing that if something happens we can get out. Along with these, it’s a good idea to create a fire plan for each place you stay. You can never be too safe in this area. 

Water filter: A lot of countries don’t have safe drinking water, but buying water for 6 is expensive. So, having a water filter allows us to drink the water at home and save some money, while still being healthy and safe. There are many types of water filters but we are VERY brand loyal to Sawyer. We have the Squeeze and Tap and recommend both. 

Pepto Bismol Tablets: Just in case you didn’t listen to the recommendation above, this one will greatly help! “Travelers' stomach” is REAL y’all and these little babies really help. Taking them when you are sick, or when you know you’ve eaten/drank something that wasn’t as sanitary as your stomach is use to will not only help you feel better, but also help you not have to find a pharmacy and explain what’s wrong, get the right medication, and then make sure you have ENOUGH medication.<--Did you know that many countries only give 1-2 days worth of medicine at a time??? Just grab these.

Extra prescriptions, especially eyeglasses: Ok, this one isn’t an item, but I’m so glad we have these. We don’t take daily medications, so I don’t have personal experience with that. But we do have a 10 year old boy with glasses. We make sure that we have a copy of his lens script just in case they get broken. This can save time and money if you have to get a new pair.

What about you? How do you keep your family healthy and safe while exploring this amazing globe? Head over to our Instagram page and let me know what your thoughts are. 

This episode is all about “tech”. Now, by “tech” I, Marissa your host,  mean "stuff that requires some type of plugging in/app usage/wifi…" It’s kind of a broad range! But all these items make life easier in one way or another.  Check out the links to grab some of these items for yourself, and remember, I’m not sponsored by any of these companies, we just use and like these things!

RocketBook Notebooks: We use these daily. We really like that the kids can still have “paper” notebooks for school, drawing, journaling, etc. but we don’t have to cary multiple notebooks. Being able to write, scan it on their iPads, then erase it is great for full-time traveling

Ancher Portable Charger: This product makes almost every “packing/must have/favorite things” list we have ever seen for travel. BUT it’s because they are great. These power banks are just good. They are sturdy so the kids won’t break them, and they charge up fast, and charge phones/iPads fast. I promise, they are worth all they hype they get!

Logitech iPad covers: I feel like its important to get my kids ready to live in the “real world”, which means being able to use a computer well. And these cases turn an iPad into a computer. I feel like getting one with a trackpad was 100% worth it for the kids because they really do get a normal computer feel. Also, these cases have protected the iPads VERY well. Expensive, a little, worth it, YEP. 

GlocalMe: A hotspot is nothing new. And this is what we have gone with. I like how this one offer the data packages. Since we don’t use it that often, this option worked perfectly for us. If you will be using a hotspot a lot, maybe not the best option. But if you simply need something for a back-up/occasional use, check this out. 

Headphones: Headphones are CRAZY personal, meaning you have to consider what the person wearing them needs. Some people like wireless over the ear, some people like wireless in ear, kids need smaller over the ear ones, and some people are fine with the “old fashion” wired and in ear type. For our family we have a mix. Ryan needs over the ear because he has to wear special earplugs on airplanes, Martin likes in-ear wireless, and Marissa likes the old fashion in-ear wired type. So, you really have to just think about what each person needs. 

Now it's your turn! What "tech" items are always and forever will be in your bag? Let me know by either sending an email or sending me a message on Instagram!

Part 3 of 6. This one is all about clothing. When you don’t own that much clothing, what you do have is very important. And while we don’t want to spend loads of money on our clothing, there are some brands that are simply worth spending a little bit more on. Here are the brands that you will always find in our bags, and something that just helps on laundry day!

ExOfficio Underwear: This is hands down the best pair of underwear we’ve ever had. And the reason we will always buy them: antimicrobial! I’m having a hard time in painting a picture for you in a respectful way, so let’s just say this: with 3 kids who are in a season of life when showering daily is VERY beneficial, these underwear are amazing on long travel days or out in the middle of nowhere adventures, when a daily bath isn’t available.  Also, they are quick dry, meaning you can wash them in the sink, roll them in a towel then hang them (preferably in the sun) and they will dry fast! Seriously, they are worth every penny.

Darn Tough Socks: There is only 1 brand of sock in our house, and it’s this. These are not only extremely comfortable, but they last forever. Seriously, they are guaranteed for LIFE! And they have so many different cushion levels and styles you are guaranteed to find a pair (or 10) that you love. We use these for everything: from backpacking to just running to the store. They are the best.

Teva Shoes: We are very brand loyal to Teva and we can’t get over how long they last! Now, if you still have kids who get a new pair of shoes every 6 weeks, maybe not the shoes for them, but if you are basically done growing grab a pair. We love how they hold on to our feet well so we don’t have to worry about losing a shoe while on a day hike, and who hasn’t had someone step on the back of your flip-flop resulting in a painful big toe wedgie and broken shoe? Yeah, no fun, and no more with these. Also, the grip on them is nice, so you will have better traction on those slippery trails or sidewalks. 

Thinx Teen Period underwear: Hi! Rilee here! These are life savers! I travel with three pairs of period underwear (I would suggest starting with three and if you like them, then you can buy more). Like, let's say you're on an airplane and it's an eight-hour or a cross-ocean flight, but the pilot never turns the seatbelt sign off. You don't wanna break the rules BUT you need to get to the bathroom to change a pad,well you can wear period underwear for the whole flight (even cross-ocean)! Also, they are so much more comfortable than a pad. Especially when sleeping I don’t know how a tampon feels but that does not mean I am ruling them out! If you do wear tampons I think these are still perfect for you! Period underwear is also cheaper than pads or tampons, you only have to buy them once, but with pads and tampons, you have to buy them SEVERAL times. I feel much more confident when I wear them and not pads.

Sea to Summit clothesline: ok, full disclosure, we don’t own this. We do have a line, but it’s simply a long piece of cord. This is on our list to get when we get back to America. Having a small line to dry stuff on is a game changer when it comes to doing laundry on the road. Whether you are in the backcountry, or just have a lot of wasing to do at your AirBnB, having a line you can put up allows you to wash and dry clothing fast then just laying it on a table, and trust me, I’ve done that! Do yourself a favor and just grab this and toss it in your bag!  

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• Follow Marissa and her family on Instagram to see a bit of their daily life, they are Family Of Dashes.