Hi, I’m Rachel
I’m the creator behind Gen X Travel Mom, where I share thoughtful travel for modern midlife families.
I cover Disney and Disney Vacation Club, Europe, airline travel, family and multigenerational trips, and the upgrades that can make a journey easier or more memorable. Most importantly, I help travelers answer one practical question:
Is it actually worth it?
I’m a communication professor, digital storyteller, wife, mom of three adult children, and Mimi. I travel frequently, often with several generations of my family, and share what I learn with honesty, humor, and a healthy respect for comfort.
Travel Has Always Been Part of My Story
My dad’s parents visited more than 130 countries, including Antarctica, when reaching it was far less common. My dad himself has traveled to more than 80 countries, and his bucket list is still growing. I took my first solo flight when I was seven to visit my grandparents in Maine.
My mom, on the other hand, didn’t fly for years. She was a nervous flyer but became a fearless solo traveler and one of United Airlines’ early million-mile flyers. When she became ill, she shared her Gold status with me so I could travel more easily while helping care for her. I later earned my own United 1K status, but hers will always mean more to me.
She taught me that travel is not simply about where we go. It’s about showing up for the people we love.
Family Travel Looks Different Now
Travel changes as families change.
These days, my favorite trips often include my husband, our three adult children, their partners, and sometimes my dad. My husband served in the Navy and has already seen much of the world. He still patiently comes along when I decide we need to revisit somewhere he has already been.
We are an active, food-loving family with strong opinions, big laughs, complicated logistics, and a shared interest in finding the best local meal. We also appreciate a comfortable bed and a genuinely clean hotel bathroom.
Traveling with grown children, partners, grandchildren, and aging parents is not the same as traveling with young kids. There are work schedules, different budgets, mobility considerations, multiple hotel rooms, group chats, and plenty of opinions to manage.
That is the kind of family travel I understand.
Following My Dad’s Bucket List
Some of my most meaningful journeys have been with my dad.
In recent years, our family has traveled with him to Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Greenland, and beyond. At 83, he still has places he wants to see and experiences he wants to have.
Traveling with an older parent requires communication, flexibility, and thoughtful planning. It also means respecting that person’s independence. My job is not to control my dad’s experience. It is to help make the experience possible while letting him continue to lead.
The photographs I treasure most from these trips are not of pyramids, glaciers, or sweeping landscapes. They are the ones that capture my dad still moving forward, usually with his hiking poles and another destination in mind.
A Storyteller at Heart
I began teaching communication and digital storytelling in 2010. In 2025, I decided to stop only teaching storytelling and begin sharing more of my own.
My travel writing has since appeared in Business Insider, where I wrote about the lessons I’ve learned while traveling the world with my 83-year-old father.
Whether I’m writing an article, creating a video, reviewing an experience, or helping a family understand Disney Vacation Club, my goal is the same: to provide useful information through stories that feel real.
Let’s Go—and Expect a Few Plot Twists
I believe travel should add to your life, not derail it.
It doesn’t need to be perfect, extravagant, or nonstop to matter. In fact, it’s rarely perfect. There will be changed plans, strong opinions, missed turns, a few tears, and, hopefully, a lot of laughs.
The best trips reflect who we are, who we love, and the season of life we’re in right now.
If you’re planning Disney, considering DVC, dreaming about Europe, organizing a family trip, or wondering whether an upgrade is actually worth it, you’re in the right place.
Choose experiences over things. Make thoughtful decisions. Laugh when the plan falls apart—and take the trip while you can.