Our tour of the Mongolian countryside was arranged by a charming woman named Urnaa. She lives in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, with her husband and daughter. She grew up nomadically, went to school, and got a job in the city. Later, in order to spend more time with her daughter, she transitioned to running…
Author: Five Backpacks Family
Not all who wander are lost — we are living nomadically, exploring, and wandering to learn about the world, its people, and ourselves.
Chris and Holly Santillo are not your regular authors.
They are the epitome of the Latin phrase “Mens sana in corpore sano,” which means “A healthy mind in a healthy body.”
Having strong backgrounds in Martial Arts with Chris being the founder and Head Instructor at Potomac Kempo in Alexandria, Virginia, and Holly being a Senior Instructor, they have managed to develop the principles of Martial Arts into a cohesive parenting methodology.
They believe that children (and parents) with broader horizons and an open mind can sow the seeds for future generations of confident, strong, and resilient adults.
Now, you can find them gliding through the Siberian steppes on the Trans-Siberian Railway, visiting the buzzing markets of Samarkand on the Silk Road, or wondering at the vastness of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. They have decided to live a nomadic life and explore the world with their three boys in order to bring back memories, ideas, experiences, and a fresh view on life.
Join their epic journey at www.FiveBackpacks.family, visit www.ResilienceParenting.info for more information on their book, and www.PotomacKempo.com to learn about their Martial Arts teachings.
Our Disjointed Journey
Either because we lack the discipline to sit down and plan or because we are convinced that the benefits of spontaneity outweigh the benefits of preplanning we are only researching our destinations, arranging travel, and booking our accommodations a few days in advance. We have long debated the trade-off between spontaneity and preplanning. Anyone who…
Urban Angels
You’ve spied a tourist while walking the streets of your hometown, right? The bulging backpack tipped you off, as well as the funny-looking shoes, and the foreign language confirmed your suspicions. What did you do? Did you smile? Maybe even stop to ask where the people were from and engage in conversation? Have you ever…
The Way Thing Czar — Russian Travel Guide
In the summer of 2019, our family of five (mom, dad, and three kids aged 6, 8, 10) spent a month traveling and living in Siberia, Russia. Here are our impressions and travel tips. General Impressions of Siberia Perhaps most striking was the wilderness, most of which we saw from our train windows. Before experiencing…
Our Little Hole In The Wall
We are supposed to be aloof of circumstance. That is to say, that we aspire to be such that our internal states are independent of external realities. Meaning, if our hotel room is crappy, we want to be happy anyway. More than that, we think that it is admirable to be able to set aside…