I liked our car. It was an excellent place to put all of the things that didn’t quite fit in our backpacks. We had owned it for years and were very happy with it. More recently, we drove it across the country to the tune of 12,000 miles. But I sold our proverbial covered wagon…
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.
Fear, Trepidation, and International Travel
I think we are all familiar with the concept of a commitment device—something we put in place to stop ourselves from chickening out at the last minute. That is, of course, what the blog is all about. Before we sold our house and started to travel around the world, we told everyone we knew (and…
Los Angeles Freeways, Oh How I Loathe You
Please prepare for a bitter rant. I love Los Angeles… from a theoretical standpoint. I love the promise of the beach, the mountains, the desert (that is to say, the unpaved desert, because the whole stinking place is a desert, but you just can’t tell because of all of the concrete and stolen water… but…
Treasures Of Our Adventures
Adventures come in all sizes; big and small and everything in between. Some are self-created, and some are the product of things beyond your control. And some never seemed to happen at all. Even when they really did. We are asked all the time about the adventures that we have experienced so far. But sometimes,…
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I grew up in a town called Upland. Nestled in the cradle of San Gabriel foothills, it nurtured me in many ways: peaceful suburbs, great high school, an “L.A. Hour” from the beach, the desert, the city. From my bed, I would look to the mountains every morning for a signal on the day. Clear…