It’s official. When people ask us where we are from we say, “Nowhere.” The word has a peculiar ring. Here is the surprising thing. After years of planning and months of build-up, wandering off into the wild blue yonder feels a bit colorless. Mostly, it feels like we are on a long weekend. So far,…
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.
Misadventures in Authorship
Why are we blathering on about the strength, adaptability, and recovery needed to travel? Is it because we wanted to share some of our lives’ more terrifying and embarrassing moments with you? Sure. Is it because we wrote a book called Resilience Parenting and it is now available on Amazon? Definitely.
Standing At The Precipice
We hiked a long and dusty road, past sand dunes and trees growing sideways from the wind’s perpetual barrage. We saw the Green Sand Beach and made our way to the southernmost point of Hawaii. We were covered in dust, we felt it in our hair, in our pores, and in our mouths. The boys–with…
The Boys’ Stance
“At first, I thought it was a crazy idea, a terrible idea, but now I don’t think so.” Jack, age 10 Don’t you ever wonder what is going on inside the mind of a child? Since they were first born we have been speculating on the thoughts of our beloved sons. With this great adventure…
How to Pack an Identity into a Bag
My burgeoning backpack has me feeling kind of ridiculous. Chris has talked, literally, for a year about what he is planning to pack. His backpack houses our training gear, emergency preparedness kit, two laptops, all the chargers, everything he plans to wear in cold weather and warm. What does mine have? My clothes. Oh, and…