We are beyond grateful to say that our first group trip went as perfectly as it possibly could have. So much so that Chad and I have already been talking nonstop about hosting another group trip this year.

In case you missed it, we welcomed 12 guests from all across North America on an 8-day adventure around the entire country of Taiwan. We had guests in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, all working different careers and journeying through different stages of life, meaning the conversations we shared were very fascinating (and hilarious). It’s quite rare for us to travel alongside FOUR different generations, and the jaw-dropping stories we laughed to and interesting perspectives we were able to hear, are memories we’ll remember for years to come.

We got SO lucky with all the guests on this last group trip. Each and every person had an eagerness to experience Taiwan to the fullest, and they were all nothing short of kind, thoughtful, understanding, and flexible. It was heart-warming to witness how the entire group instantly became a little family of sorts. We cheered each other on as we gave the Taiwanese claw machines a go. We shared several bottles of indigenous rice wine as we chatted the nights away. We sang and danced along to some of the greatest tunes of all time. We shared family-style dinners at local eateries, where the menus were all in Mandarin. At one point, the Gen X’s and Boomers were asking the Gen Z’s and Millennials about the new hip words and phrases of the younger generations hahaha. No topic was off the table– including some of the wildest medical horror stories we’ve ever heard! Thanks for those unforgettable memories, Ed hahaha.

Purposefully creating the small group of 12 guests made it possible for us both to talk to everyone one-on-one, and for guests to really get the chance to know each other.

It was SO hard to say goodnight each evening, because the conversations just kept going and going. In fact, the conversations are STILL going! We started a group chat for the trip at the start of December, and messages continue to swirl as we enter the new year.

As for traveling around Taiwan with the group, it was overall a very heartwarming experience. For those of you who don’t know, Taiwan is my family’s country of origin, so this trip meant a lot to me. I got the chance to share my family’s culture with others, and that, in and of itself, was something I’ll cherish forever. There were guests who also came from Taiwanese descent, hoping to experience their parents’ or their own birth country, and what an honor it was for us to accompany them on their adventure back to the motherland. Many other guests had never visited the continent of Asia before, so it was our absolute pleasure to welcome them to that side of the world. Some were empty nesters taking their first trip abroad without children, and others were just looking for a well-deserved vacation. How cool is it that 14 lives that would have never had the chance to meet otherwise, came together to travel Taiwan for eight days? That really is one of the beauties of the internet and social media– bringing random people together to form new connections and memories.

If you were one of the 12 wonderful people who trusted us enough to book our very first group trip– thank you, truly, from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you’ll join us again for our next group trip abroad to a different country!

Something we decided to make for our group trip was a set of self-designed “Welcome Bags.” They were canvas totes filled with Taiwanese treats, small travel essentials, miscellaneous merch, and a handwritten card. The tote’s design features my own illustration of Taiwan’s most famous street eats in a bright cobalt blue, and the bag got so much love on Instagram, that we decided to print a few extra for our shop. If you’re interested in snagging one, you can find them here: Taiwanese Street Food Totes

Because each bag is individually screen-printed, there are a few misprints, where the design appears ever so slightly imperfect. I think most people wouldn’t even notice these misprints, but because I have certain standards of quality I like to uphold in our shop, I don’t feel right charging full price for them. Therefore, we have a few misprints for 40% off: *MISPRINT* Taiwanese Street Food Totes

Our 2nd Annual Mastermind Retreat–

For the last week, our house in the wintery Blue Ridge Mountains was jam-packed with four travel couples and three dogs. Our good friends, Jen and Elliot (and their dog, Ollie) from Scho and Jo, Nate and Alicia from The Passport Couple, and Adam and Kathryn from Adventures of A + K stayed with us for eight whole days, as we gathered together for our 2nd Annual Mastermind Retreat (New Year’s Edition)! For a whole week, we didn’t work, which is a nearly unbelievable concept for us small business owners who sometimes work 60 to 80 hours a week.

(For those of you who don’t know, “Mastermind” is the name of our little “travel YouTube support group.” Jen and Elliot created it for us all back in 2022, and since then, we’ve been hopping on monthly video calls to talk about life and the highs and lows of running our own social media businesses.)

This retreat is a gathering we all greatly look forward to each year. There’s nothing like hanging out with other creators for an extended amount of time, cooking meals for each other and playing games late into the night. There are endless things we can relate on– what it’s like to work with a spouse/partner, what it’s like to be a content creator, what it’s like to navigate financial instability, what it’s like to travel for a living, etc. The conversations are truly endless!

Having them all here for New Year’s Eve was the perfect way to end 2024 and welcome 2025. Chad and I prepared a massive feast for the holiday, and we each shared our happiest moments and celebrations from 2024 over festive cocktails, garlic and thyme steak, and a homemade tres leches cake. We even worked up the courage to do a polar plunge in Lake Blue Ridge on New Year’s Day, when it was only about 30°F outside. This year, I decided to host a “Dream With Me” workshop, where we all wrote down our hopes and dreams for 2025 and folded them into an origami crane (in hopes that they will fly high and soar). I also had each person write a letter to their future selves, sealed tight in an envelope instructed to be opened on January 1, 2026.

It’s always super fun to gather with this group because every single individual is just as adventurous and just as competitive, hence the polar plunge at 30°F haha. The games we play go HARD, and I’m talking every kind of game– physical games, memorization games, card games, etc. We found ourselves battling each other to see who could do the longest wall sit, and somehow, it was just me and Adam left FIVE minutes in with super shaky legs, still going at it. I was hoping to bring in a win for the ladies, but alas, no one can compete against Adam’s legs of steel.

We played pickle ball tournaments at a local court, completed a thousand-piece puzzle in one sitting, enjoyed face masks while watching stand up comedy, refreshed our souls with traditional guashas to release stress and tension (done by me), and roasted s’mores over a blazing bonfire. Needless to say, Chad and I both feel so restored and rejuvenated for another exciting year of travel, friendship, and unforgettable memories.

New travel videos on YouTube–

Our Cologne and Dusseldorf vlog: We explored West Germany’s most famous cities and shared our first impressions. Here is the link to the video.

Our Bosnia and Herzegovina vlog: We took a day trip in to experience Mostar and swim at the beautiful Kravica Waterfall. Here is the link to the video.

Our Montenegro vlog: We spent one day exploring the country of Montenegro, making stops in Perast, Kotor, and Budva. Here is the link to the video.

So, where are we heading next?

This month, we are staying put, but the travel content won’t stop! I currently have five videos in our backlog to edit– three from Romania and two from Taiwan. By the time those are all edited and posted, it will be mid-February, and we’ll be on our way to our 31st country…INDIA! Until then, we’ll be cherishing our time at home with the dogs, curling up by the fireplace any chance we get with a good book, and admiring the peaceful winter scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I hope your 2025 is one to remember. Don’t forget to dream big and reach for the stars, because you’ve only got yourself one life to live.

MOST SINCERELY,

Claire (and Chad)