Hi, I’m Gilly. I like to wander. I’ve always believed that to wander means being willing to walk miles with no real destination, say yes to slightly questionable decisions, and occasionally hand a man with a boat who doesn’t speak English 10 euro to take you to a secret beach and hope for the best.

So far, it’s worked out.

Where Gilly Wanders started as a place to send friends when they asked for “a few recs” and got back a fully formed itinerary, whether they asked for it or not. We aren’t traveling to try to do everything, just the things that actually bring us joy when we are on the move. 

These days, we travel as a family of three. And while the logistics have changed, the philosophy hasn’t — it’s just gotten a little heavier on playgrounds and lighter on secret speakeasies hidden in laundromats.

What does this actually look like?

Figuring out how to find a doctor in Austria for our daughter’s first stomach bug. Surviving an entire 8 day trip without the toy bag left on the dining room table before an early morning flight. A firm stance that screen time doesn’t count if you’re over the ocean. Stopping to pet every cat that crosses our path. Croissants are a food group. 

Our daughter thinks “bar stool” is incorrect and will remind you it’s a pub stool.

When she plays pretend and “leaves,” she’s headed to the airport lounge.

Scrambled eggs are now called hotel eggies, because you can find them anywhere in the world.

How do we travel?

We’re not chasing perfect trips. We’re building trips that actually work. Sometimes, touristy places are usually popular for a reason. But we love quiet beaches… with a strong beach bar culture and music always playing (Anguilla forever). We will absolutely take a 20-month-old to Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day. We travel with a bag full of books and come home with more.

We plan just enough to know what we’re doing — and leave enough room for the things we didn’t see coming.

This isn’t our full-time job.

It’s what we have our jobs (and, let’s be honest, a healthy rotation of credit card points) for.

This is where I share:

• The trips that worked
• The ones that didn’t go exactly to plan (but still worked out)
• The systems we use to make travel easier
• And the places that are actually worth your time

The Bottom Line

We’re not trying to do less because we have a kid.

We’re just trying to do it smarter.