One Year In: 13 Countries, 11 Cruises, and the Content-Creator Chaos No One Warned Me About
If you had told me a year ago that I’d be living out of a suitcase, filming my life in public like it’s totally normal, and trying to keep a family functioning while the Wi-Fi fights back… I would’ve said, “Sure!” and confidently packed exactly the wrong shoes.
Welcome to my first blog post. 🙃
This past year was our first full year of full-time content creating—and somehow we survived (and even thrived). We saw 13 beautiful countries, sailed on 11 cruises, learned some hard lessons, laughed a lot, cried a little (mostly in airports), and discovered that “making memories” often looks like negotiating with a hungry child while your camera battery dies at 2%.
Here’s what I learned—unfiltered, slightly dramatic, and with love.
1) Travel Delays Are Inevitable. The Real Question Is: How Many Snacks Do You Have?
The version of travel we post online:
✨sunsets✨, ✨sparkly water✨, ✨perfect outfits✨, ✨effortless family joy✨.
The version of travel that happens in real life:
gate changes, reroutes, delayed luggage, and the sudden realization you’ve built your entire day around a connection that no longer exists.
Delays taught me two things:
Always pack an “emergency kit” in your personal item (chargers, wipes, a spare shirt, gum, something salty, something sweet).
If you can laugh at it, you can survive it.
Because once you’ve edited a vlog in an airport terminal while a kid asks “ARE WE THERE YET?” every 90 seconds, you gain a level of inner strength previously reserved for medieval warriors.
2) Budget Overages Happen Fast When You’re Chasing “The Shot”
Before going full-time, I truly believed I was a “budget queen.”
Then content creating entered the chat.
Because suddenly you’re not just booking travel—you’re booking opportunities: the better angle, the better location, the excursion that’s “so worth it” (and is… but also somehow costs the same as a small used car).
Some of our biggest surprise budget hits came from:
last-minute transportation changes
rebooking due to delays
“it’ll just be a quick stop” meals that turned into full-on restaurant moments
gear replacements, storage, data, Wi-Fi, apps, subscriptions… all the invisible stuff
What I learned: Build buffer into your budget like it’s a non-negotiable expense. Because it is.
Also: future me deserves a vacation from past me’s impulsive “this would make great content!” moments.
3) Kid Squabbles Don’t Stop Just Because You’re in a Beautiful Place
You know what’s wild?
You can be standing in front of a view that people wait their whole lives to see…
and still hear:
“He touched my arm.”
“She looked at me.”
“He’s breathing too close.”
The squabbles didn’t ruin the trips, but they did teach me something important:
Family travel isn’t about being perfectly peaceful. It’s about learning how to move through chaos together.
Also: sometimes the most magical parenting tool is separating snacks into equal piles like you’re a courtroom judge.
4) 13 Countries Later, I Can Confirm: The World Is Stunning… and Humans Are Sweet
Thirteen countries. I still can’t believe that’s true.
There were moments where I looked around and thought, How is this real life? Like we were living inside a postcard—except the postcard also includes sunburn and someone asking where the bathroom is.
But the biggest thing I didn’t expect wasn’t the views.
It was people.
The kindness. The strangers helping. The crew members who remembered our kids. The locals giving directions. The random little conversations that stick with you longer than the scenery.
Travel made the world feel bigger… and also strangely smaller.
5) 11 Cruises Taught Me: Disney = Magic, and Not Every Cruise Line Fits Every Family
We’ve had real success with Disney—and I get why.
Disney cruises feel like someone designed them specifically for families who want fun without feeling like they’re working overtime to make it happen. The rhythm, the service, the entertainment… it’s a machine of joy (in the best way).
But part of this year was also learning what isn’t for us.
And I’m just going to say it:
MSC wasn’t our vibe.
Not because it’s “bad.” It just wasn’t us. And that was actually a great lesson: you don’t have to force yourself to love something just because it’s popular, affordable, or looks great on paper.
Full-time travel teaches you what you value quickly.
For us, it turns out “smooth family flow” ranks above “cool ship features” every time.
6) I Didn’t Expect to Miss My Dog This Much
Let’s talk about the hardest part.
Not the delays.
Not the budget surprises.
Not even the time I had to keep filming while my brain was melting.
The hardest part was being away from my dog.
There’s something so grounding about coming home to a creature who thinks you’re the greatest thing to ever happen to the planet. A creature who doesn’t care about views, thumbnails, or whether your lighting is good—just that you’re there.
Travel is amazing, but leaving pieces of your heart at home is real.
And yes, I absolutely have moments where I’m on a gorgeous balcony with an ocean view thinking, I would pay a thousand dollars for one dog cuddle right now.
7) The YouTube Algorithm Is Like a Moody Wizard
If you’re new here: YouTube can be… emotionally confusing.
One day you post something you worked on for hours and YouTube is like:
“Cute. Here’s 217 views.”
Then the next day you post a random clip you almost didn’t upload and YouTube is like:
“Congratulations, you’re famous for blinking on a cruise ship.”
This year taught me:
the algorithm doesn’t reward effort, it rewards behavior
consistency helps, but it’s not a magic wand
the audience decides what matters, not your personal attachment to that one clip you know is good
It’s humbling. And sometimes hilarious. And sometimes makes you question everything.
But it also taught me to focus on what I can control:
telling good stories, showing up, and improving little by little.
8) Full-Time Content Creating Is a Job… and Also a Lifestyle… and Also a Tiny Bit Unhinged
I used to think content creating was mostly filming and posting.
It is not.
It is:
filming
planning
editing
uploading
replying
researching
packing
repacking
finding quiet corners to record voiceovers
trying not to be annoying in public while holding a camera like it’s an extension of your body
learning tech while traveling
fixing problems you didn’t know existed
And you do it while managing emotions, family dynamics, tiredness, jet lag, and the fact that the cruise ship Wi-Fi sometimes runs on hope and sea breeze.
But even with all of that…
The Biggest Thing I Learned
This year didn’t make me perfect. It made me braver.
Braver about trying.
Braver about failing publicly.
Braver about learning as I go.
Braver about not needing every trip to be flawless to be meaningful.
We saw the world. We made memories. We built something real.
And we’re just getting started.
So here’s to year two: more adventures, more lessons, fewer budget surprises (please), and maybe slightly less airport carpet time.
And if you’re reading this because you’re thinking about chasing a dream—whether it’s content creating or something totally different—just know:
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You just have to start.
💜Noelle
