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At 18 years old, I moved to Madrid, Spain, to become an au pair for the summer. 

This August, my four daughters, two sisters, and mom all hopped on a train from Michigan to Chicago with one special purpose in mind: to visit the American Girl store.

This past weekend, I learned that the more seriously you take some things, the funnier they get.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maria Bilotte. It has been edited for length and clarity.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rowena Shek. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My older sister Melanie is the sun the rest of my family orbits around. In a way, she's my family's Taylor Swift.

This Labor Day weekend, my friends and I headed to the Rockaways in New York for a beach day. While I was having a blast, swimming in the water, reading on my beach blanket, and, well, burning in the sun, I noticed my friends were looking a bit solemn.

The serene waters of Lahaina had always been a sanctuary, especially from my sailboat gently bobbing on its waves. But on August 8, that peace was violently shattered. The scent of burning wood permeated the air, and the amber horizon painted a tale of looming catastrophe.

My family of five recently traveled to Spain for two weeks. Because we live near a small airport, we had to connect flights from the US to Europe. Having read so many nightmare stories about lost luggage, and especially because we were traveling with our three kids, all under 6, I chose to buy AirTags for all of our suitcases just in case.

My family of five just came back from a two-week trip around northern Spain and Madrid. We were there visiting family and sightseeing, and it was the first time my 5-year-old son and 3-year-old twins visited the country. 

Every couple of years when I was growing up, my family would embark on a European vacation. My dad is Italian, and my mom is Spanish, so we'd fly to their respective countries to see family and do some sightseeing.

When my daughter turned 9, I started to do the math. If she left our home at 18, her dad and I were then halfway through the summers we were guaranteed with her. Our summers with her were always jam-packed with Chicago events, summer camps, and wherever we decided to take her on vacation.

Growing up, I would travel from Argentina — where I'm from — to Galicia in the north of Spain to visit my mom's side of the family. Galicia is on the country's northwest coast and is known for its delicious seafood, which includes grilled octopus, tuna empanadas, and percebes, one of the most expensive kinds of seafood in the world. 

The first time I hitchhiked I was at a bus stop on Elba Island, located just off of Italy's northwestern coast.

I'd been living in London for just under a year when my parents came to visit in January 2020. 

Seven years ago, the biggest struggle I had was figuring out what I wanted to do after college. But I didn't see myself as the average nine-to-five worker — I hated routines and sitting in a cubicle for eight hours a day would drive me insane. 

I've been a solo traveler for most of my life, but these days, there's a weird reason I prefer to do it alone: I love to nap when I'm on vacation.

When I met Steph in 2016, we were at similar points in our lives; we had both given up decadelong careers in IT and had left everything behind to explore Australia. I just happened to be doing so in a van with my cat, Willow.

I've been taking trips to Walt Disney World since I was 3 years old. For most people, a trip to Disney World seems out of the question due to crazy crowd levels, high prices, and intolerable heat. However, right now, it's actually the best time to book a Disney World vacation. 

Last year, a friend's husband messaged me for the sweetest reason — he wanted to surprise his wife with a four-night getaway and wondered if I wanted to go along. As someone who loves travel and now writes about it, I was all for it.

I have always found packing for trips stressful.