From Working Non-Stop to Finding Work-Life Balance through Tiny Trips

Years ago, I found myself working tons of hours, feeling extremely burnt out, and missing out on precious family time. We rarely even made time for vacations. When my health started to suffer, I knew I needed a change. My answer was to make more time for family trips and activities – trips that actually fit into our busy schedules. It took some convincing on my part since our family was used to sticking close to home. But along the way, we’ve made great family memories, and I became a local trip planning expert!

I hope after reading this you come away feeling like you know more about me and my travel story.

Early Trips Help Me Love NY

I grew up outside of Rochester, NY. When I was a kid, my parents would set aside vacation time for day trips to museums or nearby city attractions. My mom called them “culture trips”. I was also lucky enough to go on a few trips around the Northeast with school, including a trip as a senior to New York City. It felt exciting to explore the city with my friends.

I also had a chance to explore the outdoors and nature as a kid. Every summer my family went to the Adirondacks up north. Back then, you had to look at actual catalogs to find a place to rent! I’d pour over the descriptions and try to pick the perfect cabin. We’d spend the week in Saranac Lake and sightsee in Lake Placid. I even decided to go to college in Potsdam, NY, a spot just north of there.

Tour Guide to Family and Friends

Once I graduated, I knew I wanted to stay in NY near my family. I took a job in Buffalo, then another in Ithaca a few years later. Most of my friends lived hours away, and I quickly found myself playing the tour guide. Travel was still tricky to plan back then, and I’d often talk to locals to find the best places. My favorites were the Ithaca waterfalls and a Submarine tour in Buffalo. During this time, I also went on a tour of northern Italy with a friend. It was an epic trip where we got to see Rome, Florence, and Venice!

City Girl Meets a Country Boy

Fast forward to 2008, when I met my husband Bob. We met through friends and started spending time as a big group. One weekend he ended up taking me snowmobiling and showed me the amazing woods and trails around Binghamton. I was smitten. A few years later we were married, then honeymooned in Maui.

We ended up moving to his hometown, where both sides of his family have lived for generations. It’s a great rural town outside of Binghamton and has such a tight-knit community.

Growing Our Family and Careers

In August 2014, our first daughter Courtney was born. Two years later, we welcomed our second daughter Lauren into our family. For those first several years, our strategy was to hunker down and stay home. Vacations and trips just felt too hard.

After the girls were born, I kept working full time. As my work responsibilities grew, I got asked to travel abroad. Leaving my kids, especially for that first trip, was so hard. But experiencing other countries and their cultures was amazing. I got to see Sweden, China, and the Czech Republic in the years before 2020 through my work. These trips supercharged my love of travel and each trip I found myself wishing I could share the experience with my husband.

The Turning Point

At the start of 2020, I was promoted at work. The pandemic hit just a few months later and to help keep our work on track and afloat, I worked around the clock. I felt extreme stress at work, and it started to take a toll on my health. I wasn’t sleeping and it seemed like I never saw my family. I knew I needed to make a change.

Making the Most of Local Travel

I switched jobs in 2021 so I could have a better work-life balance and we started taking more frequent trips as a family. At first, I wanted to go abroad, but my husband was more cautious, suggesting we should start small and see more of the US. The next hurdle was finding time to travel that didn’t conflict with our busy family schedules. Day trips and long weekends were the solution.

The more places we went, the more comfortable my family became with travel. Now, a major topic of conversation is where our family will visit next!

Starting My Blog

In the summer of 2024, I started this blog. My goal is to help you find an idea for your next trip or activity with your family so you can start making memories now. When you check out the stories, I hope you’ll find they help your family know what to expect when you get to your destination.

Thanks so much for your interest and reading all the way through! I’d love to hear from you – what are your favorite places to visit? Our family loves local spots in Ithaca, Niagara Falls, and Tioga Downs.

Happy adventures! Amanda Cave Jackson