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Walt Disney World

The Johnsons at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom

Eiffel Tower

The Johnsons on the River Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower

Mammoth Cave NP

The Johnsons at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Walt Disney World

The Johnsons at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom

While sitting on a (very hot) bench on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood Studios, waiting for the kids to do their solo thing (it’s tradition), Toby asked me what it was about Disney that I loved so much. All I could come up with was describing it as a feeling. It’s a bundle of joy, nostalgia and magic all rolled in to one bubbling feeling of pure happiness. I feel like it’s a “iykyk” situation. Some people feel this in their bones and others don’t, and that’s okay, but for those of us who do feel it, let us FEEL it. It’s mighty powerful and as close to pure joy you can get. While I adore my national park units and historical sites and other tourist traps, there’s something uniquely magical about Disney that I absolutely love. I’m so grateful to share these moments with my kids, knowing my time with them like this has an expiration date. I’m cherishing every nanosecond I get with them, as the clock seems to be ticking much faster these days. As we left the park this time around, I heard both kids ask to return, and while Toby may not be thrilled by that, I know that Disney is the ONLY place our kids have requested we come back to, so I will honor that and soak these moments in as best I can. Whether it’s the simple act of pin trading, or noshing on that Disney popcorn, or singing loudly in an empty monorail car, the Johnsons make memories at Disney and WILL RETURN! Stay tuned my attempts to convince Toby to schedule another visit 😜 In the meantime, enjoy these shots of our trip and the unstructured evidence of our randomness (somehow we found all the pay phones on this trip 😂)!

Day 2: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom

While our big first day at two massive theme parks set the bar high, day 2 did NOT disappoint. Not only did we hit headliners in three parks, but we still had a bit of time in the resort pool to rest our weary feet! Check out these stats!

* 27,932 steps
* 12.46 miles
* 6:45am-9:00pm
* 15 rides/attractions
🎢 Expedition Everest
🎢 Expedition Everest
🎢 Dinosaur
🎢 Na’Vi River Journey
🎢 Flight of Passage
🎶 Festival of the Lion King
🎶 Indiana Jones Stunt Show
🎢 Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
🎢 Rock’n Roller Coaster
🎢 Toy Story Mania
🎢 Rise of the Resistance
🎢 Slinky Dog Dash
🏝️ Resort Pool Time
🎢 Pirates of the Caribbean
🎢 Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
🎢 Space Mountain
🎶 Happily Ever After on the beach at our resort

+ Sa’Tuli Canteen
+ Kusafiri
+ Market
+ Docking Bay 7
+ Casey’s Corner
+ Pecos Bill’s
+ Sunshine Tree Terrace

~8 LLMP
~15 rides/attractions
~ Throwaway Millennium Falcon
~ Throwaway Jungle Cruise

Day 1: Magic Kingdom & EPCOT—> This first leg of our whirlwind weekend was a DOOZY! We accomplished THE MOST and dominated these two massive parks by taking advantage of rope drop, Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass using Standby Skipper. The longest wait we had was our 45 minutes in line to rope drop 7 Dwarves Mine Train at early entry because the ride was offline for the first 15 minutes of rope drop! It was the most magical day, and I didn’t know how we could top it…stay tuned for part 2 🤭

* 26,507 steps
* 11.49 miles
* 6:45am-10:00pm
* 18 rides/attractions
🎢 7DMT
🎢 Haunted Mansion LL
🎢 Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
🎢 Pirates of the Caribbean
🎢 Magic Carpets
🎶 Country Bear Jamboree
🎢 Tron
🎢 Barnstormer
🎶 Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor
🎢 People Mover
🎢 Space Mountain
🎢 Soarin’
🎢Guardians of the Galaxy
🎢 Gran Fiesta Tour
🎢 Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
🎢 Living With the Land
🎢 Spaceship Earth
🎢 Frozen Ever After
🎶 Luminous

+ Gaston’s Tavern
+ Cheshire Cat Cafe
+ Westward Ho
+ Cosmic Rays
+ Club Cool
+ Various Festival Food booths
+ Les Halles Boulangerie and Patisserie
+ La Cantina de San Angel

We couldn’t help it. It’s been almost a YEAR, and it was time to come back home ❤️ We started our day at Blizzard Beach, taking advantage of the free waterpark tickets on check in day. We are staying at the Polynesian and it is incredible. There are no notes on these deluxe resorts. It is next level. We also ended our day at the Hoop De Doo musical revue, and it was everything! An absolute hoot! The food was delightful and the entertainment was top notch! We tried getting to bed early for today, but time is a construct at Disney! Let’s see if we don’t crash and burn today!

Adventures close to home are always welcome. So much fun hiking with neighbors and family at White Pines today. We celebrated with a delicious lunch at the restaurant and play time at the park. 🥾🌲 3 trails ✅ Until next month!

Toby. 42. The single greatest travel buddy in the history of the world. He is game to do lit-ruh-lee anything when I suggest a destination or travel experience. And don’t let him fool you…he loves Disney, even when he says he doesn’t 😉 (Also peep the pics of him taking work calls in line for Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios and at Yosemite in Cook’s Meadow!) Cheers to another year exploring state parks, national parks, cultural and historical landmarks, and culinary sites. I’m so grateful to you and having another year to celebrate just how wonderful you are. ❤️😘

I clearly have a niche 😂 I love helping women make these plans to get away and celebrate life! So honored to help this amazing duo with their plans to celebrate a 30th birthday in Puerto Vallarta!

Okay, but how amazing does this 40th birthday trip sound? I am PUMPED for these ladies and know they are going to have an incredible time on their ACTUAL birthdays!

I L-O-V-E the challenge of a snowy hike 👏 This little excursion was extra special as we were joined by our neighbors. The natural spring was flowing, a bald eagle flew right overhead, and Lorado Taft’s Blackhawk statue was staring majestically over the Rock River. So grateful that Northern Illinois has so many incredible state parks to explore! Cheers to the first hike of 2025 (and a delicious dinner of Mexican food after)!

Okay, so this is not really a true booking. It’s a lie.

Toby and I decided to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary early with a trip to Spain with a group tour being lead by a colleague 🇪🇸

We have never spent more than 2 nights away from the kids, but we figured 20 years deserves a big trip, so here we are. 2026 will be pretty fantastic, even if I didn’t research and spend time on booking the trip ❤️

You could also embark on international travel with us in 2027. 🇬🇷 Greece is on the docket if you are thinking about being adventurous!

The teens tell me that it’s important to ask someone to be your Valentine, even if you’ve been together for 26 years and shared smooches across the globe 😘

So @tobylifts , @tobyjojohnson , will you be my Valentine? ❤️

🤞🤞🤞

(If you say yes, then we can add to our smooch collection 🇪🇸🇬🇷)

Needless to say, this family is going to have some very surprised and happy kids come Christmas 2025 😉

🙏 THANK YOU to those of you who already purchased itineraries! 🏷️ It’s Day 2 of my sale, and I am so excited to make these “vacations in a bag” available! If you’re trying to figure out where to go next or how to even plan a trip, consider one of these! Some are even FREE! I hope to see you out there…like at the World’s Largest Rubber Stamp even 😜

🏷️ SALE on travel itineraries for #nationalplanforvacationday! These are pre-made itineraries to help get you started on your journey. From overnights to week-long cross country jaunts, use my guides to help you plan your dream trip. They include day by day pacing recommendations, along with links to each adventure, helping you budget and create a timeline for your journey. For one week, I am offering these guides at a discounted rate. If none of these destinations appeal to you, consider using me to help create a custom itinerary for your travel needs. I can work with you to plan a trip that is stress free and sure to be full of memories. Prices range from FREE to $30 (a $200 value)! DM or text me for more information! ☀️ Remember, my passion is stress-free travel while making memories, and I am here to guide you every step of the way! 🚨Please note, all itineraries have a starting point of Sterling, IL. Modifications may be necessary, depending on your departure location.

I love when multi-generational family trips can take advantage of some of the 30% off discounted rooms at Walt Disney World! This family has been working on making this trip a reality for awhile, and I’m so pumped for them to experience the magic together. If you’re curious about cost or whether or not you are eligible for a discount, please let me know!

This family will be in D.C. on July 4! I experienced the fourth in our nation’s capitol in 1998 (👵🏻), and it was a memory I won’t ever forget. I am so excited for this family to share in a road trip to celebrate the graduation of their oldest child. It’s going to be a bittersweet trip I’m sure, but I know they will absolutely cherish the memories they make on this trip 🇺🇸🦅 (I’ve never used those emojis, so I had to on this post 😜)

This afternoon, after our monthly 4H meeting, some of the club members headed to @skisnowstar for some tubing! It was so fun to watch the kids interact and help one another. I enjoyed hanging out with their 4H alum parents too ❤️ It was enough fun to stave off the Sunday scaries that I may just start planning Sunday evening activities…? Okay, probably not, but it was a good reminder to not be consumed by the Sunday to do list and be present! So grateful my kids are in 4H and that I get to share moments like these with them! Where are my 4H members at? Do you have favorite 4H memories? Share them with me! 4H made me into who I am, and I will forever cherish my 4H friends 🍀

12 🎉🎂🎈🎁 This food explorer is officially 12, and that means another donut cake for my youngest. I’m so grateful for Augie’s sense of adventure and his incredible humor. I wonder where he gets that from 🤔😜 Cheers to ushering in the last year of childhood, and another year of foodie adventures!

I’ve taken to spending these final moments of the year reflecting on all we have experienced. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in all we have yet to do, and for me, spending time reflecting is a powerful reminder of where we’ve been. I’m so grateful for all of the lessons we learned in 2024 and I know we are working toward becoming better people because of it. I hope you all are spending time thinking of the amazing things you saw, food you ate, people you spent time with, and memories made today. Happy New Year from the Johnson family 🥂 Cheers to an amazing 2025! 🎉

My anniversary gift to Toby this year was a French dinner themed cooking class at #SurLaTable 🇫🇷 We learned a bit and ate and enjoyed our time with one another on a new adventure. Also know that our dish to pass at our future events WILL be the green beans we made 😂 So good! Cheers to anniversaries and Christmas and time with loved ones! 😘🥂

18 years ❤️ Words cannot express my gratitude for your patience with me and your willingness to show me how to be the best version of myself…and for going to Disney so many times 🫣 So grateful for this life we’ve built together. I love you Toby. Let’s go cook something (and maybe go to Disney again in 115 days!) 😘

The first Christmas gift for the Johnson family was a surprise trip to enjoy a Galena Foodie Adventure, Ugly Christmas sweater edition! This was a gift for Toby, but we all throughly enjoyed our chance to explore the quaint and picturesque Galena from a festive foodie point of view. I cannot recommend this tour enough, and if you live in northern Illinois, you can make it an easy day trip, well worth your time! We shared laughs and full bellies with our new friends and are so grateful for an experience gift with one another just before Christmas 🎄❤️

I kinda wish this trip was for me, but alas, it’s still for some amazing women who are going to have the BEST time while the rest of us are freezing here at home! Cheers to this group of women, who prioritized themselves in the thick of motherhood and working and the busyness of life that often makes it difficult to remember who you are. I cannot wait for them to enjoy this well-deserved trip! 🏖️🍹✈️ 🧳

To say I’m excited for this client is an understatement. This client loves Disney (probably more than me!), and I am THRILLED that they are starting summer in Walt’s original park! They are going to have the best time, and I cannot wait for them to experience Disneyland ❤️

Our travel day home is always so bittersweet. Going back to reality is so sad for me, but today I squeezed in one last activity before heading to the airport: a visit to Chamizal National Memorial. On our way to El Paso we saw a border patrol detention facility, and I was overcome with emotion, and this memorial serves as a powerful reminder of how tenuous borders and land “ownership” are. I was humbled and heartbroken today, being so close to where so much animosity and hatred and fear exist. Seeing our southern border, barbed wire and all, highlighted all of my blessings and served as a powerful reminder that there are so many in this world who are hurting, hungry, cold, and in pain while I fly on an airplane to my warm home. I’m grateful every day for these experiences to get a tiny glimpse of other people’s lives and hope I can live mine better to serve others.

At the end of the day, trips like these are now nothing more than fond memories I can look back on from home. I’m so sad that this Southwest trip is over, but I’m so grateful to be able to do this with my family while I can. 15 more days of work until Winter Break. I’m holding onto that to get me through because reality is hitting me hard tonight 😫🥺

Today was the final installment of our Southwest adventure with over half a day spent at White Sands National Park and a quick jaunt to Pistachioland and the world’s largest pistachio 😂 We had more fun than should’ve been allowed. White Sands was unlike any other national park we’ve ever been to. It was so much fun with the kids (but I need a masseuse and a chiropractor ASAP!)! This final day was one for the books, and we will be cleaning sand out of everything for weeks to come 🤦‍♀️😂

5 years ago, we decided to forego the traditional colonizer Thanksgiving and spend a week adventuring together, taking advantage of our week off school. Since then, we have spent Thanksgiving in Walt Disney World (twice), Zion National Park, Universal Studios Hollywood and now Carlsbad and Alamogordo, New Mexico. Today we hardly took any photos, but we went to the Living Desert Zoo and State Park (which was incredible), followed by a remote scenic drive through the Chihuahuan Desert into the Lincoln National Forest, landing just outside White Sands National Park, where we had Sonic for our Thanksgiving dinner in the hotel lobby and watched Moana 2 at the local movie theater. The more I see of our country, the more I realize just how vastly different we are. These spaces we occupy come with their own unique challenges, with its people having different needs, and I’m so grateful to be able to see it and meet new people. Tonight I am thankful for the opportunity to travel and spend these special, fleeting moments with my little family. I hope your day has been filled with special moments as well.

Today’s 2 park challenge included Carlsbad Cavern and Guadalupe Mountain national parks. Both were jaw dropping in very different ways. I’m so grateful for our 8:30am cave entry tickets though because the park got very busy as we were leaving. The Big Room was impressive and it was unlike any other cave we had ever toured. We were bummed that the bats have all migrated and the tarantulas were all burrowed, but it was still an awesome park. Guadalupe Mountains was gorgeous. It was so fun to hike through the desert (in sweatshirts no less) and couldn’t imagine visiting this park in the heat. It would be brutal, but November was perfect. Unfortunately, we saw zero wildlife, unless a dead snake, grasshoppers and various birds count? The Johnsons never see wildlife on vacay, so beware if you plan on visiting a park with us 🤦‍♀️ We have junior rangers for two new parks and are feeling very tired after all of today’s hiking, so it’ll be an early bedtime S we prepare for the last leg of our journey tomorrow!

Day 3 of our epic Thanksgiving NM/TX adventure started at Norman Petty studios where some incredibly iconic songs were recorded. We had the BEST tour with Ken and Kendra, and it was so amazing to not only SEE where the magic happened, but also EXPERIENCE it! So far, this has been my FAVORITE part of this trip! See my stories to see just how amazing it was! We also drove through Roswell. Midwesterners, it’s like if aliens landed in the Wisconsin Dells 😂👽🛸 We are safely tucked in in Carlsbad with our New Mexico pizza and are ready for our 2 parks in one day challenge tomorrow!

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Let me relieve you of the stress of trip planning!

I have a unique set of organizational and planning skills that allow me to capitalize on the time families have to spend on vacation with one another. Keeping in mind both special experiences and the interests of the family, I am able to successfully plan an itinerary that is sure to bring families cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

I’m also a certified travel agent through Main Street Travel, which includes Disney and Universal Theme Parks, and am a CLIA member, so I can make hotel and car reservations for my clients. My specialties include Disney and Universal Theme Parks, American road trips, National Park sites, as well as a variety of options throughout the Midwest.

I am a mom and a high school teacher, and I spend my free time advising and planning trips for our school Travel Club. However, my true passion is traveling with my family, and I understand how precious family vacation time together can be. I want to maximize your budget to bring you as many experiences as I can that meet your family's interests and needs, so you can look back fondly on the time you spent together, exploring the world!

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Trip recommendations for accommodations, restaurants, and things to do with a general pacing guide. ($50)

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5-8 day itinerary with route guidance and recommendations, includes hotel and/or rental car booking. ($125)

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