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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

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!

Day 2 brought us to Palo Duro Canyon State Park (“the Grand Canyon of Texas”), and an adventure through Amarillo: a hearty lunch at the Big Texan, a Goodwill stop, trying on boots and hats at Cavender’s, as well as a stop at Cadillac Ranch. Today was all things Texas, where everything is bigger, you can drive faster, and you won’t go hungry!

The first leg of this Thanksgiving adventure brings us to Lubbock, TX, where Buddy Holly was born and began his tragically short musical career. This modest town is proud of their hometown hero, and we very much enjoyed visiting the Buddy Holly Center, the J.I. Allison home (where Buddy and the Crickets wrote and practiced “Peggy Sue” and “That’ll Be The Day”), seeing the home where the Holley family resided in 1958 and where Buddy was married, and paying our respects in the Lubbock Cemetery. Today almost brings our Buddy Holly experience full circle. I appreciate these humble beginnings and can feel the loss of young Buddy, knowing his influence on music cannot be understated.

So pumped for this special couple to spend a romantic weekend together in Sonoma next month. I know they’ll have an amazing time exploring the nature, culture and food that make this such a beautifully relaxing part of the country 🍷 ⛰️ Remember, I can help you plan lots of different getaways! While I love my Disney and Universal trips, I also love creating itineraries and helping you come up with fun places to have adventures with friends and family! ✈️🧳🌎

It’s always exciting to break out the new ornaments from our travels, especially when those trips were MONTHS ago! I may need a “travel tree” to leave up year round for these 🥰 Do you get ornaments on your travels? It’s one of our (many 🫣) souvenirs we enjoy buying everywhere we go! (And yes, this is how I’m coping with the 2024 Election night…)

2024 Widolff Annual Hayrack ride!! My mom started this tradition in the 90s shortly after we moved to the farm, and it has been going strong every year since (minus 2020 😷)! It’s a great way to reconnect before the holidays and spend time with one another. I cherish this weekend every year and am so happy it continues for my kids to enjoy!!

So stoked for this family to experience a Walt Disney World deluxe resort, even for just one weekend! What a way to celebrate Easter! 🐣 ⛪️

Homecoming 2024: spirit sticks, dress days, picnics, decorating, parades, dances, and a 27 year old throwback 😂 I’m so grateful to the staff who work so hard to create events like this for kids (namely @nmschlemm and @lexruiz__ and their tireless work with our @sterling_stuco ). Homecoming is one of my favorite times of the year, and I’m sure it’s the nostalgia of what began with @tobylifts @tobyjojohnson eons ago, but I do hope these kids feel the same way about the fun at school as their dad and I do all these years later ❤️

Making lemonade out of the 🍋 we were handed this weekend! We bought tickets for Billy Joel at Busch Stadium last January, but due to the weather the show was rescheduled and we couldn’t stay in the city another 48 hours, so instead we visited the Loop near University City, including a stop at Fitz’s for floats and apps, as well as a morning run around the city since Augs missed his cross country meet today, and a ride on the only alpine coaster in Illinois! It was a weird 29 hours, but we made the most of our time in one of our favorite cities (with a list of things to do next time we are back)! Thinking of those communities who suffered far more than us as a result of the hurricane and grateful for yet another adventure with my family ❤️

Another Friday night, another concert for the Johnsons 👵🏻😂 This one was next level, as Toby and I were only 3 people away from the front of the stage, meaning we were able to experience Teddy in such an amazingly intimate way ❤️ It was a truly magical experience (and the concert was over by 9:23, which is exactly my kind of concert!)

You guys. These tickets were purchased only a week ago, and I cannot tell you just how full of joy and love this experience was. It was like a hug for the soul ❤️ If you’ve never listened to @allenstone now is your chance to spend a minute with Uncle Al. It’s like if Mr. Rogers and Dolly Parton and Ray Bradbury had a love child and I’m here for it. My heart is full to bursting from sharing this experience with @tobylifts @tobyjojohnson and even though it was such a late night for this old lady, it was a good reminder to be present with the people we love ❤️❤️❤️

Throwback to that one time, 4 weeks ago, before a new school year started and we were living under new circumstances because of Toby’s surgery…we were exploring our nation’s national park units, learning about our country’s historical, geological, and cultural history. On days like these I find myself wishing I could go back, but oh so grateful for the memories with my family ❤️ 83 more days until another NPS adventure. I can do this 🫠

This is my second New York City trip I’ve had the chance to help with in the last two months, and I have to admit, I feel like I need to replicate this itinerary for myself 😜This one is just as special as my last trip, as it is a grandmother sharing the city and some amazing Broadway shows with her granddaughter ❤️ I know they are going to have so much fun exploring the city and sharing these experiences together. I cannot wait to hear how it goes!

First day of 6th grade, 9th grade and year 20! It feels like the beginning of the end with this start. I truly don’t know where time goes.

So thrilled for this family to celebrate a high school graduate at Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness next summer! It is always fun to be part of a family’s celebrations, and I am so excited for this hard-working family to enjoy this magical experience together before the oldest moves on ❤️

An amazing final day in San Francisco! I asked the fam what they wanted to do today: Pier 39 for sea lions and chowder, thrifting, the bison paddock and beach time. And I delivered! We enjoyed food on the pier and our sea lion friends, with a super quick stop back on Ross Alley for more fortune cookies (iykyk), followed by the best thrifting experience in Haight-Ashbury, where the summer of love occurred in 1967 (peep Harp in front of Janis Joplin’s house and the boys in front of the Grateful Dead house, and our family pic in front of Victorian homes more beautiful than the painted ladies on Alamo Square!), with a stop in Golden Gate Park at the bison paddock and a long afternoon in the sun on the beach ❤️ Today couldn’t have been a more perfect way to end this vacation. My heart is so full of adventure and excitement as we prepare for our next chapter: Toby’s surgery and the start of a new school year a week from today. I’ll be holding onto these memories the next few weeks as things get hard. 🙏 So grateful for my family of travelers and their sense of adventure! ❤️

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ABOUT

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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SERVICES

I will plan a memorable family vacation that capitalizes on the precious time you have to spend with one another. See my various services below.

BASIC TRIP PLANNING SERVICE

STANDARD TRIP PLANNING SERVICE

PREMIUM TRIP PLANNING SERVICE

Trip Recommendations

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

Loose Itinerary & Bookings

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

Long Trip Itinerary & Bookings

8-12 day budget-specific itinerary with route guidance, reccs, and hotel and/or rental car booking. ($200)

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Johnson Journeys will work with all clients to determine an appropriate trip package, knowing not all travel experiences are the same. We reserve the right to charge additional fees for challenging travel accommodations or plans.