In 2010, I was blindsided with a deadly disease and a poor prognosis—Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma.
AFTER 5 YEARS OF FIGHTING WITH EVERYTHING I HAD...
I miraculously hit my 5 year mark of beating Stage 4 cancer!
Reaching this milestone gave me a greater appreciation for life and a renewed sense of vigor to not hold back and chase my dreams. It was that very same year where we took a family trip to Costa Rica and the wheels started turning…
One day, my husband and I were sitting on the beach and I turned to him and said, “Remember how we always said that someday we would travel the world with our kids? Well, I think we should finally make it happen.”
And so when we returned home, we got to work. We knew we had to get creative to accomplish this big goal of ours. Especially since we both had regular 9-5 jobs that didn't allow us to work remotely or travel more than a few weeks out of the year. On top of that, we also didn't have loads of expendable money just sitting in the bank.
Friends suggested that we share our various outdoor adventures and travels on a blog and through social media. It was a long and slow process at first, but in late 2015 we launched our Instagram account @macs_explore and in 2017, our blog, Adventure Together. Our goal was to inspire other families to travel and explore the outdoors near or far.
Our Instagram account began to rapidly grow in 2016, and near the end of that same year, we landed our very first paid trip with Royal Caribbean and less than 10K followers. It was a dream come true.
Ever since our partnership with Royal Caribbean, we have been fortunate to partner with various tourism boards and top brands from all over the world while generating thousands of dollars for our content, influence and unique skills (all the while working at it on the side!). Not only that, we have also saved thousands of dollars in travel expenses.
We have worked with major brands such as HyrdroFlask, Visit Montana, Coca Cola, Jackson Hole, REI, Alaska Airlines, Visit Idaho and many more.
Since then, we’ve continued to grow our brand, but not without trial and error. In the process, we have learned a great deal about what it takes to build a sustainable and profitable travel brand on Instagram and in early 2019 made the decision to share our knowledge and experience to help countless others do the same, through my online membership program, Insta-Success.
In early 2019, we finally pursued our ultimate dream, to travel the world full-time as a family!
And while it hasn’t always been easy, it’s what we’ve always wanted. Sometimes we pinch ourselves that we get to travel as a family while working with brands and destinations from all over the world! We are proof that with a little hard work, drive and consistency, you can accomplish anything. Your dreams are worth fighting for!
