We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carrie Willink a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Carrie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

We believe you can travel while maintaining your life at home. It is all about balance and planning ahead of time. You can stay productive on the road if possible. We aren’t saying it’s easy, we are saying it’s possible! Regular check-ins as a family and keeping up your relationships will help so your home life continues smoothly while you enjoy your adventures!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

We are the Willink family with the self-given nickname: Third Coast Tribe! We are a family who is lovers of all things outdoors. Hiking, traveling, exploring, experiencing, creating, and documenting — these are a few of our favorite verbs. We relocated to the Third Coast in 2017 to be closer to the family after spending 5 years living in a camper out west in Arizona.
The Third Coast is the Great Lakes region and surrounds Michigan, our home state!

Some of our biggest adventures to date include living and working at the happiest place on earth, Disney World of Orlando, full-time RV living for a year, road-tripping Route 66, and traveling the PCH. We’ve trekked through most of the lower 48 states, and backpacked western Europe; we’ve hiked everywhere, from places like the south rim of the Grand Canyon during the hot summer months to a massive glacier in a blistery winter in Iceland. We’ve checked off over 24 National Parks and stayed in the most interesting places. All of this is done in an effort to satisfy our never-ending wanderlust! 

We can’t mention all of these adventures without including our three biggest little adventure partners! Remy, 10, and Jade, 7 and Zavia 10. Even though their legs are tiny, they are learning the art of adventure from an early age and are always up for the thrill of exploration. Seeing our girls’ eyes light up as we reach the summit and look out at the mountain view, or their minds spinning as we teach them what makes the grass green, the bird chirp, or why people and cultures are different from ours but equally as beautiful, makes all the extra work to travel with kids completely worth it.


As we’ve gone on these adventures, we love inspiring other families and people to do the same. This just didn’t seem like enough so we created ThirdCoastTribe.com to help others not ‘wish’ they could travel more, but the actual ‘how to’s’ to do it. We love guiding people to these grand adventures and making memories of a lifetime!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Let’s face it: traveling with kids isn’t always glamorous. There are tantrums, snack fights, and the inevitable “Are we there yet?” But, as chaotic as it may seem, there’s something magical about experiencing the world with your little explorers. If you’ve ever wondered why you should pack up the family and hit the road, here’s the deal: traveling with kids is one of the most powerful, eye-opening things you can do — for you and for them!

When you travel, you teach your kids more than just geography. Sure, they might pick up a few country names or learn to pronounce “croissant,” but the real lessons are about empathy, curiosity, and resilience. From navigating airports to respecting new cultures, these are shaping the way they grow up. It shows them that people are different — and that’s what makes the world so beautifully interesting. Plus, those “are we there yet?” moments? They become life’s mini challenges that they’ll look back on with another memory in their book!

Then, there’s the real magic. There’s nothing quite like watching your child’s face light up when they see the Royal Gourge for the first time or hearing them try to order food in a language they’ve never spoken. Travel turns the world into a giant classroom, one where your kids become students of life. They’ll discover that the world is bigger than their backyard, and that, sometimes, the best adventure happens when you step out of your comfort zone.

But here’s the biggest thing. Traveling with your kids gives you moments to slow down, reconnect, and make memories. The stress of everyday life fades away as you chase sunsets, share laughs over meals, and bond over the thrill of a new experience. Sure, your Instagram feed might look like a chaotic mixture of giggling kids and spilled snacks, but it’s a treasure trove of memories — the kind that no one can take away.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Recently we planned a winter, ice cave trip as a family where we could all climb around and enjoy nature’s beautiful icy playground. We’ve done this trip before so packed accordingly.

After getting to our first quick stop and short hike to a frozen waterfall, Josh (dad) had an accident putting his shoulder out of socket. This of course sent us to the hospital. We got him back to the hotel and after being sure he was ok he all set, and the older girls go on to enjoy more of our planned itinerary. Hiking around beautiful frozen waterfalls and icy sculptures, it was making for lots of laughter and unforgettable moments. The best way to the next stop was hiking on the side of a large hill. They have hiked many miles and so we decided to try out the shortcut. While hiking along this high area, a winter storm came out of nowhere, making it very windy and snowy. Not only could we not see very well, the wind mixed with the ice on the hills seemed to be too much for one of my daughters. I (Mom) had to take each girl down one at a time. We were safe at last, but this story is one that was made up of unforeseen risks.

Josh and I chatted with the girls later about “Sacrifices vs Rewards.” Many sacrifices were made, such as not sleeping in your own bed, long road trips with baby sis kicking you :), and other sacrifices such as, maybe missing out on plans at home. Than we chatted about the rewards. Jumping on a hotel bed after a long swim in the pool at the hotel. The way pizza always tastes better when you travel. The way we got to climb and slide around a waterfall that most people just see in pictures. The way a popsicle tastes in nature vs. from the store! These are the rewards for stepping out and trying something and maybe even learning a little more bravery in the process!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thirdcoasttribe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirdcoasttribe
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThirdCoastTribe
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thirdcoasttribe
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thirdcoasttribe

Image Credits

We took all these pictures. Thanks!