Summer Trip 2026: The Why and the How

We have waited for months. The kids counted down the weeks until the end of the school year, and finally, it is here. Over the next six weeks, we will be splitting our time between the coasts and mountains of Albania and Greece, with a short stopover in England on the way in and out.

The thought of a longer journey began a long time ago, pretty much as soon as the kids were born. Joanna and I always dreamt about traveling as Jocharvel plus 2. Our original plan was a massive backpacking trip of six months or more when the kids reached ages 6 and 9. Now, in 2026, they have already proven they can handle long-distance travel after our trip to Guatemala and Belize. However, real life has a way of altering plans. Several circumstances prevented us from taking half a year off: my responsibilities running Highland Feather mean I cannot step away for months at a time, Joanna is currently focused on finding a stable position, and Sofia is enrolled in a demanding Gifted program at school.

Rather than scrapping the dream entirely, I realized we could still make a significant trip work during the summer break. From a financial perspective, going away for the summer actually saves us thousands of dollars in summer camp fees back home in Toronto. It also happens to be the slow season at HF, allowing me to step away temporarily without a major impact on operations, though I still have to manage certain company matters remotely. With that sorted, my mind was set on a six-week window from early July to late August. The exact dates were chosen early on for a very practical reason: flying on Wednesdays is consistently the cheapest option.

With the timeline locked in, I started researching destinations. Interestingly, in the original itinerary, Joanna wasn't going to be able to join us, so I was planning to take the kids solo. I researched several possibilities:

• A US road trip through California to visit the National Parks.

• An Eastern Canadian road trip covering Newfoundland.

• Spain and Portugal (specifically looking at the Azores).

• Western Türkiye.

• Albania and Greece.

I find that doing the research and planning is often the most exciting part of the trip. The US option was quickly ruled out due to the elbowing up to Trump and his absurd increase of National Park entry fees. A trip east within Canada didn't feel exotic enough for the effort. That narrowed the focus to Europe. Given the peak summer season, I was concerned that Spain and Portugal would be completely overwhelmed by crowds. When I looked into Western Türkiye, I realized it has become even more commercialized than Greece. That brought me to Albania and Greece. I found that it was still possible to identify spots in these two countries that are relatively less touristy, which helps avoid heavy crowds and keeps our daily expenses low.

The main downside to traveling during peak summer is that I didn't want to risk winging it without bookings. For the sake of securing decent accommodations, the entire itinerary had to be locked down well in advance.

It will be interesting to see how the kids behave during this long stretch away from home. My goal is to still maintain some routine and structure for them to follow, even while we are on the move. I want them to truly experience life on the road—embracing daily exploration, getting comfortable with the unknown, and learning about new histories and cultures firsthand.

We also know the Mediterranean heat during these few weeks will be challenging. Rather than forcing a rigid schedule, I want to remain flexible and map out our activities day by day as a family, taking things at a pace that works for all of us.

Let the summer fun begin…

First Euro Trip