About Parent + Child Travel Design
The story of how small, intentional trips grew into something bigger
The Origin Story of Parent + Child Travel Design
The first trip began with a simple choice about his birthday: a party or travel. I looked at our budget and realized we could center celebrations around experiences and choice. He chose travel, and although he could not name a destination, he knew exactly what he was drawn to in that moment: trains and snow. That was all the direction I needed. I found a mountain town where kids ski free, a historic train route, and a landscape that felt exciting for him and grounding for me. We flew into Phoenix, drove to Durango, spent days skiing, rode the Polar Express, and later took a train into the Grand Canyon, staying right on the rim. It was simple, meaningful, and exactly right for us.
Over the years we kept going, choosing a place or an experience each birthday instead of a party. The trips shifted with whatever he was most interested in at the time. We have gone dog sledding in the Boundary Waters, raced together in family-friendly 5Ks, paddled canoes on northern lakes, and taken snowboard lessons in small mountain towns. Whatever he was into, that is where we began. And alongside all of that, I found my own pockets of joy. I read in beautiful places, connected with other parents, got good runs in, stayed active, saw family when it made sense, met new people, and tried things I never would have done on my own. These trips held both of us.
Our most recent trip was for his eleventh birthday in San Diego. Scooters were the current obsession, so I arranged private scooter lessons at a favorite type of park. We added Legoland because it still lit him up, and finished the trip with a birthday dinner prepared specially for him at a Michelin-recommended restaurant, complete with a kitchen tour from the chef. Watching him feel seen, challenged, and celebrated reminded me why these trips mattered. They were entirely built around who he was at that moment and who I was too.
A few weeks after we returned, a close friend asked if she could hire me to design a trip for her and her son. She said, “You two do the coolest things, and I would never come up with them on my own.” It was a simple comment, but it named something I had not fully seen. These trips were not elaborate or extravagant. They were intentional, interest-driven, and fully doable inside real life. And they were exactly the kind of experiences so many busy parents want but rarely have the time or bandwidth to create.
That is when the idea for Parent + Child Travel Design took shape. What began as a way to celebrate my own child has grown into a way to help other parents carve out meaningful one-on-one time, built around who their child is right now and what the relationship needs.
About Heather
I am a mother of two living children, a longtime perinatal mental health provider, and someone whose life was shaped by the loss of my first child. That experience changed how I understand time, presence, and the brief stretch we get to raise our children.
For more than a decade I worked as a hospice chaplain, accompanying people who were dying and the families who loved them through the realities of loss and grief. In my clinical work now, I specialize in supporting parents who have experienced the loss of a child and those navigating complicated pregnancies and outcomes. I understand what real families hold, and how challenging it can be to create meaningful time with one child at a time while still managing work, responsibilities, relationships, schedules, and the needs of siblings.
I am a working parent myself, raising two young children while running a full clinical practice. I know how hard it is to carve out time that feels restorative and connected. I know the reality of busy weeks, big feelings, tight schedules, and wanting so much for our kids while also wanting something for ourselves.
Parent + Child Travel Design grew out of all of that. My training taught me to listen closely, my own parenting taught me to follow curiosity, and my lived life taught me the value of experiences that are both meaningful and doable. What I bring to this work is a blend of practical planning, deep attention, and a genuine respect for the fleeting, unforgettable window of raising our children.
These trips are not about perfection. They are about time, presence, and creating something your child will remember and you will feel good in.
Ready to explore a meaningful one-on-one trip with your child?
Take the first step and tell me a little about what you have in mind.