Hi! We’re Alex, Cassie and Emmy. Together, we make up ACE.
First, Some History
Alex and I were both born in the same corner of the planet in Seattle, WA. Our first big decision as young adults was to make the cross country move to New York City in 2016. We packed up a few belongings, our dog and drove across the U.S. until we landed in Brooklyn. Absolutely everything was new to us and the experience we went through to navigate a life outside of our comfort zone made us stronger. We learned to thrive in a new environment which led us to think “Hey, maybe we can do this in a new country too.”
In 2019, plans were put into play to begin our next leap of faith and move to Europe. We saved as much money as we could, got rid of all our things and prepared our dog for the international flight. After landing in London with a few duffle bags, we hit the road to the Czech Republic which would be our home base for the next couple of years.
We were lucky enough to stay with family when we weren’t traveling which meant we weren’t spending money on rent. The next move was to buy a car and begin traveling throughout Europe, experiencing as much as possible.
In December of 2020, life threw us a new adventure when we welcomed our daughter Emmy into the world. Alex and I knew our past life and hunger for travel would not stop, but it would be a little different. Our little family of three, plus a furry companion, has continued to travel with road trips being our weapon of choice. Whether they’re short trips or months on the road, it’s safe to say we don’t plan on stopping any time soon.
We’re thrilled to have you here and hope you enjoy what we’ve created.
So, what will you find on our blog?
Travel Guides
We’ve visited some memorable destinations and compiled our experiences into travel guides. You’ll find everything from road trip routes, hidden gem beaches, price guides and places you “must see.” Within these guides, we’ve also included notes on family travel and how to continue exploring with kids.
Practical Tips and Resources
If money doesn’t grow on trees for you, you’re in luck because it doesn’t for us either! We’ve picked up a few keys to affordable travel which anyone can utilize. Feeling overwhelmed by trip planning? Our words of wisdom will help you organize your next adventure like a pro. Our travel resources and travel tools provide useful insight for your own trip planning and aims to answer any doubts about getting out there.
Photography
We’ve taken a lot of photos along the way. Our photography consists of digital images but also many on film. Any black and white photos you’ll see living on our site are produced from a film camera. These are especially unique as Alex self develops all his film. We want to shed light on all angles of our travels, whether it be perfection or reality.
The Adventures of Ace Ethos
Since the beginning, Alex and I set out to always have an adventure, big or small. Over time, our trips have taken us further and further but our style of travel will remain the same. We usually aim to eliminate the fuss and focus on why we are traveling in the first place.
For us, seeing the world doesn’t have to be an expensive and luxury experience. It’s typically not! Our family would much rather share a meal on plastic stools in Hanoi than in a 5-star restaurant.
The approach we’ve taken when traveling is reflected in our guides, resources and stories. This also doesn’t mean everything you will read on our site is about budget travel but it will share the theme of practicability and authenticity.
One of our main goals from this blog is to prove that travel does not have to be expensive.
The places we’ve visited have taught us so much, including things about ourselves. We always leave a destination with one of travel’s best gifts – awareness.
From learning how to appreciate the less than glamorous moments, discovering local foods or cognizance of a new culture, traveling has impacted our life and relationship in only powerful ways.
Help Support Our Work
How Do We Afford to Travel Often?
We fund our own travels which means we have to be budget cautious. If something is important to you, you’ll prioritize it. Travel is the thing we are most interested in spending our money on. In our case specifically, we’re able to save money by living mortgage and debt free which frees us up for more adventures.
Do We Travel Full Time?
Whenever we set out on a trip, we always have the intention of returning back “home.” Although we may spend months on the road at a time, our plans will always include leaving our destination at some point. We’ve also been occupied with remote jobs which leads us to strategically split our time with work and travel.
Where Are We Located?
For now, we reside in Italy in a small town near the Adriatic. Returning to the U.S. is not something in the stars for us and we’ll likely remain in Europe. We’re also eager for our daughter to take advantage of the opportunity to learn Italian since she’s still young.
We’re not keen on ever making ‘concrete plans for the future so who knows where we may end up!
“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”
Anthony Bourdain