It was more than a year ago that Utah couple Garrett and Jessica Gee decided to completely transform their lives.
The father of two had just sold a mobile scanning app to Snapchat for $54million and the family were getting ready to settle down.
But then they decided they weren’t quite ready for that.
“We felt like we had so much to learn about life and happiness before we could set up our future life and home,” Jessica said.
FAMILY BUCKET LIST
“That’s why we started our family bucket list. We decided as a young family that now was the time to form healthy habits and create traditions that will hopefully shape us into better people for the rest of our lives.”
And so, they sold everything they owned at a “yard sale” and are now living the dream – if your dream is to spend your life exploring the world. Garrett and Jessica, along with children Dorothy and Manilla, have been to more than 30 countries – and had some once in a lifetime experiences along the way.
Naturally, they’ve called themselves the Bucket List family and have been documenting their travels in a blog and on different social media accounts. Their Instagram page has attracted more than 400,000 followers alone.
They’ve been entertaining people across the globe with their stories of adventures from swimming with sperm whales in Dominica to exploring the ruins in Athens.
Most recently they arrived in a country that has been on their list from the moment they decided to sell up and explore – Scotland.
They broke the news of their arrival like they do each time they go to another country – by posting a picture of their new “home” online.
The photograph showed daughter Dorothy looking at two Highland cows with the caption: “Scotland!! A new place and @dorothyseven is already making some new friends”.
EXPLORE THE ISLE OF SKYE
“The United Kingdom was always on our list and we knew you couldn’t just do England and not Scotland as well,” Jessica said.
“We sealed the deal when we found an incredible place to stay at the Highland Club on Loch Ness. It is definitely one of the most unique rental homes we’ve ever stayed at.”
It was the first time for most of the family to be in Scotland. For Garrett, it was a return visit. He had come here when he was younger and stayed at Gleneagles with his mother.
Jessica said that he had told her so many “incredible things” about it for so long that they made sure they didn’t pass up the chance to experience it as a family. Jessica also had her own reasons for wanting to visit – her ancestors are Scottish.
For every country they visit they do some research first. They look online and take recommendations from people on social media on places to stay and visit. So they came here with a list of things they wanted to do while they were in Scotland.
“We wanted to go to a bunch of the castles and explore the isle of Skye,” Jessica said.
“We didn’t know a ton about Scotland before this. We knew some of the foods to expect, we knew how green it is and we knew we wanted to golf there.
“We actually showed our kids Disney’s Brave before we arrived to get them somewhat comfortable with the culture.”
The family spent a few days in Fort Augustus before moving on to explore Skye and ending their stay in Gleneagles.
They visited Eilean Donan Castle, Urquhart Castle, the Fairy Pools and the Highland capital. Jessica also spent some time researching and learning about the Graham clan, of which she is a descendant.
SCOTTISH PEOPLE WERE VERY KIND
“It was so cool to hear how big of a role my family history plays in the country’s overall history,” she added.
“I learned that my ancestors were Vikings and came to Scotland.
“I learned some funny stories about how prideful the Grahams could be. While we were visiting we had some friends from home join us. My girlfriend Anna is of the Campbell Clan. I learned that the Grahams and the Campbells didn’t get along back in the day. We had a good laugh over hearing the stories.”
The mother of two said that her favourite season is “fall” and she was a “little sad to have missed it back home in the US”. But being in Scotland more than made up for it.
“I was so excited to experience the incredible autumn here in Scotland and it did not disappoint,” she said.
“We are typically not ‘road trip people.’ We don’t love long drives, but we totally didn’t mind driving around Scotland because the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.
“Scottish people were very kind. We were so impressed with how helpful they were. I’m not too sure any of us were huge fans of the black pudding or the haggis though.”
The Gee family are taking away some amazing memories from Scotland to add to their collection. But Jessica said there are three that they will never forget.
LOOKING FOR NESSIE
“Garrett dropped his sunglasses in the freezing cold water at the Fairy Pools,” she said.
“I insisted that he needed to jump in to retrieve them. He did. He took off all his warm clothes and jumped in the bitter cold water.
“He was getting some funny looks from everyone who was all bundled up while he stood there next to the water in only a wet pair of shorts.
“We loved telling the kids about the Loch Ness Monster. We’d go out during the day with the kids to look for her. We didn’t see her, but we did hear her.
“And at Gleneagles we were able to experience some quintessential Scottish activities like horse riding, falconry, off-roading and golfing. And I beat Garrett in golf. That was huge.
“Travelling is kind of cool like that. Every destination lets you try new things and be whoever you dream to be. Actually, crazy as it sounds, Garrett grew up around falconry.
“His dad was a true falconer. He raised them, trained them, and hunted with them. It was fun hearing all of Garrett’s stories and then going out for the day with these amazing hawks.”
The Bucket List Family are now on their way to Turkey. You can continue reading about their adventures at www.thebucketlistfamily.com or follow them on Instagram.