Last updated on August 27th, 2023 at 01:07 am
The Travels of Casey E. Palmer
Many parents want to give their kids the same thing—more than they ever had. But we’re doing it wrong. We’re raising a generation with more stuff than ever—more gadgets, more gizmos, more toys… all these things they likely won’t remember when they look back at things down the road.
What they will remember are their experiences.
When I started travelling on my own in my twenties, it only grew more addictive the more I did it. Backpacking through some of Western Europe made way for adventures like climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro or bonding in Vegas and New Orleans with peers I knew from the internet. It had me challenge my norms and understand the world is so much bigger than what’s in my backyard—I hope to have the opportunity to show my sons that the world is more than a series of headlines.
But perhaps not yet.
Casey Palmer, A Dad Abroad.
I don’t know how peops like Natalie Preddie, Solmaz or Sarah Pittard do it as often as they do. The last major trip we took with our boys was semi-disastrous, testing our limits with altitudinal effects, intense heat and a mighty wallop of Montezuma’s Revenge thrown into the mix. And they were no travelling novices—in contrast to me, who didn’t take his first flight ’til 14, they’ve been to Calgary. Chicago. Cuba and more in the mere five years I’ve been a Dad. But travel bloggers like these show me it’s at least possible, and that we shouldn’t let a few challenging experiences keep us from exploring the world.
Here’s a list of my travels from well before kids and beyond—I hope it inspires you to make some travels of your own!
From Sin City to the Serengeti—The Travels of Casey E. Palmer
1991 | Family Trip to North and South Carolina | Raleigh, North Carolina Myrtle Beach, South Carolina |
1998 | Family Trip to Jamaica | Jamaica |
2005 | Backpacking in Europe | London, England Amsterdam, Netherlands Paris, France Barcelona, Spain Madrid, Spain |
2006 | Visiting friends in California | Sea World, San Diego, CA Disneyland, Anaheim, CA Long Beach, CA Los Angeles, CA |
Weekend Trip to Montreal | Montreal, QC | |
2007 | Road Trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park | Sandusky, OH |
Boys’ Trip to the Falls! | Niagara Falls, ON | |
Intern Trip to the Cottage | Kawartha Lakes, ON | |
Cross-border Shopping Trip | Buffalo, NY | |
2008 | Las Vegas Trip | Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas, NV Grand Canyon, AZ |
Trip to the de Bruyn Family Cottage | Bouchette, QC | |
Intern Trip to the Cottage | Kawartha Lakes, ON | |
Wedding Trip! | Montreal, QC | |
Brother-in-law’s Wedding! | Windsor, ON | |
Walmer Road Baptist Church Fall Retreat | Ontario Pioneer Camp, Port Sydney, ON | |
2009 | Vacation to the Bahamas | The RIU Paradise Island Paradise Island, Bahamas |
Pastor’s Family Cottage | Lake of the Three Brothers, ON | |
Walmer Road Baptist Church Fall Retreat | Ontario Pioneer Camp, Port Sydney, ON | |
2010 | Boys’ Trip to Surprise a Friend | Green Bay, WI Chicago, IL |
Team Building Snowshoeing | Collingwood, ON | |
Friend’s Bachelor Party | Algonquin Park, ON | |
Dodgeball Cottage Weekend | Orillia, ON | |
Camping @ Turkey Point Provincial Park | Turkey Point, ON | |
Engagement Trip! | New York City, NY | |
de Bruyn Family Reunion | Bouchette, QC | |
Visiting Sarah’s Cousin | Ottawa, ON | |
2011 | Casey’s Bachelor Party! | Montreal, QC |
Honeymoon | Paris, France Rome, Italy | |
Honeymoon Cruise | Messina, Sicily Chania (Sorda), Crete Piraeus/Athens, Greece Kusadasi/Ephesus, Turkey | |
de Bruyn Family Camping @ Earl Rowe Provincial Park | Alliston, ON | |
de Bruyn Family Cottage | Bouchette, QC | |
BBQ Get Together | Montreal, QC | |
Weekend Trip to Boston! | Boston, MA | |
2012 | African Adventure | Zanzibar, Tanzania Mount Kilimanjaro Safari |
de Bruyn Family Wedding | Montreal, QC | |
Walmer Road Baptist Church Fall Retreat | Camp Kwasind, Muskoka Lakes, ON | |
Royal Caribbean—Caribbean Cruise | Falmouth, Jamaica Cozumel, Mexico Labadee, Haiti | |
2013 | Vegas Trip from PartyPeopleTO! | The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV |
The Last Bloggers in Sin City | Las Vegas, NV | |
Viamede Resort | Woodview, ON | |
Team Trolling Does Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | |
2014 | The 2014 North American International Auto Show courtesy of Ford | Detroit, MI |
de Bruyn Family Reunion | Ottawa, ON Montreal, QC | |
Baby’s First Flight | Chicago, IL | |
de Bruyn Cottage Weekend | Arran Lake, ON | |
The Palmers Do Niagara | Niagara Falls, ON | |
Team Trolling Does America (The REMIX!!!) | Buffalo, NY | |
2015 | de Bruyn Family Trip | Varadero, Cuba Havana, Cuba |
Swiffer Dads Event | New York City, NY | |
Visiting the West Coast de Bruyns! | Canmore, AB Calgary, AB | |
Camping @ Sandbanks Provincial Park | Picton, ON | |
Brother’s Bachelor Party | Niagara Falls, ON | |
Swiffer Fanatics Immersion Campaign Trip | Procter & Gamble Global Headquarters, Cincinnati, OH | |
2016 | Sister-in-Law’s Wedding | Mexico City, Mexico Hotel Hacienda Vista Hermosa, Tequesquitengo, Mexico |
de Bruyn Birthday Party | Montreal, QC | |
Camp Koinonia Family Camp | Seguin, ON | |
2017 | Ford Muskoka SUV Trip | Bala, ON |
Sherkston Shores Family Resort | Sherkston, ON | |
Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions’ League Under-13 Tournament | Toluca, Mexico | |
Weekend Getaway | Blue Mountain, ON | |
Camping @ Awenda Provincial Park | Tiny, ON | |
2018 | Dad 2.0 Summit 2018 | The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, New Orleans, LA |
Parenting 101 | Kelowna, BC | |
Cottaging | Algonquin Provincial Park Huntsville, ON Bracebridge, ON | |
Interior Camping @ Algonquin Provincial Park | Lake Opeongo | |
Camping @ Port Burwell Provincial Park | Port Burwell, ON | |
2019 | Friend’s Wedding | The Elora Mill Inn, Elora, ON |
#TogetherFeoever—Destination Wedding | Tulum Archaeological Site Cenotes Casa Tortuga Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico | |
Camping @ Point Farms Provincial Park | Goderich, ON | |
#PalmersGoMaritime | Moncton, NB Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia | |
2020 | Dad 2.0 Summit 2020 | Washington, DC |
Camping @ Arrowhead Provincial Park | Huntsville, ON | |
Cottaging | Norland, ON | |
Camping @ Pinery Provincial Park | Lambton Shores, ON | |
Cottaging | Kingston, ON | |
2021 | Cottaging | Sauble Beach, ON |
Camping @ Bon Echo Provincial Park | Cloyne, ON | |
10th Anniversary Road Trip in British Columbia | Vancouver, BC Victoria, BC Tofino, BC Qualicum Beach, BC Halfmoon Bay, BC | |
8th Birthday Stay @ The Chelsea Hotel | Toronto, ON | |
Cottaging | South Frontenac, ON | |
2022 | 40th Birthday Celebration | Georgian Bay, ON |
Visiting an old friend of Sarah’s | Thunder Bay, ON Conmee, ON | |
Camping @ Arrowhead Provincial Park | Huntsville, ON | |
Camping @ Pinery Provincial Park | Lambton Shores, ON | |
Godson’s Baptism & Family Vacation | Calgary, AB Canmore, AB | |
Winter Cottage Trip | Inverary, ON | |
2023 | Smugglers’ Notch Resort | Jeffersonville, VT |
Camping @ Sandbanks Provincial Park | Picton, ON | |
Camping @ Pinery Provincial Park | Lambton Shores, ON | |
Camping @ Killbear Provincial Park | Noble, ON |
The Travel Wishlist
- Tokyo, Japan
- Joshua Tree, California
- Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
- Portugal
- Germany
- San Francisco
- Iceland
- Newfoundland
- Rovaniemi, Finland—the official village of Santa Claus
The Experience Wishlist
- The CN Tower Edgewalk
- Dogsledding
- Treetop trekking
- Explore a jungle
- Trampolining
- Hot air ballooning
2 replies on “Travel | From Sin City to the Serengeti”
And as far as misadventures in travelling with kids, I have plenty of those too. My favourite was being hauled into secondary screening at USA customs because I couldn’t control a toddler and her father was running circles with her and wouldn’t obey the customs officer, missing our flight to Orlando, having to rebook on another (couple) airlines to go that night, arriving at 2:00am and then us all getting ear infections prior to a cruise. Travel on my friend!
Okay, you win—that’s pretty horrible! I’ll stay over here with my frustrations and inconveniences, thank you very much 😛