Untethered Childhood

Italy is one of those countries you dream about taking your kids for years....because, it's Italy! If you're itching for a family trip to Italy, we have some ideas and starting points for you. There are 20 distinctive regions, and today we're zooming into Southern Italy - the CAMPANIA region! This "happy land" is the region that gave us Amalfi Coast, Naples, Pompeii, and Sorrento. Luigi Panella is...

You did not come this far to leave without knowing about luggage forwarding. Part 2 of our Japan series with Jo MacGregor is here — and this one is all about the stuff that actually makes or breaks a trip. Phrases to teach your kids before you land. The konbini experience that her kids sprint toward the second they touch down. Omakase with children (yes, really). Playgrounds that look like they we...

Japan has been peeking out of your bucket list for years. Today we're handing you the map — and for the next hour, we are transporting you there. We are thrilled and honored to bring Jo MacGregor to the show for a special two-part series on Japan. Jo is a mom, language aficionado, Japan expert, and the author behind The Tokyo Chapter — the most-read Japan with kids blog out there. She is precisely...

What if this was the year you made the swap? Same budget. Same week off. Just somewhere new — a little outside your comfort zone, but not as far as you might think. This week I'm sitting down with my real-life friend (and one of the savviest travel minds I know) Marion Donat, a travel advisor with Fora Travel who has a way of making international family travel feel less scary and way more possible...

You Don't Get Extra Time if You Give it Away: Peru with Heather Greenwood Davis Some conversations stay with you. This is one of them. In this episode of Untethered Childhood, host Jordan Neri sits down with Heather Greenwood Davis, a travel journalist, on-air personality, and mother of two who left a law career behind to build a life around storytelling and travel. In 2011, Heather, her husband I...

Think Ecuador might be too ambitious for a family trip? Kevin Wagar would disagree—and after hearing about his family's two-week adventure, you might too. Kevin is a journalist, photographer, and dad of two who's taken his sons to over a dozen countries since they were toddlers. He and his wife Christina plan trips around activities that build confidence, and Ecuador delivered: volcanoes, cloud fo...

Want to see wildlife with your kids but not sure where to start planning? This episode is your roadmap. Host Jordan Neri sits down with Dearbhaile Ni Dhubhghaill, a zoologist, conservationist, and founder of This Wildlife of Mine. Dearbhaile has worked with cheetahs in Namibia, sea turtles in Cape Verde, and researched wildlife on every single continent. We're diving deep into two family-friendly...

Is anxiety about how your kids will sleep holding you back from booking that international trip? You're not alone—and this episode is here to change that. Host Jordan Neri sits down with Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans, a Harvard-trained sleep scientist with over 15 years of experience in sleep medicine, to tackle one of parents' biggest travel fears: jet lag and sleep disruption. Dr. Flynn-Evans breaks down...

In this episode of the Untethered Childhood Podcast, host Jordan Neri speaks with environmental scientist and regenerative tourism expert Susana Shankar (Sooz) about the significance of UNESCO World Heritage Sites . They explore how these sites serve as transformative travel experiences for families, fostering global citizenship and environmental responsibility. Sooz shares her personal journey in...

Meet Jordan Neri, your host and conversation starter for Untethered Childhood. A mom raising two little explorers, Jordan shares the personal story behind why she started this podcast. After losing her home in Colorado's Marshall wildfire, she opens up about the profound reset that led her family to reprioritize experiences over possessions—and why she's passionate about helping millennial parents...