OFF the Beaten Path

FAMILY ADVENTURES

Hi! I’m Olivia de Soria. My travel tips and misadventures are equipped with a healthy dose of honesty, so that you can see the real thing and learn from our mistakes. With our two small children, my husband Adam, and I, chase the scenery wherever it goes. We are world schooling along the way, using the natural landscape as our teacher. Whether we are traveling by boat or RV, we have learned that home is a state of mind and our ‘real home’ is wherever we are, together. We are collecting Memories, not Things.

Collecting Memories Not thinGS

Follow along as we share tips on World Schooling, Sailing, RVing and more.

LATEST BLOG POSTS

Headed North

Telemar Bay to Oriental NC is somewhere around 800 miles on the ICW. For a variety of reasons, we decided to stay inside for this trip. We have our two and a half year old Emilia with us. I was much more comfortable making this first trip with her on the ICW, even though it…
So, this happened:

Well, change of plans. As much as we love our busted old boat, the 28 foot Newport lovingly known as the frog, we decided to move on to a more family friendly and dependable boat. It was just too much having Emilia on board and wondering when the motor would quit or the chain plates…
We’re back!

It’s been almost 18 months since the boat was last sailed. And WHAT a sail it was. I decided to stay home with our 3 month old while Adam went to Oriental, North Carolina, where our boat resides, to sail the Frog with our friends Paul and Jeanine. They sailed that boat hard, and at…
North Bound?

After our unforgettable stay at Cape Lookout, we decided to hang around for a bit. In an attempt to navigate Beaufort’s exorbitant slip costs, we looked for a little nook to dock The Frog in for an extended period. We considered continuing to go south, but after speaking to various sailors, it sounded like…
Cape Lookout

We left Oriental the following day, heavy with remorse as we watched my sister and her kids wave us out of the marina. I cannot WAIT to get them all back on the frog. Even Sophia, with all her life jacket hating fury! We were less disparaged to leave Oriental, or, Cakilakistan, as our friend…
The Nasty Neuse

Our last night at Bell Haven was christened under a fire lit sky. We had some welcome visitors share their sailing stories on our boat. We first saw them docking their catamaran yacht at what I would have described as ramming speed. They had some amazing faith in their transmission, which stopped their boat…
The Beast

Among our preparations for the highly anticipated Albemarle Sound crossing were some safety protocols initiated by Adam. I was impressed by his pre cautious endeavors as he isn’t generally very safety conscious when it comes to disastrous foresight; that is usually my department. Some might say he went a little over board, (in the effort…
Banana Suits

Our arrival in Norfolk was immediately followed by lots and lots of rain. It didn’t help our moods any that we had to see our friend Braden off the following morning. Wish you were here, Braden! After a much needed west-marine stop, we suited up for some rainy repairs. Needless to say Adam and I…