family
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Madhur Mehta, 35, an Indian national living in Seattle and working at Amazon. The following has been edited for length and clarity.When I came to the US for my master’s degree in August 2021, my goal was to have a stable…
I remember my last drink clearly.It was New Year’s Eve, just over two and a half years ago. My family was on vacation in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, and we were on the beach in the middle of the afternoon. My daughter was 9, my son was 7, and…
A few years ago, my brother-in-law, his wife, and their kids relocated to Sarasota, Florida. Not long after, my husband’s aunt and mother followed.So every summer since, my husband, our two daughters, and I visit for a week to catch up and hang out. On our first trip, though, something…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sia and Mikael Lilja, who moved from Sweden to Japan, where they bought and are restoring an old house. It’s been edited for length and clarity.We’ve been together for 12 years and married for the last 4.In 2020, we bought a…
From the time our three kids were little, our family has always prioritized low-cost travel. We’ve visited the free museums of New York City, hiked in Yosemite, and enjoyed several lay-on-the-beach vacations in Mexico. So when our oldest child graduated from high school last year, we felt a “last hurrah”…
More and more families are choosing to move to semi-rural communities and developments outside the suburbs, according to 2025 Census data. My family almost did, too.In 2019, we bought an off-grid house on 40 acres in northern New Mexico. Then, in 2021, our son was born, and after a traumatic…
Driving southbound on the Garden State Parkway on a Saturday morning in July isn’t necessarily what I’d call a happy experience — but it’s worth it.Although the traffic can be grueling, something exciting awaits: an exit ramp leading to sun-drenched beach days in Ocean City, New Jersey. Making the drive…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Camilla Kodsi, 27, the principal of Ark Capital Group, a Florida-based real estate investment firm founded by her father, Isaac Kodsi. When her father died unexpectedly in August 2025 in the middle of developing Arbor Residences, a residential building in Coconut…
We’ve been living with my parents in a multigenerational home in Australia since March, when they came home from traveling, and it’s been a rollercoaster with plenty of ups and downs. But it’s one I wouldn’t trade. My sassy 3-year-old is the youngest member of our household; the oldest is…
When I started planning a family vacation to Orlando, I knew we wanted to have the full theme park experience — staying at a Universal hotel, visiting the new Epic Universe, adding a Disney day, and enjoying the food and attractions along the way.The result was a six-day vacation that…
