Our Story

We kept our jobs, sold nothing, and started traveling the world anyway.

We’re the Lockwoods.

For the past 5 years, we’ve been traveling the world to experience—up close and in person—all the natural wonders and distinct cultures that our kids would otherwise see only in textbooks and TV. We think it’s a better way to learn and we’ve worked hard to fund our little experiment in the hope that our kids will grow up wiser, kinder, and more grateful for the beauty of our diverse planet and its people.

The Lockwood family of Always Be Changing

2018

For years, we had been living like many American families: We had a comfortable home (in Denver, USA) and Phil’s small business provided us with a comfortable income and enough time for regular vacations around the U.S. But every day pretty much felt the same as the last. We were craving change.

The Lockwood family of Always Be Changing

2019

We were struggling to find the right schools for our 3 kids and we were longing to escape the chilly Colorado winters. Our morning walks became daily discussions about how we’d live in the future. Eventually, something clicked. We decided to stop planning for the life of our dreams and instead just make the changes that would let us start living it. Our mindset had switched from “one day” to “day one.”

The Lockwood family in Coronado, California

2020

Within a year, the pandemic and our own intentional efforts had changed everything and pushed us into a very different place: three kids in online school and all of us locked down in our new Coronado Island home in California.

The Lockwood family of Always Be Changing

By the time travel restrictions lifted, our paradigm had completely changed. We were longing to explore the world—and between the kids’ virtual schools and Phil’s virtual office, we had the freedom to do just that. We began designing our life around travel instead of the other way around.

Reagan Lockwood playing with birds in the Exumas

2021

As we saw how much our kids (and the two of us) were changing and growing through our constant travels and by being immersed in different cultures, we focused on making each trip less about leisure activities and more about experiencing authentic local culture. We also started giving back.

Reagan Lockwood of Always Be Changing

Reagan had her heart set on starting her freshman year in a traditional, in-person high school environment. So, she’s been splitting her time between our home and her mother’s home. The other four of us schedule most of our travel for when Reagan’s with her mom but she still joins our trips whenever she wants, especially during school breaks.

The Lockwood family in Croatia

2023

Brooklyn and Colt, on the other hand, kept studying through their online program, which allows us to visit and experience the same areas of science, history, geography, and people that they learn about in school.

The Lockwood family standing in BGC, Metro Manila, Philippines

2024

After discovering the treasures of Southeast Asia, we decided to set up a second home in Metro Manila, Philippines. The Asian hub made it easier to visit all seven continents without all the flight miles and allowed us to spend more time exploring one of our favorite countries in the world.

The Lockwood family standing in front of mountains in Antarctica

2025

After completing four full years of semi-nomadic travel and making our first trek to Antarctica, we’re changing things up yet again. Brooklyn will begin in-person high school (Colt wants to stay online), we launched ABC Trips to plan epic group trips and travel planning services, and we’re working on setting up our first international resort. But we’re still traveling constantly.

Erin Lockwood of Always Be Changing
 

Erin

Stellar travel concierge, former competitive figure skater, world’s biggest Oregon Ducks Football fan, our primary video editor, and author of six published novels.

Phil Lockwood headshot
 

Phil

Former pilot and Air Force veteran. Designer, children’s book author, travel journalist, and founder/CEO of Distill.

Reagan Lockwood of Always Be Changing
 

Reagan

High school senior, swimmer, and social butterfly. Headed to the University of Kansas for her undergrad studies.

Brooklyn Lockwood of Always Be Changing
 

Brooklyn

8th-grade student, model, artist, budding quantum physicist, student pilot, and fashion designer.

Colt Lockwood of Always Be Changing
 

Colt

8th-grade student, craftsman, gamer, and certified herpetologist. Crocodile Hunter meets 007.