INSTAGRAM

After Traveling the World, The Bucket List Family Finds a New Home in Hawaii

Sep 19, 2018, 10:15 PM | Updated: May 21, 2023, 4:02 pm

HAWAII — They’re known around the world as The Bucket List Family with millions of people following their weekly adventures on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. After three years and 63 countries, the full-time traveling family from Utah is now settling down in Hawaii.

“Garrett has been trying to get me to move to Hawaii for forever now,” said Jessica Gee.

“Any island, any island would do,” added her husband Garrett Gee. “She fell in love with Hawaii and I was like, ‘alright, let’s do it!’”

While the Gees love Utah and say they will always consider the Beehive State one of their homes, they chose Hawaii because of its location, outdoor adventure, and the laid-back lifestyle in the Aloha State.

“We highly considered New Zealand, we even applied and got accepted for a visa. And then I got pregnant and it didn’t feel right,” Jessica said.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

WE ARE HOME 💚🏠💚

A post shared by The Bucket List Family (@thebucketlistfamily) on


School was one of the reasons the Gees decided to buy a home.

“This is home base while we continue to travel, this is a place where we can have some consistency, community. The kids can get involved with school and soccer and other activities like that,” said Garrett.

 

Their 5-year-old daughter Dorothy started kindergarten this year. Manilla, 4, began preschool, and Calihan, or “baby Tarzan” as they sweetly call him, is 7 months old and just became mobile. In fact, he started crawling the day the Gees moved into their new home.

But Garrett and Jessica say they never felt pressured to slow down to put the kids in a traditional school setting.

“We were just excited because Garrett and I both had that and loved it and loved public school, especially the friendship thing,” said Jessica.

Friendship is another big reason the Gee family is slowing down a bit.

“Sometimes we would have friends come out and visit for a week and when they would go home my daughter would just lose it and it was the hardest thing for me,” said Jessica. “That’s like the one thing I feel like I’m taking from them with all of this.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

❤️💙💚 This is our amazing guide/spotter this week on safari. He can honestly see a cheetah hiding in the grass from miles and miles away!! 😳🐆😳 Today, he invited us to visit his own village to meet his family and see his cows (he is very proud of his many healthy cows;) and learn more about their culture. They made us feel very welcome as their guests and we left with some incredible hand crafted treasures for our future home that will someday help us welcome guests of our own!! ❤️🏠❤️ /// #family #bucketlist #tanzania #serengeti #love #culture #respect #africa #travel /// @garrettgee @jessgee @dorothygee @manillagee @caligee @taasalodge

A post shared by The Bucket List Family (@thebucketlistfamily) on


The Gees say they still plan to travel about every other month. They already have trips planned to Greece and China.

“At our parent orientation they were like, “you can take them out of school for 25 days a year and if you need to do more we can talk about it,’ but I was like, ‘that’s a lot of days of  school… and we’ll probably use it!’” said Jessica.

“We experienced the benefits from an inconsistent lifestyle, but there is also the benefits of a consistent lifestyle. The hard part will be trying to get the best of both,” added Garrett.

The Gees first entered the national spotlight in their early 20’s while attending Brigham Young University. Garrett, along with two partners, sold mobile-scanning app Scan to Snapchat. The acquisition was valued at $54 million.

About a year later, the Gees decided to sell all of their belongings. Proceeds from their cars, furniture and other possessions provided them with about $45,000 to set out on a full-time adventure traveling the world and creating The Bucket List Family brand.

“It’s really difficult to grow a big following and even once you have a big following it’s difficult to monetize off it,” said Garrett.

But by the end of year one, Garrett said The Bucket List Family brand became financially successful and they never had to use their cut of the $54 million while traveling.

“I managed all the brand side, the planning, and then Garrett does all the creative,” said Jessica. “And so we’ve worked well together, we’ve always worked really well together even though it can be difficult working together. It’s been really successful for us.”

When asked if they would do it again if the financial security blanket was taken away, Garrett said “We’re not risk takers and to answer your question we probably would not have taken such a risk especially with kids and a family.”

“We see eye-to-eye on this, if we did not have that safety net, I don’t think we would have done this,” said Jessica.

“It did take some more convincing not only putting me out there but my kids out there, you hear some horror stories and you have to be careful,” she added.

Now that the family is in Hawaii, they’re focused on settling in and remembering what it’s like to own a home, buy a car, and find out when soccer practice takes place.

“We’ve been homeless and vagabonds for so long that the things that get us excited is like lunch boxes and sweeping my own floors and stuff like that,” said Garrett. “That’s pretty fun.”

“I never made my bed [while traveling], now I make the bed, I clean, I take out the trash and cook meals, it’s just getting back to those things which is a ton of work,” said Jessica. “Dorothy just figured out what a weekend is!” she added.


This next chapter in life for the Gees is also about finding a new balance between work and play.

“I try really hard to get all my work done and so when [the kids] get back at 3:00 p.m. I’m done,” said Jessica. “I want to be present with my kids, that’s what I had growing up. My mom was always there and always available, and that’s what I want to do for my kids.”

The Gees say this is the life they envisioned when they started The Bucket List Family journey.

“We’ve worked really hard for this. It’s been the last 10 years of our marriage, of Scan, and of traveling, everything we’ve done. We’ve picked out this life for us and we’re really excited about it,” said Jessica.

“People say, ‘are you sad to not be a full-time traveling family?’ No, this is just the next chapter for us and it might be different for us but different is OK,” said Garrett.

KSL 5 TV Live

Instagram

Follow @KSL5TVLike us on Facebook...

Eliza Pace

VIDEO: Watch the moment a UHP trooper stops a 12-year-old driving on the freeway

Utah Highway Patrol responded to a call of a reckless driver. They didn't know until after they stopped the car that it was a 12-year-old driver.

5 hours ago

In an aerial view, the cargo ship Dali sits in the water after running into and collapsing the Fran...

Associated Press

What we know about the Baltimore bridge collapse

Authorities are piecing together what led to the bridge collapse in Baltimore. But so far, we know that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said a large cargo ship lost power and issued a mayday call moments before it struck the bridge.

2 days ago

The Kirtland Temple, was dedicated by Joseph Smith in 1836. It reopened for tours on Monday, March ...

Daniel Woodruff

‘Definitely memorable’: Utahns travel to Kirtland for temple reopening

The nearly 200-year-old Kirtland Temple welcomed visitors Monday from Utah and beyond, as the building is now under new ownership.

3 days ago

pulpit in white in a white room...

Daniel Woodruff

Kirtland Temple reopens for public tours after Church acquires property

Monday was the first day of tours at the Kirtland Temple after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acquired the Ohio property earlier this month.

3 days ago

...

Lindsay Aerts and Eliza Pace

34 people displaced in Kearns apartment fire

Multiple people were evacuated from their apartment building due to a two-alarm fire. 

3 days ago

The Red Cliffs Utah Temple was dedicated Sunday, March 24, 2024. (2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc...

Mark Jones

President Henry B. Eyring dedicates the Red Cliffs Utah Temple on Sunday

President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated the Red Cliffs Utah Temple on Sunday.

4 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Women hold card for scanning key card to access Photocopier Security system concept...

Les Olson

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

After Traveling the World, The Bucket List Family Finds a New Home in Hawaii