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THE HOUSE OF DOUST MISSION
Providing parents with the inspiration, knowledge, and tools they need to plan for family travel.
(and enjoy!)
Hi, I’m Rachel, and I’m the proponent of family travel you’ll ever meet.
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There’s nothing quite like watching your children make a connection with another culture, or seeing their eyes widen at new sights, or finally experiencing true family time after months of battling bedtime and screen time.
When I travel with my family, I’m completely present with all of my children, and with myself. I play more, I laugh more; heck, I even actually, willingly get in the pool and have fun, which, for a certified cold water hater like me, is a big deal.
And that’s the entire point: quality time with your family brings out the best version of you, both as a mother, and as a person.
Experiences with your family are constantly transitioning into memories. Travelling with our children doesn’t slow down the speed with which they are growing up before our eyes, but it does give our family an entire tapestry of moments to chart the time by.
Family travel has completely transformed the way my husband and I parent our kids.
Instead of simply surviving—like we do on the daily, at home in our cycles of work, school, sports, errands, and deadlines—removing ourselves from our routines and entering a new experience allows us to build deeper connections with each other, get in touch with our playful sides, and create lasting memories destined to live on in our kids’ minds forever.
When I’m not planning our next holiday, taking the trip (!!!), or writing about travelling, you can bet I'll be...
Enjoying a quiet night on the couch cross-stitching while trying to convince my husband Matt to rub my feet
Taking on the occasional paid gig as a commercial dancer
Adding to my “Country Cottage” vision board on Pinterest
Making people snort laugh with my unabashed “number of countries I’ve poo’d my pants in” stories (they never get old).
The House of Doust brand is in honour of, and dedicated to, my wonderful Mum.
She is the one who first taught me how to be smart with money. She was never a person striving for *more* money — but instead, she was incredibly proficient with what she had, and, thankfully, she was adamant about passing that skill set on to me. She didn’t want to accumulate, she wanted to educate.
Eight years ago, while 36-weeks pregnant with my first child, I lost my Mum to cancer. Even saying (typing?) this now, it is still difficult not to cry.
Through House of Doust, I am able to focus on sharing how to achieve those sacred, quality family memories; how to take the trips–that will lead to experiences, and will continue to grow in value for families over time. I am able to do so by educating other mums with the same gifts of efficiency and money management my Mum taught me.
Because of these gifts + as a way to honour her always, House of Doust is named after my Mum, Pamela Doust. xx
Wondering why family travel is so worth it?
→ There’s simply no greater education than the immersive experiences we encounter while travelling
→ Screen time suddenly isn’t the priority for your children anymore (or the daily struggle!)
→ Travel instills a love of adventure and confidence in your children that they simply wouldn't get from experiences
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It's possible to make family travel a reality.
(Even if it's one child-sized step at a time.)
THAT TRIP YOU'VE BEEN DREAMING OF DOESN'T HAVE TO WAIT.
With proper money management, enough time to plan, and a bit of encouragement from a real mum who has planned countless realistic family vacations, you’ll finally be able to gain the knowledge you need to actually take the trip.
Everything–no, seriously–EVERYTHING you need to develop and sustain a money plan your family can lean into for years to come, resulting in a lifetime of experiences and memories, is right here.
