Traveling with Twins Pays Off After Years of Chaos

A father reflects on the exhausting but rewarding journey of taking his kids on trips around the world.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 1:52pm

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A highly stylized, geometric illustration in the Art Deco style, featuring sweeping gradients and towering architectural forms that evoke the grand scale and romance of travel, without depicting any specific people or places.A family's journey through the chaos of travel with young children blossoms into shared adventures and deeper connections as the kids grow up.Washington Today

Ash Jurberg spent years traveling with his twin sons, Charlie and Thomas, through tantrums, tears, and chaos. But one trip to South Africa changed everything, and the family's travels became more enjoyable as the boys grew older. Now adults, the twins have shown their appreciation by surprising their dad with a special bottle of tequila he enjoyed on a trip to Mexico.

Why it matters

This story resonates with parents who have struggled with the challenges of traveling with young children, offering hope that the difficult early years can give way to meaningful shared experiences and deeper connections as kids mature. It also highlights the lasting impact that travel can have on family relationships.

The details

Ash Jurberg's first attempts to take his twin sons, Charlie and Thomas, on overseas trips to Fiji and Bali were marked by tantrums, tears, and chaos. But a visit to an orphanage in Cape Town, South Africa, when the boys were 9 years old, was a turning point. There, the twins happily played with the local children, and Jurberg stopped apologizing to other travelers. As the boys grew older, they became more engaged and interested in the places they visited, even swapping travel stories with backpackers on a trip to Sri Lanka. The real breakthrough came when the family visited Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for the first time after the twins turned 18. During a tequila tasting, the boys later returned to the bar on their own to find the specific bottle their dad had enjoyed, surprising him with it as a Christmas gift.

  • Jurberg's first attempt to take the twins on an overseas trip was to Fiji when they were young children.
  • It took three years before the family tried traveling internationally again, this time to Bali.
  • When the twins were 9 years old, the family took a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, which was the first successful trip without any crying or tantrums.
  • The twins were 16 years old when the family visited Washington, D.C. and the boys showed more interest in the museums and historical sites.
  • A year later, the family traveled to Sri Lanka, where the twins swapped travel stories with backpackers during a cooking class.

The players

Ash Jurberg

The father who took his twin sons, Charlie and Thomas, on numerous trips around the world over the years.

Charlie

One of Ash Jurberg's twin sons, who struggled with tantrums and tears during the family's early trips.

Thomas

The other of Ash Jurberg's twin sons, who also experienced difficulties during the family's early travels.

Cece

Ash Jurberg's wife, who flew alone with the twins to meet Ash for a trip to Cape Town, South Africa.

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What they’re saying

“The crying stopped, the obliviousness didn't”

— Ash Jurberg, Father

“When the boys turned 18, we took a trip to Puerto Vallarta. One afternoon, we wandered into a small tequila bar for a tasting. We sat at the counter and worked through the pours while the bartender explained each one.”

— Ash Jurberg, Father

What’s next

Ash Jurberg plans to continue taking trips with his adult twin sons, creating more shared experiences and memories as their family bond deepens.

The takeaway

This story demonstrates how the challenges of traveling with young children can eventually give way to meaningful shared experiences and deeper connections as kids mature. It offers hope to parents struggling with the chaos of family travel and highlights the lasting impact that travel can have on family relationships.