Women-Led Family Travel
Your Family Was Made For This
Planned by two moms who've packed the bags, missed the connection, and worked out what actually keeps a family happy on the road. A handful of small-group departures a year, to the places most families never quite make it to.
70+ countries traveled as a family · a decade in the U.S. Foreign Service · trips to Hawai'i, Panama & Finnish Lapland underway
South Africa, backs to the camera as always
Who We Plan For
Four Ways We Travel
However your family travels — solo, multi-generational, or somewhere in between — these trips are built in small groups and paced for real people, not a brochure schedule.
Women-Only Travel
Come solo, leave with a phone full of friends and memories. Small-group departures for women traveling without a partner or kids in tow — the same honest planning, just for you. Our first women-only trip is in the works now.
Be first to know →Family Travel
Grandparents, teenagers and toddlers on the same itinerary, with real adventure sprinkled in and paced so nobody's dragging by day three. It's the trip we build most, because it's how our own family travels too — multiple generations, one itinerary.
See what's open →School Break Programs
Coming soon: immersive programs abroad for kids, a new country each year. Built around cultures, languages and experiences they soak up without realizing it's a lesson — while parents work remotely or join the adventures themselves.
Get notified →Adventure Travel
Multi-day hikes, kayaking, camping in remote areas, wildlife safaris — the nature-forward adventures woven into trips of every kind we run, for anyone ready to get further off the paved path.
Join the list →Where We're Headed
Three Trips In The Works
These are our own family trips, not open bookings yet. Join the list below and you'll be first to know when a guided departure opens to a small group.
Dec 30, 2026 – Jan 6, 2027
Kaua'i, Hawai'i
A slower island week, built for real family pacing: a helicopter flight over the Na Pali Coast, a traditional luau, and long, unhurried sunsets built into the schedule.
Feb 13–22, 2027
Panama
Panama City, the Canal, and the rainforest at Gamboa. City history, a full transit of the Canal, wildlife-spotting by boat, and a deep-sea fishing day for anyone who wants it.
December 2027
Finnish Lapland
Husky sledding, the northern lights, and a night inside a glass igloo. Paced for small groups, whether you're traveling with toddlers or teenagers.
Curious how we plan these? Read more about us or join the list to hear when a spot opens up.
What We Do
Built By Women, For The Whole Family
Real Family Pacing
We plan around how families actually move: packing lists, energy levels, and attention spans, on trips paced for real life, not a brochure itinerary.
The Honest Logistics
Cost breakdowns, honest pacing, and what actually works for families of all shapes and sizes. We'd rather give you the real version than the pretty one.
Led By Women Who've Done This
Two moms and former Foreign Service officers, planning every trip the way we'd want it planned for our own families. Small groups, on purpose, so it still feels like your trip. Women-only departures are coming soon too, for travelers who want that same honest planning, solo.
Who's Behind The Map
Two Moms, One Habit Of Taking The Longer Way In
Beneath the Map Travel is led by Heather and Meghan, co-founders of Beneath the Map and both moms who've raised their kids on the move.
Meghan (left) and Heather (right), Madrid
Meghan Waters
co-founder, former USAID Foreign Service Officer, mother, wife
Meghan is a former USAID Foreign Service Officer and diplomat, with her own career posted across Africa and Latin America before co-founding Beneath the Map. She's a wife and mother who has logged more than 70 countries with her own family along the way, and now calls Senegal home.
Heather Wirick
co-founder, mother, wife, former Foreign Service Officer
A decade in the U.S. Foreign Service took Heather and her family to South Africa, Colombia, Haiti, and West Africa. She and her husband Craig are raising two adventure-obsessed boys, ages 9 and 11, the same way she grew up: on airplanes, in national parks, and off the beaten path. The family has traveled to more than 70 countries together.
Not Just Visited
A World We've Actually Lived In
Nineteen countries, four continents. Home has looked like a lot of different places, and it shows in how we plan a trip.
Coming Soon
Summer Camp Abroad
Our own program for kids, run the Beneath the Map way: a new country each year, chosen to expose kids to different cultures, languages and experiences — the kind of learning that happens without them ever feeling like a lesson. Room for parents to work remotely or join right in on the adventures.
We're still finalizing the program, but didn't want you to hear about it last. Tell us you're interested below and we'll reach out the moment enrollment opens.
I'm InterestedBe First To Know
We Open A Few Guided Trips A Year
Tell us where you'd want to go, and we'll reach out when the next small-group departure is ready to book.