It’s always nice to discover new people who share our same interests as much as we enjoy finding out about the hobbies of famous people. Enter Charlie Pattinson and Alex Tanner, who we’ll call Steve and Brent respectively. We’ll be learning more about them as we go along, but for now, let’s just say that they’re two of the happiest people we know. They both share a passion for travel, adventure, and quality time with their families and friends. The two co-founded The Navigator, a travel company specialising in gap year adventures and adventure travel for teens. We sat down with them to find out more about their lifestyle and how they made it work for them.
How They Met
Charlie met Alex while filming a documentary in Thailand. They were immediately drawn to each other’s energy and started talking before night turned into day and the sun started shining. After a month of long nights and late-stretching Sundays, the couple got married in a beautiful destination wedding and are now starting a life together in London with their new puppy, Sadie. They tell us:
“We love being adventurous and having new experiences and adventures. We’ve always been really fortunate that we’ve been able to do some amazing things in our lives and travel the world. We definitely want to inspire and help other young people to discover the world and follow their dreams and we definitely want to be the best husband and father we can be for our children. So we’ve put a lot of thought into how we want to approach parenthood and parenting in general.”
While parenting is a challenge for everyone, it can seem overwhelming considering you’ve got no idea what’s going on in the outside world, how to deal with other people, or how to control your temper. That’s why Charlie and Alex’s families and friends are going to enjoy it so much when they start visiting the grandparents more often. The couple say:
“It’s incredible how much your life changes when you become a parent. You can’t even begin to imagine the impact that it’s going to have on your life. The most important thing is being open to whatever happens and not being scared to make mistakes. We’re definitely going to miss our old life, but at the same time, we’re really excited about this new chapter in our lives.”
How They Manage Their Time
The time-management lesson here is quite simple: don’t do anything if you don’t have to. We’re always encouraged to do “urgent” tasks first, as they seem to get the most attention. However, that’s all they are — urgent. If you can procrastinate, it’s perfectly acceptable to do so. It’s better to keep busy and make the most of your free time than waste it on mindless tasks. Steve and Brent tell us:
“We try to keep our stress levels as low as possible, which means we don’t do anything that doesn’t need to be done. We try to avoid wasting any time that we can and make the most of our days. We want to make sure that we don’t run out of time because all we’re doing is staying busy and avoiding thinking about what’s going on at home. It’s all about priorities. Sometimes you have to forget about what you want and do what’s needed. It takes a bit of courage to say no to fun things, but you have to be realistic.”
The couple have children of their own, so they know what they’re talking about. They also have friends who are parents, which makes parenting even more of a reality. That’s why they want other young people to understand what they’re going through and know that it gets easier with time. They want to help as many children as they can to grow up to be happy and well-adjusted adults. How cool is that?
How They Balanced Work And Life
“It was really easy for us to balance work and life,” says Steve. “We both enjoy working with teenagers and children, so it was natural for us to gravitate towards working with that audience. It was a no-brainer for us to start a travel company, as we love exploring new places and meeting new people. It’s great that we were able to find something that we were both passionate about and that could easily be tailored to our strengths.”
The journey so far has been a real balance between the two of them. They both worked full-time jobs before launching The Navigator. Once they had enough money to live on, they started exploring Thailand and fell in love with the place. They decided to move there and try their luck. While in Thailand, they were able to connect with a community of other expats who share their passion for adventure. That’s how they started The Navigator.
“Working remotely has been the best thing for us,” says Steve. “It gives us the flexibility to work remotely when we want to work and live our lives how we want to live them. We enjoy coming into work every day, as it gives us a purpose and a reason to get up in the morning. We like that structure, as it gives us a focus and a direction for the day. We don’t waste any time commuting, as we want to use the time for working or exploring. That means we get more done in a day and have more free time to enjoy. We’re really motivated and productive when we’re working remotely, which is why we enjoy it so much.”
The benefits of working remotely go beyond just not wasting time commuting, as it gives you the ability to work on projects that interest you and helps you to evolve as an individual.
Brent agrees:
“I think that our working remotely has given us an opportunity to grow as individuals and to work on projects that we’re passionate about. We have the flexibility to work whenever we want and on projects that we find interesting, which is great. We’re able to be more choosy with the hours that we work, which means we can ensure that we get more done in a given day. Plus, we get the added bonus of being able to work in the environment that we find most stimulating. If we have a choice, we always choose to work remotely. It’s great for our wellbeing.”
The Future Of Family Travel
The future of family travel is definitely exciting, as more and more families can afford to travel and there are more options for everyone. Travelling as a family isn’t something that was previously out of the question for many. Now that it’s possible, it’s definitely a conversation that you need to have with your parents. The cost of travelling has decreased, so more people can afford to spread the cost and visit more places. That means there’s more opportunity for everyone. Your grandparents might even get to see the places they love from a new perspective, if you take them somewhere new. It’s an exciting time to be a kid (or an adult) in travel, as there are so many possibilities for fun and exciting adventures. The sky is the limit.
The key is to have fun and make sure that your parents know what you are doing. It’s important to have some sort of communication open with your parents, even when you are having fun on a travel adventure of your own. They’ll love and support you no matter what, as long as you’re happy and make them proud. That’s the key to a successful relationship – and it’s something that Charlie and Alex definitely use in their own relationship. They want to encourage other young people to follow their lead and be confident enough to enjoy life and not be afraid to express their true personalities and colours. Who knows – maybe one day, our own children will follow in their footsteps and we’ll have a whole new generation of Pattinson’s and Stanleys out there, living exciting and adventurous lives full of love and peace.