Hi, I'm Cassandra. I trade options, travel with my family, and document it along the way — the good, the salty, and the real.

I'm a San Diego mom navigating that particular season of family life where the kids are old enough to have strong opinions, young enough to still actually want to come with us, and just honest enough to tell me exactly what they think about every single trip we take.

My husband Joe travels with us too — and he has his own very clear ideas about how a trip should go. Which means every family adventure is a four-way negotiation between completely different travelers. Somehow we always figure it out. Mostly.

Here’s the part most travel pages won’t tell you: the trips don’t just happen. I have a good career and retirement accounts, but I also have two kids who need college funded and a lifestyle I wasn’t always sure I could afford. A few years ago I started dabbling in options trading, and I realized something that changed everything — it didn’t matter what the stock market was doing. If you knew how to trade, you could always make premium.

That’s what funds our adventures. Under 30 minutes a day. No day-trading chaos, no get-rich-quick promises — just a strategy that works quietly in the background while I live my actual life. Those trades are what allow us to travel, to explore, and to say yes to the experiences I believe are fundamental to a full life.

If you’re looking for travel recommendations with kids of any age, or you want more detail about how to fund the lifestyle you’re after, you’re in the right place.

Follow along on Instagram @saltyandthecity or start exploring our destinations.