Bem-Vindo!
We are the von Berg family- Cynthia, Waker, and our two daughters S, and E.
We are an American family that has settled into expat life in Porto, Portugal. We love to travel and have visited more than 35 countries together, but also love learning about Portuguese history and culture, and exploring closer to home.
Leaving the Grind
When the pandemic hit, we started dreaming of a different life where we could continue to spend more time together as a family. We brainstormed a “Plan B” that involved a year of full-time travel, sometimes called a “family year out”, or “family gap year”. Slowly Plan B became Plan A and our travel blog for families, Sharing the Wander, was born.
Full Time Travel
When our girls were 6 and almost 4, we sold our house in the USA and started our Family Gap Year with a two month road trip across the United States.
We spent months road-tripping around the USA and Canada-exploring together and learning as we traveled.
Then went started traveling internationally, beginning with with six weeks in Mexico, and slowly made our way East across the globe. We spent at least a month in each country, from South America, to Europe, the Middle East, and then Asia.
We spent our first Christmas in Europe in Vienna, Austria, and our second in Lisbon, staying for two months to get a feel for the city, and Portugal overall.
Settling Down
Full-time travel allowed us to have amazing experiences together, including visiting 6 of the 7 New Wonders of the World (Great Wall of China, we’re still coming for you!). Our kids followed an online school curriculum as we traveled, and we joined worldschool hubs or added in-person schools when we could, meeting up with other families when possible.
However, we realized it was time for our kids to have a more structured lifestyle, with a consistent peer group as our oldest approached middle school. They were gaining so much from travel, but also missing things like musical instrument lessons, organized sports, and school plays.
In 2024 we settled in Porto, Portugal. While the kids are in a more traditional school now, we still travel as often as possible. We love to make memories and spend quality time together as a family.
The first year in a new country is a lot of new experiences- from furnishing an apartment (nothing with a plug could come with us!) to new school rules and uniforms, to finding new doctors, to navigating a government bureaucracy that works differently. We are embracing the change, and loving our new home, but it can also be exhausting!
We want our kids to continue to value experiences over things, and we want to help other families do the same. You can follow our travels around the world at Sharing the Wander.
Looking to work with us? Email us at info @portoporfavor.com
Want to know more? Check out Why I Travel- A Love Letter
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Why You Should Work with Cynthia
Travel Expert
Whether it’s climbing Kilimanjaro or surviving a plane trip with an infant, I’ve been there. I’ve traveled all over the world, I’ll show you how to make the most out of your family trip.
Business Woman
My strength lies in the intersection of the creative and analytical. I know how to work with businesses of all sizes. I was President of a specialty food e-commerce company, and Creative Director of a children’s gift and toy brand.
Creative Leader
From branding to strategic direction, logos to product design, I build and promote brands across industries. I have expertise in consumer product strategy, licensing, and creative direction.
Mom
Traveling with kids is not like traveling solo or as a couple, it takes a lot more advanced planning! Gone are the days of showing up somewhere without a place to stay. As a mom, I’ve been through the tantrums, the meltdowns, and all the good stuff in between.