Meet The Bucket List Family
Take off on an adventure with this jet-setting Hawai‘i-based family of five.
With 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, 3.1 million Instagram followers and another half-million on TikTok, Hawai‘i’s Gee family—more commonly known as “The Bucket List Family”—has soared to social media stardom by sharing their amazing global adventures.
Over the past 11 years, the Gees have traveled to 100 countries with three kids in tow: Dorothy, 13, Manilla, 11, and Calihan, 8. Always on the go, Jessica and Garrett document their incredible journeys as millions of online followers travel alongside vicariously.
Their cinematic-quality videos depict such jaw-dropping adventures as swimming with killer whales in Mexico, taking a polar plunge in Antarctica, and swinging over waterfalls in Sri Lanka. In one video, with 26 million views, the Gees came face-to-face with a great white shark. Along with making viewers feel like they’re experiencing expeditions with them, the Gees have a knack for storytelling, weaving in both humor and tender moments.
Of course, growing up on the road comes with its share of mishaps and modified milestones. “The kids have lost eight teeth while on airplanes, and we’ve had to get stitches in three countries,” Jessica says.
Despite so many over-the-top adventures, the Gees insist they’re a regular family, balancing parent-teacher conferences and dentist appointments with track meets, surf competitions, homework and bedtime routines. They travel every chance they get during school breaks, embracing opportunities while staying grounded.
But they are far from ordinary. Over the years, the Gees have built a travel media empire, which includes an app, a National Geographic travel guide for families, a children’s book, and an online retail shop selling outdoor apparel and gear. Last year, they also purchased two private islands in British Columbia and Tonga, where they host wildlife experiences for visiting families. And they’re currently working on an animated series with Big Shot Pictures, launched by Brian Robbins, the former co-CEO of Paramount. In the series, the Gee family will transform into cartoon characters to “inspire families to dream, explore and create their own adventures,” Jessica says.
A children’s book, published in October 2025 by Disney Hyperion, tells the origin story of the family’s decision to set out on an adventure around the world. Photo: Courtesy of The Bucket List Studios
Big-time ventures are not new for Garrett. While a college student at Brigham Young University in Utah, he and a team built an app, Scan, that they ended up selling to Snapchat for $54 million. Not long after, in 2015, he and Jessica decided to sell all their belongings and travel the world (with two toddlers at the time).
They ultimately chose Hawai‘i as their home base in 2018. Garrett’s grandfather was born and raised in Hawai‘i, and the couple had previously lived in the Islands in 2012. “The lifestyle that Hawai‘i affords families is just so wonderful,” Jessica says. “People here appreciate culture, the ocean and health. Having access to beaches, waterfalls and hikes whenever you want—nature is simply woven into everyday living here.”
Now, with passports full of stamps and another kiddo in the mix, they recently visited their 100th country, the Philippines, which was particularly meaningful since Garrett is half Filipino. The journey allowed the family to explore the inspiration behind Manilla’s name and take in the culture. “Everyone is so hospitable there,” Jessica says. “Not all countries are as excited to share their culture, but Filipinos are so dang proud.”
As world travelers, the Gees maintain three core values: adventure, culture and service. “It’s the triple threat if you can get all three, and our trip to the Philippines was the perfect example of that,” Jessica says. During the trip, the family swam with stingless jellyfish, learned to cook local dishes, and volunteered at an after-school program for children with disabilities.
“By stepping outside our comfort zone, we are rewarded with life-altering experiences, new friends in new places and cultural experiences that open our hearts and minds,” Jessica says.
Laura Dornbush is the contributing editor of the 2026 issue of HONOLULU Family and a regular contributor to HONOLULU Magazine. @ldornbush
