Our Story

Pre-pandemic, we were blessed to experience a year of family togetherness while globetrotting and experientially building empathy within our three littles. Kapil and Aila flirted with travel in 2000 while studying abroad and trekking the Himalayan mountains of Nepal…and we always knew we that learning about the world through travel would become integral part of our family values. 

The initial plan was to get married and travel the world before starting our careers and having kids, but the Universe had alternative plans. We were married in 2004 and had our first child, Zayan, in 2006, followed by our second (Kenza) and third (Kaysan) children in 2009 and 2011, respectively. We made a pact, then, to take a year off and travel as a family when our youngest was somewhat physically independent and before our eldest reached high school. We held onto this dream for over a decade and used it as an anchor for decisions along the way.

In July of 2018, carrying the prayers of our living and late parents and family, coupled with the urgency to build global empathy in our children, we spent 54 weeks visiting 41 countries, exploring mixed our identities (as immigrants, Asians, Americans, spiritualists, naturalists, volunteers, students, and so much more), engaging in the "present moment" with our family, and learning from our global brothers and sisters.

We are still realizing the magic and lessons learned from our travels and are channeling them through building community and engaging in new experiences as a family back at home. We invite you to join in our adventure and help us embrace the abundance of humanity through this website and on on social media (Instagram: @franklin_street_globetrotters).

Kapil Verma

March 2018: Oh man, what is there not to get excited about?  Exploring new worlds with the people that are dearest to my heart is a dream come true, and truly a dream coming into fruition after over a decade of willing it into existence.  Everything about this is thrilling.  It’s active, exploratory, deliberate and spontaneous at the same time.  I am hoping for immediate gratification, and beneficial long-term impacts on how we view and approach life.  Also looking forward to being fully present, day-to-day, as a father and a husband; that’s hard to do.  I want our kids to look back at this years from now, with nothing but gratitude and a desire to continue their own journeys.  Maybe I’m asking for too much, it’s just the world, right?  I’ll let you know how that all turns out when we get back.

Aila malik

March 2018: For me, this trip is about being present and fostering empathy and wonderment in the kids. To explore a teaspoon of our world through the eyes of our children and for them to learn in the service of others, is a true gift that we do not take for granted. I am sure there will be some hard times in our extended daily “togetherness” but I welcome this opportunity to fully engage in this life with gratitude and love.