Designing a Life of Travel: Phil Lockwood on Family, Freedom, and ABC Trips
- Jennifer McPherson
- Apr 21
- 3 min read
Phil Lockwood is the Co-founder of ABC Trips, where he designs bespoke travel experiences for families and adventurers, drawing on his extensive background as a professional traveler, travel advisor, and content creator. Under his leadership, ABC Trips has curated unique journeys in over 40 countries across all seven continents and built an engaged global audience of more than 700,000 YouTube subscribers in a few years. Phil’s expertise comes from real-world exploration with his family, turning their adventures into insightful video content and inspiring others to prioritize meaningful, personalized travel.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
[01:19] Phil Lockwood talks about what launched his 30-year digital career
[01:44] How world travel transformed the Lockwood family’s education and life
[03:35] Designing unique, human-curated adventure trips
[14:20] Phil shares his family’s scariest travel mishap
[16:32] Why travel businesses connect deeper than digital agencies
[21:04] Embracing the “day one” mindset to finally pursue your passion
In this episode…
Some people spend years waiting for the “right time” to start living the life they actually want. But what if the only thing standing in the way is the decision to begin?
For Phil Lockwood, the key lies in shifting from “one day” thinking to “day one” action. Drawing from decades of experience building businesses and later redesigning his life around travel, he explains that fulfillment doesn’t come from waiting for perfect conditions, but from choosing priorities and acting on them now. That shift led him to trade routine for adventure, creating a life centered on family, exploration, and meaningful experiences. The result is a powerful reminder that the life you want often starts with a single, intentional decision.
In this episode of Own Your Next, Jennifer McPherson is joined by Phil Lockwood, Co-founder of ABC Trips, to discuss designing a life centered on travel and freedom. They explore turning family adventures into a business, why curated experiences matter more than bookings, and how travel reshapes perspective. Phil also shares advice on making the mindset shift from “one day” to “day one.”
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Quotable Moments
“We have a phrase that we use here in the family, instead of one day, make it day one.”
“I’m no longer willing to get up every single day and do something that doesn’t really make me happy.”
“It’s curating these magical adventures, most of which are family friendly on our website, but they don’t have to be.”
“It’s all about getting to know each prospect or client once they reach out to us.”
“Everybody has their own travel language, and it’s just so easy to connect with people.”
Action Steps
Shift from “one day” to “day one” thinking: Taking action now instead of waiting creates momentum and leads to more fulfilling life and career decisions.
Prioritize experiences over routine work: Focusing on what truly brings joy and fulfillment can lead to a more meaningful and energized daily life.
Design your life around your values: Aligning your work and lifestyle with personal priorities helps create long-term satisfaction and purpose.
Leverage your past experience in new ways: Applying existing skills to new ventures can open unexpected opportunities and accelerate success.
Personalize experiences for deeper impact: Whether in business or life, tailoring experiences to individual needs creates stronger connections and better outcomes.
Sponsor for this episode...
Chickenango helps brands connect with their communities through thoughtful, strategic communication.
Specializing in public engagement, branding, and messaging for sectors such as transportation, infrastructure, energy, and government, Chickenago turns complex projects into stories people can understand and care about.
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