Meet Brittany Hawes

We recently connected with Brittany Hawes and have shared our conversation below.

Brittany, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

The easy answer would be my time spent in the Air Force as a medic. But on a deeper lever, it comes for a mix of things—some learned, some lived, and some inherited. I have the most incredible village of family and friends that really show me the importance of showing up for each other. I learned in the military that I am so strong under pressure, but becoming a mom? That’s what truly stretched and deepened my resilience.

Resilience through travel, somtimes that means solo traveling the world with my toddler, sometimes its my deployment, or even navigating a hurricane while my husband was deployed. Other times its not so dramatic its something simple like a missed flight but in the end these taught me how to keep moving forward, even when the plan falls apart. It taught me that I don’t need to have all the answers, I just need to keep showing up with intention, curiosity, and love.

And when things feel overwhelming, I remind myself why I do all this: to show my daughter what it means to live fully, bravely, and with purpose. My resilience isn’t about pretending everything’s fine—it’s about facing the hard stuff with honesty, learning from it, and helping others find the courage to do the same.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m Brittany the creator behind Passport Playdate- a space where I help families learn to travel bravely, joyfully, and even lighter with kids in tow. I am an Air Force veteran, a wife Michael who is still in the Air Force, a mom and a lifelog adventurer who’s been all over the world and now I’m bringing my 3 year old for the adventure.

I have always been independent – my daughters first adventure was peach picking at a local farm at 2 days old to now traveling 24 countries with her before she turned 4. I have grown a platform that focuses on supporting other parents to explore the world without losing their minds (or their luggage.

I share content through storytelling, and I share everything from airport hacks and budget tips to funny toddler travel moments and deeper reflections on motherhood. I’m passionate about helping families who feel like travel may be out of reach because of finances, fear, or just not knowing where to start. I believe travel doesn’t have to be extravagant to be meaningful and kids don’t have to be a barrier to adventure – instead the best part of it.
Whether someone is preparing for their first flight with a baby or planning a year of worldschooling, I want them to feel welcome and supported in this space. Travel has changed my life – and I’m here to show families that it can change theirs too.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Empathy – Travel for me is really based on connection and in order to feel connected you need to have empathy. This helps me connect with other parents, understand fears, and create content that feels real and supportive. I know what it feels like to feel overwhelmed traveling with a baby, believe it or not I was that mom with a crying baby on the plane I could not soothe.

Adaptability – This is essential with traveling but especially traveling with kids. Through canceled flights, toddler meltdowns, missed busses and more. I’ve learned to pivot and embrace the chaos. Keep showing up. This can be applied to anything in life – but the ability to adjust without losing your purpose is everything.

Authenticity. I am building my platform on trust. I am not interested in promoting products I would not spend my own money on. I have and will continue to say no to partnerships that don’t align with my values. I believe you can tell when people are being real and that type of integrity is rare, but it matters. If you are looking to be a content creator, make sure you stay rooted. You don’t need to be for everyone – you just need to be real for the right ones.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I would love to explore a partnership / collaboration with others.

I’d love to team up with:
Family-friendly travel brands (airlines, hotels, gear, tours, airbnbs)

Creators or bloggers focused on travel, parenting, or military life

Educational brands or activity-based products for tiny travelers

Military-connected businesses offering perks for families on the go

I focus on honest, helpful content for parents who want to travel more—with less stress and more joy. If you’re building something cool that helps families explore the world, I want to hear about it.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram DMs: @PassportPlaydate

Let’s make something fun together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://passport-playdate.com
• Instagram: passportplaydate
• Facebook: Passport Playdate with Britt

Image Credits

These are all my photos