About
In the polished world of family influencers, the Gee family stands apart. Branding themselves not as influencers but as "Family Travel Journalists," Garrett and Jessica Gee, along with their three children, have cultivated an image of wholesome, service-oriented global adventure under the banner of The Bucket List Family. Their origin story is the stuff of Silicon Valley legend: a young BYU student co-founds a tech startup, sells it to Snapchat for a reported $54 million, and instead of buying a mansion, sells everything for $45,000 to travel the world. This narrative has propelled them from a simple travel blog into a diversified, venture-backed corporation with interests in e-commerce, publishing, and luxury hospitality. But in July 2024, the carefully constructed facade of organic exploration was met with a significant legal challenge. A lawsuit filed by consumer advocacy group Travelers United alleges the family has built its empire on a foundation of widespread, systematic deceptive advertising.
Bucket List Family Travel: History and Growth
The financial bedrock of The Bucket List Family was laid long before their first international flight. While a student at Brigham Young University, Garrett Gee co-founded Scan, a mobile QR code scanning company, with Kirk Ouimet and Ben Turley in January 2011. The venture quickly gained momentum, raising $1.7 million from investors including Google Ventures and, despite a failed pitch on ABC's Shark Tank in 2013, was acquired by Snapchat in December 2014 for a reported $54 million—$30 million in cash and the remainder in equity.
Following the acquisition and the conclusion of Garrett's final season on the BYU men's soccer team, he and his wife, Jessica—a BYU graduate from Denver who had worked as an online marketer—made a pivotal decision. They publicly committed to placing the proceeds from the sale into savings for future humanitarian work. To fund their dream of travel, they held a massive garage sale, liquidating their possessions for approximately $45,000. On August 15, 2015, with their two children, Dorothy and Manilla, they embarked on what was initially planned as a six-month journey, launching their Instagram and YouTube channels to document it.
The six-month trip never ended. As their audience swelled, the period between 2016 and 2017 marked their transition from self-funded adventurers to professional content creators. Initial in-kind partnerships for flights and hotels soon evolved into lucrative paid sponsorships, making their nomadic lifestyle self-sustaining and profitable. Their third child, Calihan, was born during this period of constant travel. By June 2017, they had taken over 100 flights and visited more than 40 countries. In 2018, after three years and 65 countries, the family established a permanent home base, purchasing and renovating an 80-year-old beachfront bungalow in Hawaii to provide their children with more stability.
Bucket List Family Travel: Content and Style
Central to the brand's identity is the self-applied title of "Family Travel Journalists." Garrett Gee has publicly stated his dislike for the term "influencers," and this deliberate positioning frames their work as a professional, editorial endeavor. Their content is built on three pillars: "Adventure, Culture, Service." Garrett leads the creative direction, producing high-quality vlogs and photography that have evolved from simple travel diaries into polished media productions. The narrative consistently focuses on positive, aspirational themes of family bonding and cultural discovery, a style that has proven immensely appealing to both audiences and major corporate brands.
How Bucket List Family Travel Makes Money
The Bucket List Family's operations are managed through a corporate structure. Legal filings identify The Bucket List Family, LLC, a Utah-based entity, as the primary vehicle for social media and brand partnership business. A second entity, The Bucket List Studios, Inc., is an Idaho-based corporation in Meridian that serves as the operational headquarters for their expansion into new ventures.
This expansion was fueled by a significant capital raise. After reportedly turning down a $10 million offer from major streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix to produce an animated series, the family pursued independent funding. They secured $7 million in a private seed round from venture capital firms including Spacestation Investments, Empire Group International, Entrée Capital, and Ludlow Ventures. This was followed by a public equity crowdfunding campaign on Republic.com, which closed on July 30, 2021, raising approximately $3 million from 28,915 individual investors at a pre-money valuation of $30 million.
This $10 million in capital underpins a diversified monetization strategy: * Brand Sponsorships: The brand's financial engine relies on partnerships with companies like National Geographic, Disney, GoPro, Land Rover, Qatar Airways, and Airbnb. Their media kit boasts of generating over $135,000 in sales for GoPro in 30 days. * Direct-to-Consumer Products: Operating through their e-commerce site, The Bucket List Studios, they sell a line of branded merchandise including backpacks, apparel, and travel accessories. * Subscription Services: The "Bucket List Friends" program offers a recurring revenue stream, charging members $5 per month or $48 per year for exclusive content, travel deals, and private video podcasts. * Intellectual Property: A major partnership with National Geographic led to Jessica Gee's 2023 travel guide, Bucket List Family Travel, and Garrett Gee's forthcoming children's book, The Bucket List Family and The Big Adventure, announced for a late 2024 release. * Hospitality: Their most ambitious venture is "The Bucket List Collection," a hospitality brand launching two boutique island resorts scheduled to open in 2025: one in Tonga for swimming with whales and a wilderness lodge in British Columbia, Canada.
Bucket List Family Travel's Collaborations
The Gees have leveraged their platform to build powerful collaborations that extend their brand's reach and credibility. Their partnership with National Geographic is a cornerstone, cementing their image as authorities in family-friendly exploration. A 2022 promotional campaign with Visit Reno-Tahoe, featuring the family, won Gold and Judges' Choice awards for its effective influencer marketing. While they were finalists in the Parenting/Family category at the 12th Shorty Awards in 2020, their most significant accolades have come through these corporate partnerships.
Bucket List Family Travel: Public Reception and Controversies
On July 18, 2024, the brand's commercial practices came under intense legal scrutiny. The non-profit advocacy group Travelers United filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia against Garrett and Jessica Gee and their corporate entities. The suit alleges a years-long pattern of deceptive advertising in violation of the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA).
The core of the lawsuit is the claim that the family systematically fails to clearly and conspicuously disclose their material connections to the brands they promote, misleading consumers into believing their endorsements are organic. The complaint enumerates 716 alleged violations: 234 on Instagram, 391 on YouTube, and 90 on TikTok. A specific example cited is a YouTube video presented as an "honest review" of Qatar Airways' business class, which the suit alleges failed to disclose that the family received five free business class tickets and may have been paid for the promotion. Travelers United is seeking an injunction to force proper disclosures, as well as statutory and punitive damages.
This was not the first time their commercial activities drew criticism. In December 2019, a BuzzFeed News report detailed how participants in the family's annual holiday giveaway felt "duped" by unclear and complex entry requirements. Critics alleged the giveaway was structured to maximize engagement metrics rather than as a straightforward contest.
Bucket List Family Travel: Philanthropy
A foundational element of The Bucket List Family's brand is a stated commitment to service. From the beginning, they claimed the $54 million from the Scan acquisition was earmarked for humanitarian purposes. They have documented numerous charitable acts, including donating LASIK eye surgeries, funding a Disneyland trip for a family in need, and launching the "Pin Pals" project to fund volunteer efforts. Their travels frequently feature service work, such as volunteering at an orphanage in Bali, assisting another in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and partnering with the organization Effect.org to build a school in Nepal to help prevent child trafficking.
Bucket List Family Travel Today
The Bucket List Family stands at a critical juncture. They have successfully evolved from a personal passion project into a multi-million-dollar corporation with tangible assets in publishing and luxury hospitality. Yet, the 2024 Travelers United lawsuit strikes at the heart of that success, challenging the transparency of the sponsorship model that has fueled their entire enterprise. The outcome could set a significant precedent for the broader influencer economy.