Photo courtesy of Mixtape Media.

Travel and time spent with the ones we love are both known to be good for the soul.

For Brendan James, both were a way of life for six months.

The Charleston, SC native released the thoughtful piano ballad “Through Our Hands” earlier this fall. The single is a retrospective on the hiatus Brendan took from touring to travel the world with his wife and pre-school aged children. Together, they spent a minimum of fifteen days apiece in England, France, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Iceland, Rwanda, Thailand, and New Zealand, living like locals on each stop by seeking out local playgrounds and grocery stores instead of tourist attractions and restaurants.

“That trip around the world was fuel for my soul,” he said. “I did nothing but hang with my family and write new songs. It was incredible.”

You can listen to the single below as our Daily Spinn for a first-person account of this life-changing journey.