Okay, we know what you’re thinking: An entire family of 6 decides to leave their home behind and take a trip around the world for one whole year. How is that even possible?

 

30 countries. 54 weeks. …and our kids were 8, 5 ½, 3 ½ and 11 months when we left.

 

You’d have to be crazy to embark on an epic travel adventure of this caliber, roaming from continent to continent with four children all under the age of 8, right?

 

The truth is we’re really not special in any way (aside from perhaps being a bit quirkier than your average household). We just really wanted it, so we made it happen—and let me tell you, if we could do it, then it’s possible for anyone. …provided you’re willing to take on an incredibly exhilarating (and downright exhausting) absolutely life changing adventure.

 

I should mention I used to consider myself way more of a “play it safe” type of person. I always thought I’d settle down, avoid risk, and just live a happy “normal” life. Yet now that we’ve done anything but take the safe road, I’ve found unexpected, yet immense happiness and a new depth to life. This trip forced all of us out of our comfort zones and into a life changing chapter.

 

So yes, in 2013 our family, sparked with wanderlust, packed up and ventured out to experience 30 countries in 54 weeks. We survived (even thrived) and learned so many lessons along the way, as we were constantly reminded how big and wonderful the world really is.

 

 

Getting to Know our Travelling Family

 

A little bit about our family: my name is Stephanie and my husband’s name is Ryan. We’re Canadian adventure seekers with 5 kiddos (only 4 at the time we took this trip—sorry buddy). We’re passionate homeschoolers, which was particularly helpful for our journey. Both of us are naturally curious explorers with a love of different cultures and most importantly, food.

 

We were blessed to be able to take this journey, thanks to the life we’ve worked hard to build as we embraced life as entrepreneurs. Our main business is Ultimate Bundles. We recently sold Resound School of Music (Ryan’s baby) and we’ve also monetized multiple blogs along the way.

 

While having flexible jobs we could work on the road was immensely helpful for travel, we certainly aren’t billionaires or celebrities. Basically, we’re just a regular family like yours.

 

So this is for all you dreamers, doers and risk takers out there. Our philosophy is, anything is possible if you want it bad enough.

 

 

Why We Wanted to Travel Around the World with Our Kids

 

Maybe one aspect of our family that’s unique is that we believe there’s nothing better than family togetherness. We truly enjoy each other, spending time bonding, trying new activities, and learning with our children.

 

As curious people, we really love to explore new experiences. Across the board, our family loves and values adventure and risk. We embrace a “no regrets” philosophy. Life is just to short NOT to live out your dreams and achieve your goals.

 

So we knew a trip like this would allow us all the time we wanted to bond, share unique experiences, and create special memories. We truly became a team.

 

Ryan and I always loved to travel. We spent the first year of our marriage teaching English abroad in East Asia while living in Japan. Although this trip around the world with our kids was totally different, we knew we loved experiencing other cultures and wanted to share a similar adventure with our children.

 

Of course with young kids, it was hard to know if it was the “right time.” We really assessed where we were with our lives and careers and decided to go for it. We also partially embarked on this trip to take a break from our day-to-day lives in Canada.

 

Ryan’s music business was growing and it was a good time for him to step away, so this seemed like the natural move for our family to take, too.

 

As homeschoolers, we also felt there was no better way to educate our kids than to show them the world. We wanted them to truly experience how other people live, how different cultures interact, and what other places look like compared to our home.

 

Just a few unique learning opportunities they experienced:

 

• Learning a second language (Spanish) through immersion in another country.
• Learning phrases and words from 10 other languages including French, Italian, Turkish, Arabic, Kinyarwanda, Swahili, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Cambodian.
• Practicing writing skills through journaling and writing eBooks on the different adventures abroad and lessons learned.
• Taking what was basically a 24/7 art appreciation course, which was always in session. In each new city, everywhere we turned there was exposure to different types of music, architecture, art, dancing, and so much more.
• Learning about natural habitats through the observation of different environments.
• Taking the most interactive science class ever!  We walked with penguins, visited waterfalls, climbed volcanos, hiked hills in France, swam in the Dead Sea, explored sand dunes in Dubai, and took a 3-day safari in Kenya observing elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, antelopes, gazelles, cheetahs and lions—and much more.

 

 

Our Year-Long “Itinerary” for Our Trip around the World

 

With no exact plan in mind, we decided that travelling was something we really wanted for both ourselves and our kids.

 

The original idea was to spend an entire year in Argentina to really give our family a hands-on experience living in another country. Yet the more we talked, the more we wanted to take the opportunity to explore several different spots.

 

Eventually we decided on 3 months in Argentina, during which Ryan also seized the chance to visit Antarctica (a spot on his bucket list).

 

While we knew a trip around the world would come with frequent schedule changes and constant adjustments, going in, we actually didn’t have an exact, set agenda. (…which was a little scary, as I’m usually the family planner.)

 

This was how our travel itinerary turned out:

 

 

• 2 weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 4 days in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
• 1 month in Salta, Argentina (including a 4 day road trip)
• 2 weeks in Ushuaia, Argentina (Ryan went to Antarctica for 10 days here)
• 2 weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 6 days in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
• 3 days in Rosario, Argentina
• Back for 2 days in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 3 days in Paris
• 2 days in Switzerland
• 1 week in Munich, Germany
• 1 week in Prague, Czech Republic (spent last night and day in Český Krumlov)
• 1 week in mainland Greece (Nafplio and Athens)
• 1 week in Naxos Island, Greece
• 1 week in Rome, Italy
• 1 week in Siracusa, Sicily, Italy
• 1 week in Arles, southern France
• 2 days in Carcassonne, France
• 3 days in Madrid, Spain
• 5 weeks in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Andalucia, Spain (included many day trips, and a two-day trip to Morocco)
• 4 days driving through Spain up to France, with a stop in Granada, Spain
• 2 weeks in Paris, France (with a one day pause in Montignac, France on way back to Madrid to catch a flight)
• 1 week in Istanbul, Turkey
• 5 day road trip through southwestern Turkey
• 2 weeks in Antalya, Turkey
• 4 day road trip to central Turkey, Cappadocia
• 3 1/2 weeks in Nazareth, Israel
• 4 day road trip down through Israel, stopping at Bethlehem (State of Palestine), the Dead Sea and Eilat
• 4 days in Jordan—mostly in Petra, Wadi Musa and up to Amman to catch a flight
• 1 night in Doha, Qatar (layover)
• 8 days in Kenya (mix of Nairobi, 4 day safari at Masai Mara, and 1 day in Nakuru)
• 1 week in Kampala, Uganda
• 3 weeks in Kigali, Rwanda (with a 2 day trip to Kibuye and Lake Kivu)
• 1 week in Dubai, U.A.E.
• 2 1/2 weeks travelling around Rajasthan, India (Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodphur, Udaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Agra)
• 1 week in New Delhi, India
• 3 days in Rishikesh, India
• 1 week in Beijing, China
• 2 days in Xingtai, China (to visit friends)
• 3 days in Xian, China
• 5 days in Siem Reap, Cambodia
• 8 days in Kunming, China
• 3 days in Yangshuo, China
• 5 days in Tokyo, Japan
• 1 1/2 week train trip through Japan (Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, 4 days in Yamaguchi where Ryan and I used to live, Hiroshima)
• 2 days stopover Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (visiting with friends)
• 4 days in Melbourne, Australia
• 1 week in Cairns, Australia
• 3 days in Melbourne, Australia

Whew! I almost feel as if I need to catch my breath… okay, moving on.

 

 

How We Were Able to Afford our Year-Long Family Trip

 

First things first. The biggest question we’re asked most frequently: How did you travel abroad as a family? You must be “well off” right?

 

Here’s the deal: we’re not rich…at all. We didn’t fall into some large inheritance from a long-lost grandparent and no, we didn’t win the lottery.

 

Both of us are natural savers, it’s true. We began making smart financial choices from the moment we got married and worked hard to make sure we had no debt at all. This meant continuing to live below our means every day, even when our business began booming and more money was coming in (and yes, it wasn’t always easy).

 

We saved, saved, saved, and saved some more, knowing full well we wanted to do something—but, at the time, we had no idea what that something was going to end up being.

 

We thought about potential investments for our savings: A down payment on a house? Opening up another business? Honestly, we had no clue until one day the entire idea finally clicked, and it was like, “YES! This is what we want for our family.”

 

After all, life is short, and what better way to grow as human beings than to embark on a truly epic journey, adventuring, learning, seeking, bonding, delighting, and relishing in daily discoveries as a family?

 

We sat down and really thought about it: What’s the worst that could happen? Broken limbs? Accidents? Sure, but any number of problems could also happen at home. We decided not to let fear of the unknown hold us back. We felt a comfort in our hearts and a sureness in our minds this was the right decision for everyone.

 

Once we settled on the idea, we knew to turn this dream into reality we were going to have to put in extra time and effort.

 

Over the course of just over a year, we prepped for our big journey. We got rid of almost everything clogging up our lives in Canada. We gave up our home, sold both our cars, and held frequent garage sales to sell personal belongings we wouldn’t be able to take with us on our travels. We adopted an “it’s just stuff” mentality and cleaned OUT! We did everything in our power to cut costs and put money towards the trip around the world.

 

As a family, we prepared to leave our old life (temporarily) behind and create a new normal abroad.

 

…now, as I mentioned, I’m a bit of a planner.

 

For this trip, though, I suppressed it. Against every fiber of my mom being, we didn’t over-plan—to a fault. Yes, Ryan and I had a rough idea of where we wanted to go but we were also ready to fully embrace the unknown and the unexpected.

 

It seemed scary at first, but we decided to take a more organic approach to traveling. We refrained from booking a bunch of flights ahead of time and left several aspects open to chance. As entrepreneurs, we both understood sometimes flying by the seat of one’s pants (pun intended) is the best option.

 

As we navigated, we knew flexibility was an important part of a successful trip around the world. The reality was, as much as we’d saved, we couldn’t just check out from our professional careers for an entire year. We had to keep working as we traveled to ensure we could continue our trip.

 

Working on the road wasn’t always easy—I found myself sitting down in a McDonald’s restaurant just to take advantage of the Wi-Fi or typing up notes in noisy coffee shops across Europe and Australia when an urgent project needed to get completed. Whenever it felt daunting (and it did), I reminded myself it was what we needed to do to ensure the trip was possible.

 

There were many early mornings, when I woke up before the kids to squeeze in some work. During the odd quiet moment when the kids were napping, or in the evening after they’d gone to bed, we’d also try to find some work time.

 

Fortunately, the mobility of our jobs allowed us to work from any place–an Airbnb rental, guest house, hotel or cafe down the street. We found ourselves even working on trains or in the air as we flew to our next stop.

 

The biggest hurdle for us during our trip around the world was learning how to live affordably while traveling 50+ weeks straight. From this creativity came some pretty amazing business ideas, including the birth of Ultimate Bundles. Throughout our trip around the world, it seemed that as long as we stayed open to possibility, the answers came.

 

Figuring out the best ways to financially support our family abroad was tough, especially since so many different countries come with varying types of expenses.

 

My best advice for how to make travel abroad possible for your family, even on a budget? Think outside the box to boost your earning potential while saving as much as you possibly can. Create a comfortable nest egg for your family’s trip, so when unexpected expenses (like last-minute train tickets) come up, you’re able to handle it.

 

An “Average” Day on Our Trip

 

As Ryan always says, we worked really hard to stay “where the people are.” We didn’t want to be tourists or observers. We wanted to learn what life was like for other people and spend the majority of our time where nearby residents were actually living.

 

We craved authentic interactions with individuals from the area and made it a priority to fully immerse ourselves in their culture each time we arrived at a new destination. Ryan and I wanted to show our kids the value of experiencing life through a different lens in a society different from our own. None of the amazing memories we made would have been possible (or affordable) if we would’ve stayed far away at an opulent resort on our trip around the world.

 

So while there’s no average day when you’re on a trip around the world, we typically just immersed ourselves in the experience. On a “regular day” we’d check into our Airbnb before heading out to explore the area in hopes of locating a yummy local market nearby to grab as much fresh fruit, bread or homemade pita, and hummus to eat for a lunch picnic at a nearby park. No reservations required!

 

One thing’s for sure, no matter what we were eating, the food abroad was DELICIOUS. I have one word for you, three syllables: bak-la-va. We couldn’t get enough of the tasty food and everywhere we went the food kept getting better. From the pounds of baklava we consumed (full confession: it was our youngest child’s first word!) to the steaming bamboo stuffed with warm rice, beans and coconut milk in Cambodia, food from other countries is pretty much amazing no matter what you get.

 

Trust me, even if you can’t read the menu and aren’t totally sure what you ordered, it’ll probably taste fantastic. We ate, then ate some more. Experiencing traditional foods and recipes from different cities was definitely one of our all-time favorites. (Please don’t force us choose the best meal—it can’t be done.) Our kids are adventurous eaters too, but oftentimes our meals were simple, local and delicious.

 

We also learned there’s more than one way to travel. We knew from the get-go to sustain a family of 6 for weeks on end in foreign countries, we would need to take the more modest approach to lodging and that was OKAY with us.

 

Airbnbs, hostels, and church guest houses were our lodging preferences and most of the time accommodations were great. Sure, there were the occasional spiders (or lizards!) or questionable bathrooms but overall, we had no terrible experiences. After all, the main purpose of our trip wasn’t lavish amenities—it was unique cultural experiences.

 

Although, I suppose extravagance is acceptable… sometimes (when in East Africa of course).

 

Fun story! The benefit of an unexpected trip around the world is you never know what funny or awesome thing is going to happen. A special moment for our family occurred in the Nairobi airport as we were waiting to fly to Kigali (the capital city of Rwanda). A friendly gentleman thought our daughters were super adorable, so we started up a conversation.

 

As we departed, he said, “Hey, you should stay at the Serena Hotel when you get there.” We all looked dumbfounded I’m sure, as we had no idea what this man was talking about. He then explained he’d just accepted an award for the Best Hotel in East Africa and offered our family the opportunity to stay for FREE in the five star hotel.

 

We accepted his offer and enjoyed a gorgeous night at a breathtakingly beautiful hotel. This night was really special for all of us (especially the kids) since this wasn’t a lodging experience they were accustomed to.

 

The best part of this story? As we checked out the next day, there was a mix-up. The concierge said, “Okay, that’ll be $1,000.” We were stunned. We stammered, “Uh… talk to Charles…talk to Charles…” (the generous gentleman’s name). It was all figured out in no time and Charles fixed the misunderstanding for us—so, hey, if you’re reading this: thanks again, Charles!

 

Unplanned moments of bliss and random acts of kindness like this one continue to stick in my mind today along with the hundreds of other amazing memories. A common theme across all our trip around the world…kindness. We found people were genuinely friendly and helpful nearly everywhere we went.

 

Yes, there were very few times our family felt disrespected or unwelcome while traveling. Yet we’ve learned most people are the same in a lot of ways. People everywhere love their kids and their families—and most people want to help you in any way they can.

 

Safety When Traveling Abroad with Kids

 

When it came to our family’s safety, valuable advice from concerned locals or ex-pats (an expatriate is someone permanently living in a country other than their own) helped us adjust our itinerary to avoid certain places deemed as unsafe at the time.

 

Although safety was absolutely an initial concern for us during the early stages of our trip around the world, we conducted loads of research to be proactive and equip ourselves with as much information as possible.

 

We also established strategies for keeping track of the kids in busy locations like public transportation or big markets and taught them ahead of time what to do if they ever found themselves separated from us. We studied the dangerous parts of town in different cities (including scams to watch out for) and learned more about specific cultural etiquette.

 

Even considering all of these less pleasant logistical parts of travel, as our year went on, we found we almost always felt safe so long as we exercised common sense. Of course, friends and family members still worried about us (especially in countries typically considered “dangerous”), but there were very minimal places or situations where we feared for our wellbeing.

 

A mixture of educating ourselves, properly preparing, and having faith in the fact that most people are fundamentally good allowed us to enjoy our trip around the world and feel secure in nearly every area we visited.

 

Biggest Takeaways from Our Trip around the World

 

So, why was all of this worth it and why should you go for it too? You’ve got nothing to lose, only lots and lots of awesome experiences and memories to gain.

 

I am so thankful for our trip around the world because it’s shaped who I am. It’s absolutely shaped our whole family in ways we never could’ve imagined. Our life is so vastly different than I ever dreamed it would be, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

 

We learned a lot from our travels, but a few points stand out in my mind…

 

The first is: there’s more than one way to do anything. Ryan, me, and the kiddos are more aware now that our way of living in Canada is not necessarily the right way or the only way. Taking the time to listen to another person and understand their point of view works wonders. We are so grateful to every single person, flight attendant, train conductor, waitress, cab driver, etc. that crossed paths with us and helped along the way.

 

The other big takeaway is all people are beautiful. In the chaos of everyday life, it’s so easy to get distracted and forget about the important parts of life. (Trust me, as a mom, I get it.) Our epic journey reminded us how beautiful it is to be different. People from all over live such unique lives and a trip around the world like this was an amazing reminder to be grateful for diversity and unique cultures, each fascinating and lovely in their own way.

 

Our Advice for Travelling with Your Family (Anywhere)

 

When reflecting on our trip around the world, we refer to the adventure as total, complete deconstruction but in the best way possible.

 

This trip challenged our beliefs, our worldviews and our assumptions. We had to let go of biases. We had to embrace the unknown. Not only was this a challenge, but it completely deconstructed the way we thought and the way we experienced the world.

 

So many new opportunities–friends, conversations, growth–were spurred from our trip. It shook us to the core, in many ways we were completely rebuilt. I don’t know that we realized quite how much this trip would completely change us as people.

 

This may sound confusing at first but all we’re saying here is yes, traveling around the world with 4 kids was insane at times. Yes, there were moments where we had to figure out a place to stay or come up with a totally new plan. There were times it was hard (SO hard), but you figure out a way because at the end of the day, you realize how lucky you are to be exactly where you are in that moment.

 

No matter what the issue (large or small), it didn’t matter because when we looked up, we were in Munich or New Delhi, Paris, Morocco, Melbourne, and more. It’s organized chaos in the best way possible because you’re fulfilling your travel dreams as a family.

 

As I’ve said many times now, it’s important to remember there’s nothing special about us. We’re simply a family who wanted an adventure.

 

My best travel advice from our family to yours:

 

• Embrace the unknown. Picking up and moving away from the comfort of your own home to take a trip around the world for an entire year (or even a few months) is a scary thought but you must learn to embrace the unexpected and enjoy yourself. We had no idea what to expect when we packed up and left our life in Canada but look at us now!
• Save, save, save. Work your hardest to cut corners where you can and prepare your family’s finances to take on a large trip like this one around the world. Save as much as you’re able to and work your butts off just like we did. Before you know it, turning your dreams into reality will be possible.
• Do what’s right for you. Every person is different, and every family dynamic is different. This is how our family traveled but you may have your own way and that’s OKAY. We’ve said from the very beginning we like to march to the beat of our own drum and I strongly believe that has played in our favor as we explored the globe. Don’t compare yourself to others. If you want it bad enough, make a plan that works for you then do it!

 

Leaving our comfortable life behind to travel from continent to continent as a family of 6 wasn’t easy. There’s a misconception that Ryan and I just woke up one day with this brilliant idea then left without a second thought. Truthfully, the execution of this trip took a lot of hard work, effort, planning, research, saving, budgeting, and preparation to turn a fun idea into reality for our family.

 

Here’s the great news: your family can do it, too.

 

Anything is truly possible if you want it enough. I was the straight and narrow girl obsessed with job security and Ryan was the hands-on boss who couldn’t imagine leaving his business for a whole year. Both of us stepped out of our element and followed our hearts when finally deciding to embark on this journey as a family. We’ve both learned to embrace the spontaneity of travel and in our everyday lives as well.

 

If you’re yearning for a trip around the world, want to spend more time with your family, or just feel a strong desire to get out there and have an adventure like Ryan and I did, my hope is you find inspiration from our story to get out there and make some unforgettable memories of your own!