Thursday, February 3, 2011

"It's Time to Start Our Blog"

This comment was from Wilder in the car coming home from school. "You know, so we can start posting about our planning".  Start our blog? But we don't have an actual 'Round the World trip planned - we just have a sort of idea, a "wild hair idea" as I describe it to my friends, an idea I got in the shower and then couldn't believe I'd never thought of before.  Come to find out however I'm not the first to have the crazy idea - families are actually doing it!  All of my free time is currently consumed with reading their amazing blogs that detail the thrills and chills of their international journeys, and reading them to my family of course - thereby inspiring Wilder's conviction that it's time to start our own blog.  But a blog is such a BIG step! It feels like a commitment actually.  The more we talk about it, however, the more real it is starting to feel, despite a complete lack of planning or actual concrete actions taken.  OK, so here goes, perhaps this is the first concrete step now taken.

The idea is to take the next school year, 9-10 months beginning in August 2011, and travel the world together as a family, backpacking and traveling on the cheap and stopping to volunteer some too.  Other than endless blog reading thus far our planning has consisted of a loose calculation of whether we can afford it ( a tentative maybe with lots of ifs) and a lot of thought about how to deal with school as both kids are in high school and they don't want to come home a year behind. Curiously, once I had the idea and shared it with the family, we've spent very little time considering whether it is actually a good idea.  We are pretty much focused on whether or not we can make it happen.  We all seem to take for granted that it would be an amazing blessing, an opportunity not to be missed.  "Even the teenagers?" you say. Yes,  especially the teenagers!  Really, they are the most gung-ho, seeing only the upside.  Mark and I are the only ones who get distracted with the downside, the difficulties.  "But won't they miss their friends?"  Well yes, we all will.  I in particular have an amazing group of girlfriends that I am very attached to.  But the kids know, as I do, that we will keep in touch with our friends via this blog and also skype and that our friends will still be here when we get back.  We also hope some of our friends might manage to meet us in some far away place during the year.  Still I am proud of the kids.  I know not all teens would think a year traveling with their parents is a thrilling idea.  We'll see what they think when we get back!

So there it is.  Our first Blog post.  Our commitment.  August is 6 months away.  More to follow.

3 comments:

  1. Awesome idea!!! Of course you all will be missed tremendously .... but the time will fly!! Besides really pulling you tight as a family, it's an experience of a lifetime and there is no better education in the world!! :)

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  2. Carrie! Awesome idea! My wife and I (30 and 29) will start traveling on our first RTWT in July/August. We did 2/3 months in South America in 2005 and since then have been wanting to take a year long break.

    The thought occurred to me recently that I might not want to come back OR might want to continue traveling ... then thought about kids, and how they "hold you back", etc ... but then I find blogs like yours and of people who've done it ... and it gives me a realization that if we want it to happen, it will happen.

    Enjoy the travels and have a blast with your family!!

    Giovanni
    http://saragiovanni.com

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  3. Hi Giovanni, and thanks for the encouragement. We went from the germ of an idea to it's really gonna happen in less than two months. Our heads are still spinning, but we are very excited!

    Funny you mention South Africa since I've been working on that part of our trip for the past few days. Have any suggestions?

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