Ten tips to manage transition after long-term travel

“It is when we are in transitions that we are most completely alive.” William Bridges.

We have been back from our travels for six months. Yes, you heard that right. SIX MONTHS. Cannot quite believe it. Time is fickle. Some days it feels like it was only yesterday I was extracting a screaming toddler from a Vietnamese night train; body-boarding with my son in the warm waters of Costa Rica. On other days, it feels like it was all a dream.

Many long-term travellers experience a honeymoon period when they first come home. We were no different. But once the joyful family and friend reunions start to dry up and the questions about the trip cease, the silence can be deafening. Fellow travelling family Crayons and Carry-Ons recently wrote a blog post about coming home and it prompted me to share our experience too.  

Let’s just say the transition back to London life has been a journey, one we are still on. When the plane wheels hit the tarmac, it’s less about slotting neatly back into your old life and more about trying to carve out a new hole with a blunt knife. You may feel like a square peg in a round hole for a while. There is nothing neat about coming back. It’s messy, gritty and uncomfortable. Long-term travel awakens all sorts inside you and it takes a bit of time to work through all those feelings before returning to an even keel.

Ten tips to manage transition after long-term travel

For any of you wondering what it feels like coming back after such a long time away, or for those soon to head home after long-term travel, here are ten lessons I have learnt over the last six months. I hope it is useful. These are based on our own experience of coming back and although no two experiences are the same, I am sure you will find some nuggets in here to help you on your transition journey.

1.       Things might get worse before they get better: after the initial honeymoon period, things might get a bit tough. When you have done something as crazy and extraordinary as travelling the world for ten months, life back home can feel unnerving. There is nothing like full-time family travel to ground you firmly in the moment. It is only ever about the present and the near future when you are on the road with kids. When you get back home, you might be throwing yourself into a whole new career (that’s me!), you may well be trying to keep motivated in your old job, all the while not forgetting to keep a close eye on how the kids are handling things. Worry can start to creep in. Give yourself a break, try not to rush, there is lots to deal with when you get back. Surround yourself with people who will listen, who will remind you of your amazing endeavour. Transitions are a journey in their own right.

2.       Get help if you need it. If things get a bit much and you are struggling to adapt, don’t hesitate to ask for help. I ended up self-referring myself for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) a few months after I got back. I was really struggling with my negative thought patterns (why are we struggling so much? Have I screwed up the kids with this trip? Will I ever launch my business?) and needed a bit of help managing my worrying tendencies. It was a practical, six-week, self-help course with a therapist (face-to-face then on the phone) and one of the best post trip decisions I have made. Screw the stigma, get help if you need it.

3.       Find ways to celebrate your trip. Once you have bored your friends and family to death about your trip, you could start sharing it further afield. Writing is a great way to make sense of your trip and share it beyond you inner circle. I spent some time sharing our travel knowledge and inspiration for other websites (Seatkickers and Clementine to name a few) and I was interviewed for a few podcasts ( 87% and Travel Loving Mums). Your own blog and social media channels are also great ways to keep your trip alive - you will have accumulated enough memories to last a lifetime! At home we bring up our travels as much as we can. This can be through quick fire quizzes about the countries we visited, guessing where a particular funny (funny in hindsight!) event happened or just reminiscing over our photos. Do make an effort and print out some of your favourite pictures. It is so easy to leave them gathering digital dust on your hard drive.

4.       Don’t jump into anything new too soon. I made the mistake of thinking I would have my new multi-hyphen career up and running as quick as it would take to unpack my suitcase. That didn’t happen. I had doubts, my confidence took a knock, as I realised that it is only with time, thought, renewed focus and hard work that I will create my next career chapter. It takes a while to truly wriggle free of corporate life, even after a ten month career break. The consistency of pay, regular appraisal and pats on the back, teams to lift you and bounce ideas off are not easy to let go of. Making the decision to step off the corporate ladder with confidence is one thing, making a sustainable, meaningful living out of your true passion doesn’t happen over night. Join a freelance community, attend events, get a business coach. Keep going!

5.       Open dialogue with your childcare provider. Kids will surprise you. I was more worried about my spirited daughter starting her first year of primary school than about my son who was entering his final year. I had warned the school about my daughter’s sensory quirks and her spirited temperament before we arrived back in London. In the end, she was absolutely fine. While my focus was on one child’s transition, my son was struggling and needed more support settling back in. After months of loose schedules and thrilling experiences, sitting still on the carpet learning about prepositions wasn’t easy to get used to. Keep channels of communication open with the school. Chances are they haven’t dealt with this scenario before so work through practical solutions together.

6.       Be kind to yourself and others. By others here, I mean to your partner and kids. Everyone deals with transitions differently. Some will need more time than others. Accept the emotions; don’t try to rush through them too fast. Remind everyone, including yourself, that it is okay to feel a bit lost for a while. Long-term travel changes you. And while, as parents, you have more control over your post travel life, for kids they need to slot back in quickly to a rigid routine fairly quickly and they might struggle.

7.       Make space for your relationship. Travelling with kids for long periods of time takes its toll on your relationship. Unless you had some help along the way or had the budget for regular kids’ clubs you might not even remember what it is like to be alone with your other half. Now you are back at home, it is a good idea to plan some time away (an evening, an afternoon or even better a whole weekend). Alternatively, if you can work flexibly, why not work from home the same day and make up some lost one-to-one time. Invest time in your relationship.

8.       Get stuck into a new house project We put quite a few house projects on hold for a few years as we saved for our trip. It is quite satisfying to start on a small house project now that we are back. I received some tax-back money at the end of last year, so we have a small budget to refurbish our family bathroom. It is a great family talking point and pulling up the smelly grey bathroom carpet (I know.. who has carpet in their bathroom?) is definitely something to look forward to in our household. Living out of a suitcase for so long has given us all a renewed sense of pride in our house. Cherish it, invest in it even if you only have a small budget.

Grace during our recent break to Sweden.

9.       Plan your next getaway. If travelling with kids hasn’t put you off holidays for life, getting another holiday in the diary can be a great way to shake of those post travel blues. Some of the families we made friends with along the way are already planning a second big trip. Budgets might be tight so that option might not be for everyone. You can always stay closer to home and plan a camping weekend or a city-break. Visiting friends and family is another cost-effective way of travelling as you can forfeit the accommodation costs. We recently visited our friends in Sweden for a few days. They were more than happy to put us up for a few nights and we covered flight costs and split food costs. Small trips with the kiddos will feel like a piece of cake after family gap year!

10.   Buy a puppy. This is optional of course! But working well for us. We love animals and had pets as kids. We befriended lots of furry friends throughout our trip and decided after quite a bit of thought to take the plunge. There is nothing like a puppy to keep everyone’s mind firmly in the present - which is what we need right now. I am calling it fluffy mindfulness. It has been great for the kids, not so much for our slippers…

If you have other thoughts on coming home after a break away (travel or other) please share in the comments below would love to hear from you!

My upcoming travel course How to travel the world with kids covers all the aspects travel operators won’t tell you, including how to prepare you for your transition back home. You will not want to plan your trip without it. Click here for more information. Discount rate of £55 for the first ten sign-ups.

Puppies are fluffy mindfulness - Alexandra Palace Park, London, UK.

Seven ways to keep your cool when travelling with kids

Travelling long term with kids is not all plain sailing folks. It requires MENTAL RESILIENCE and unfortunately you can’t buy that on amazon before you leave.

The only information I read before leaving London for our ten-month world tour was along the lines of…don’t worry about the kids they are more resilient and adaptable than you think. That is certainly true but what about the parents?

We learned the hard way and - as those of you who have been following our world adventures for a while will know - we navigated our fair share of rough waters along the way.

Mental health and travelling

So, in celebration of mental health awareness week, here are my top tips for keeping your shit together when travelling long term with kids.

Travelling is not all smiles (Merida, Mexico).

1. Lower all expectations of a perfect family holiday. Your kids will moan. Your kids will have public meltdowns. Your kids will be bored. Your kids won’t want to get on the train. Your kids will spend too much time on their electronics some days. It’s all fine. Breathe. Learn to move on from a set-back. See point three.

2. If you start feeling anxious, stop looking at perfect travelling families on Instagram. Instagram is not real – everyone is no doubt losing their shit behind the scenes. My most honest and vulnerable accounts of our lows always received high engagement. I got lots of messages from travelling families feeling the same pain. But you wouldn’t have thought they were having anything but a fantastic time based on their feed.

3. Start using meditation or hypnotherapy apps NOW to practice forms of mindfulness so you learn how not to lose your shit when you are sweating like a pig in 40 degrees heat, in a remote railway station in Vietnam, trying to tame your tsunami toddler. I discovered Clementine App along the way, a pocket therapy app aimed at women. I still use it now.

4. Split up…not literally obviously. If you are travelling with more than one kid, don’t be afraid to split into teams. One parent and a child do one thing, the other parent and your other kid(s) do something else and you all meet back up at the end of the day. We spent many a happy day not being all together.

5. Uplifting podcasts are your friend. Subscribe and download some uplifting or brain numbing (whatever floats your boat) podcasts. They are a great way to get perspective. I listened to Rachel Nielson’s 3 in 30 podcast religiously along the way to alleviate the mum guilt. Podcasts are free and downloadable. They also have many children’s podcasts, a great alternative to screens.

6. But there are also real friends. Call them. It’s not because you are doing something amazing that you will be on top of the world every day. Your trip is not a failure because you are not enjoying every minute of it. Travelling 24/7 with your family can narrow your perspective on things. Talking to someone living in the real world back home really helps.

7. Spend some time alone. The wholly grail of travelling with kids but hard to come by. Organise some me time. An hour, a morning or hell a whole day. You will be a better parent for it. Take it in turns, weave it into your schedule. Plan your budget so you can check in to a few hotels with kids’ clubs along the way to give both parents a break TOGETHER.

Learn how to plan your dream world trip with kids

Talking about mental health and travelling…my new online course: How to travel the world with kids includes a whole section about preparing for the mental challenge of travelling long term with your children. Set yourself up for success. Pre-book your spot now.

Taking a moment to myself in San Francisco. USA.

Travelling the world was cheaper than our life in London

It might come as a surprise to many of you but travelling the world for ten months with our two children actually worked out cheaper than our life in London.

We talked to Katie Binns from The Sunday Times, Money section about how we financed our trip and compared it to our spending before we left the UK.

Tip: if you are thinking about planning a world family trip, start pouring over your finances now to identify any areas where you can start to cut spending. Trust me there will be.

Travelling the world with allergies

We travelled the world for 10 months with our three year old daughter who is allergic to eggs, nuts and avocado. It was hard but don’t let allergies stop you. With the right research and translation apps, you can do it too. We had one serious incident in Cuba. I wrote an article about it for Allergic Living check it out.

San Francisco with kids: the good, the bad and the ugly

San Francisco is a great place to take kids. Once you are there mind you, as it’s a hell of a long flight. Our maiden world trip voyage was 11 hours and included a full 15-minute scream-off during our ascent. Grace was reluctantly held down in her seat to stop her unbuckling. She was adamant her seat belt should go across her shoulder, like in a car. Her reluctance was vocal to the delight of our fellow flyers. Along the way, we dodged a few egg-allergy scares, but thanks to modern in-flight entertainment and plenty of snacks, we made it to San Francisco.

Our stay in San Francisco was baked in new beginnings and high expectations. Expectations that we have gradually adjusted over the last few months, as those of you who follow us on Instagram will know. If you have exhausting weekends at home with the kids, then don’t think they will turn into docile little angels once hit the road. They won’t.

David, Grace and Aidan in front of Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco.

We made the budget conscious decision to stay in Outer Sunset, a 30-40 minutes tram way away from downtown San Francisco. Our Airbnb was close to the beach and to the Golden Gate Park, not to be confused with The Golden Gate Bridge. It was misty and quite frankly cold on the beach in early September, but kids never seem to care about that sort of thing and happily ran in and out of the white ocean foam until their lips were blue.

San Francisco sandwiched our RV trip and returning from three weeks on the road meant choosing another place to stay before we headed to New York. After three weeks in our camper van we opted for a hotel, Cova Hotel in the Tenderloin district. Despite the area’s gritty reputation, it has a genuine charm and gives you a taste of the real San Francisco. The hotel was good value and offered a free wine hour every evening on the roof terrace – exactly what we needed after a day of tears, tantrums and egg-free food hunts across downtown San Francisco.

This was our second trip to San Francisco but our first with the two monsters in tow. These are their top picks.

Aidan taking in the views during our bike ride across the Presidio.

Aidan met ex-Alcatraz prisoner William Baker on the ferry back to San Francisco.

Top 10 San Francisco Experiences with Kids:

1. Bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. Rent your bikes at The Sports Basement from Presidio. They have great selection of bikes, as well as bike seats for younger children. Aidan had an absolute blast on his mountain bike. We rented the bikes for three hours and rode all away around the Presidio area, over the bridge and back. Riding over the bridge can be quite hectic. If only one lane is open, traffic goes both ways for pedestrians and cyclists, combined with the wind and noise from the heavy traffic, it was quite the adrenaline rush, so be prepared. It’s also a steep climb up on the bike to the bridge.

2. Exploratorium - got this tip from one of our fellow travelling Instagram families. Well worth the $20-30 entrance fee. We spent hours here making our way through the different interactive exhibits. Shame Grace decided the most interesting thing to interact with were the fire extinguishers. There is a decent shop there too with science themed toys and books. We picked up some awesome play-dough (Mad Matter), which has become a firm favourite with the kids and is still going strong. There is a nice burger and chips place onsite too with yummy fries!

3. Sea Lions on Pier 39 - a classic but not to miss if you have the kids with you. You can smell them before you see them. It’s free, but the walk to the sea lions could knock you back a few dollars. With souvenir shops, ice cream stalls and merry-go-rounds, it will be hard to resist the pleading whines from the kids. If you want to make a B-line straight to the sea lions without the commercial distractions, there is a more direct and therefore cheaper route so take note.

4. Alcatraz - great for older kids - but plenty of space to run around for boisterous toddlers too and if you are lucky you can leave one of them there! Whatever the season, the notorious prison is a firm favourite with tourists so make sure you book in advance. Would recommend booking online although you can always rock up to buy tickets on the pier but you will rarely get same day tickets. The climb to the prison itself is easy enough and we took our pushchair despite some comments online suggesting not to. Bring snacks as food is only available during the short ferry ride to and from the island. The audio tour is included in the ticket price and our eldest lapped it up. We took the 2.40 pm ferry and it gave us plenty of time to do the tour and get back to the pier in time for the last ferry back around 6pm. In high season would probably recommend taking an earlier ferry, as the crowds build quite quickly after lunch, but as we went in September, the afternoon slots were not too busy. We booked with Alcatraz Island Tickets - fast response time.

5. San Francisco Library This was not a planned stop but with the main library ideally situated across from the Helen Dillier Playground (see recommendation 10), it is an ideal place to have some quiet time (yeah right), check out the great kids’ selection and stop for a free toilet break. They also have a second hand book stall at one of the entrances where you can pick up your next holiday read, as well as drop off books you have already read.

6. China Town - stroll through San Francisco China Town and you will be guaranteed some free entertainment. From bubble tea and exotic vegetable stalls to pet shops, without forgetting the Asian architectural touches, kids might just shut up for a few minutes and take the unfamiliar in.

7. Cable Car - another classic - a bit confusing to navigate the first time. Would recommend to get on it at first or last stop - especially with kids, as mid journey it is often packed and you might struggle to get your brood and toddler paraphernalia on quick enough. You can buy your fare in the cable car itself from the conductor or stock up on some pre-paid fares with the pretty decent San Francisco transport app Muni . If you have a pushchair, fold it before you board and they will store it at the back of the cable car for you. Be warned no snacks allowed - with some discretion I did manage to slip a few in our restless toddler’s mouth. Also from experience make sure all small children have had a wee beforehand. Don’t ask.

8. Friends of Joe DiMaggio Playground- amazing park in North Beach for keeping kids entertained for a good few hours. Really well set up. They also have a community centre on site where you can pop in and play (toys available). There are also a couple of ping-pong tables inside but be warned they are very popular with the elderly Chinese community and we didn’t get a look in! Was just as fun watching them though. There is also an indoor pool onsite - which we discovered too late - but you could combine the park with a dip.

9. Helen Dillier Civic Centre Playground - futuristic playground located opposite the main San Francisco Library (see recommendation 5). There are two semi-connecting playgrounds with some pretty impressive slides. Not much shade for the little ones. Plenty to explore visually around the area with San Francisco City Hall and the Asian Art Museum all within a stone’s throw.

10. Tenderloin Rec Centre - in our desperate search for a kids’ playground near our hotel in Tenderloin district we stumbled across this park/children’s centre. It has a decent size play area outside, as well as an outdoor enclosed football pitch - quite a rare find in the USA. You want to get a real taste of the area, this is where to go. There are a lot of disadvantaged kids here, including refugees with a lot of their plate. It is run by volunteers and clearly underfunded. A lot of local parents drop off their kids here for a few hours knowing they are in safe hands. Don’t look the other way. Drop by. Be kind, be patient, smile and you got yourself a hell of a soccer match on your hands.

How to travel the USA in an RV with kids?

We did it. We survived three weeks in an RV with kids. And everyone is still alive. Only just though… We had a blast and saw so much. It was tough. It was intense. Talk about jumping in the deep end. There were plenty of times when we asked ourselves: “Why the hell didn’t we start with something more relaxing?” Three weeks on a beach somewhere for example - ease our way into our new nomadic lifestyle. I am telling you now, there were plenty of times when we wanted to give up and come home. I locked myself in the tiny RV loos – the only room with a lock – when the going got tough, biting the inside of my cheek not to scream. But with 2200 miles and four American National Parks under our belt I couldn’t be prouder.

Apologies. It has taken a while to update our blog .The US’ National Parks have the most humbling landscapes but do not boast the best connectivity. We have been documenting our adventures on Instagram quite prolifically though, WIFI permitting, so if you want to have a behind-the-scene, unedited peak of our road trip, do check us out @world_family_trip.

Waiting a few weeks to share our trip so far does have its advantages. It gives us time to reflect on what we have accomplished without the rawness...cheek is still sore. Nobody said it was going to be easy. Toddlers are notoriously fickle, and we have a true champion in that area. We have had tears, tantrums and levels of stubbornness I thought could not be reached. We have shouted, made up, threatened and bribed our way out of situations. But we have also had laughs, smiles and witnessed truly draw-dropping landscapes, making memories we will never forget.

Katie, Aidan and Grace at The Grand Canyon

Travelling in an RV is cost effective if you want to cover a lot of ground. But it still cost us more than we thought and our three-week road-trip tipped our US month 1 budget slightly over the £5,000 mark. As true RV rookies, we made mistakes so here are some tips, advice and information if you are considering undertaking a similar journey or just curious about how the hell we pulled it off.

Top Ten Tips for Stress-Free RV travel with Kids:

1. Book RV camping spots in National Parks well in advance. Some of the most popular ones sell out six months in advance. All campgrounds within the Parks need to be booked via the official government website . If you are going to visit more than two National Parks is it more cost effective to buy the annual National Park Pass at $80, as each Park will set you back between $20-35. You will struggle to buy it online before you go as you need a US address but you can purchase it at the first Park you rock up to.

2. Check whether you have full hook-up at RV sites. We had no real idea what this meant when booking up our RV spots in the National Parks 6 six months ago. Basically, if you do not have a hook-up, you are self-sufficient. You use the water in your tank and can rely on the generator for electrically items like toaster and microwave. Generator use is limited though at most parks to certain times of the day as they are noisy as hell. National Parks RV sites tend not to have full hook-up sites, although you can empty your grey water (sink, shower) and black water (you don’t want to know but it involves gloves) and fill up on fresh water.

3. Check out all the terms and conditions of your rental insurance before you head out. Sounds like a no-brainer but we needed to purchase additional insurance at the counter, as it transpired our package did not include third party collision. Also, be clear what is NOT included in the insurance. Despite us taking out all possible insurance for our RV, if you damaged the overhead cabin, bumper or the underbelly of the vehicle you would have to pay repairs. We ended up damaging the back corner of the RV during a particular stressful U-turn and fretting about it for the rest of the trip. In the end we paid a small $75 accident fee. I would recommend writing all the questions down before instead of trying to think on the spot during on RV pick up when you have a snotty toddler stuck to your leg.

4. If you are travelling with kids, plan a few nights at RV campgrounds with swimming pools. While you will rarely find them inside National Parks, breaking up lengthy journeys with more family friendly campsites with pools and playgrounds is so worth it. The pools made all the difference to the kids and we all let of steam in the water. KOA campgrounds are particularly family-friendly, although check prices before as some can be super pricey as we found out at Santa Cruz. Ouch.

5. Check out shuttle bus services in the National Parks before you head out. While some of the more popular National Parks like Grand Canyon have free shuttles services running most of the year others like Sequoia stop running at the end of the summer, which means you will need to get around daily in your RV…a hassle. And remember not all roads and parking lots in National Park are RV friendly.

6. Plan your supermarket stops and stock up on groceries way before you hit a National Park. Firstly, because convenience stores inside National Parks are even more pricey than your standard Walmart. Secondly, once you have parked your RV at the campsite - which can be an event in itself if you opt for a beast like we did - you will not want to go driving around with it daily to find shops. Good bets are Walmart, Trader Joe and the Family Dollar depending on your budget.

7. Be prepared to be without internet/phone access for days at a time. In the bigger parks, like Yosemite and Grand Canyon, you sometimes get access at Visitor Centres but most of the time you will be offline. Don’t rely on your phones for information and have change for payphones or ask nicely to use one at a store or campsite – they said yes both times I tried. Stock up on kids movies and e-books for road-trip screen-time before you set off when you have decent WIFI. #lessonlearned

8. Get the kids involved with Junior Ranger packs freely available throughout National Park Visitor Centres, but don’t get your hopes up they will probably only complete a third of it and never get their ranger badge. #boring

9. Bring travel anti-stain with you for when your toddler scribbles on the seats and other soft-furnishing and put your toothpaste to good use when you realised you have scratched the outside of the vehicle. It is great for attenuating scratch marks.

10. Snacks. Bring plenty to keeps hands and mouths busy while on the road. And never underestimate how many snacks you will need. Our favourites were Pretzel sticks, fruit pouches, Ritz cheesy biscuits - we went through a hell of a lot of those.

Aidan all smiles.

Grace at a pit stop in Arizona.

Three week US road trip itinerary:

California - Nevada - Arizona - California

• Yosemite: Three nights. One night at Crane Flat Campground , two nights at North Pines Campground. Ideally we would have stayed three nights at North Pines as it is in the Valley where all the sights are but we only managed availability for two nights so stayed just outside the Valley for our first night. Cold nights - ended up all in the same bed. Patchy phone reception.

• Sequoia National Park: Three nights at Lodgepole Campground. Shuttle bus stops running after US Labour day - literally a few days before we got there. Cold nights. No phone reception.

• Death Valley: Three nights at Stovepipe Wells . Basically a hotel with outdoor pool as well as RV camp spots. General store and restaurant. No fresh food in the store though only tins and dried food. Check whether your RV rental will let you into Death Valley, as it is so hot some companies have date restrictions as the heat takes its toll on the A/C unit. WIFI near reception no phone coverage.

• Las Vegas: Two nights at Sam’s Town KOA Campground with pool and free shuttle bus the strip. As we were with the kids we did not get the chance to gamble so we went to the Advenduredome instead. Check out if you can find any coupons for discounts in any of the local ad material to get reduced entrance fee. WIFIand phone coverage.

• Grand Canyon: Three nights at Trailer Village RV Park. Decent supermarket not far and WIFI at main reception. Shuttle buses take you straight from the Trailer Village to the South Rim sights so no navigating the Canyon with your RV.

• Los Angeles: Two nights at the Golden Sore RV Park in Long Beach pricey compared to some but near the water and has a pool. Quite a walk to the beach though. Good phone reception.

• Pismo: Two nights in Pismo Coast Village RV Park great for kids with pool and playground. Beach within walking distance with swings on the sand. Restaurant and convenience store on site. WIFI and phone reception.

• Big Sur: Two nights in Plaskett Creek Campround - very basic, no WIFI or phone reception. Not far from beach but long stairs down and up.

• Santa Cruz: Last night in KOA Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay Campground , pricey, the most expensive RV park we stayed at but loads of great facilities for kids including pool, bouncy cushion, bikes and crazy golf. And was conveniently only a few hours drive to Oakland near San Francisco to drop off the RV.

Renting an RV

RV stands for recreation vehicle, basically a camper van. It is big business in the US. They have a huge country and they provide real convenience at relatively low cost if you consider the equivalent price of renting cars and paying for accommodation. We booked through Travel Nation the guys who helped us organise our world trip flights. They recommended Apollo RV – one of the bigger renters of recreation vehicles in the US and to be fair we struggled to find a better deal. We rented a 30 ft Winnebargo paradoxically called Minnie Winnie. It was approximately £2000 for three weeks rental. We opted for a Value Pack which included all the basics inside the RV and as well as unlimited mileage. We paid extra for unlimited generator use but probably could have done without as only rarely used it. It felt like we had to fill up the tank a lot and although petrol or gas is cheaper in the US we spent about £600 on petrol alone.

So there you have it, our road-trip in a digital nutshell. Travelling in an RV with kids is possible, with patience, snacks and plenty of wine.

How do you plan your around the world trip?

David deep in planning.

Now the dust has settled on us actually leaving London for a year, the conversations are evolving from wow to how...is the planning going? I have already explained how we funded it but how we are planning it now the flights are booked is a whole new ball game.

The truth is I feel like we haven't planned much at all. In three months we will be stepping on a plane to San Francisco for our maiden world trip flight and we have only fragments of bookings and plans. We are struggling to make the time with two full time jobs and two full on kids.

Despite having presented a few weeks ago on the risks of planning technology projects too far out and the benefits of agile planning, starting small, thinking big I am still #freakingout!

How much planning should we have done by now? How comfortable would you feel with our current level of planning? Be honest... And if you have any recommendations, advice or both do please use the comment section to let us know, let's call it crowd-planning!

USA: OK so our first week in San Francisco is booked with Airbnb - that was relatively straight forward. We used Travel Nation to book the RV for our three week Californian road trip, as it was cheaper than all the deals we saw online. We know where we are heading and how many nights we are staying in each location. We naively had a Jack Kerouac-esque ideal of this leg but in reality there is very little freedom to stop where you want at short notice. We did manage to book RV campsites for the most popular National Parks with sufficient notice to secure a few nights in the likes of Yosemite, Death Valley and Grand Canyon but it was tight, they literally get booked up months in advance. 

We have nothing booked for our week in New York. Travel Nation have given us a quote for a car rental from New York as we will be making our way to Canada by car.

Canada: checked average prices for accommodation on Airbnb for Montreal. Got from trusted source that it is not easy or cheap to rent a car in USA and drop it off in Canada so might need to hop over the border to Toronto from Buffalo if we decide to go to Niagara Falls. However we were really keen to go to Vermont from New York too to see the leaves and that is kind of in the opposite direction so need to figure that one out.

Nicaragua: Bought the guide book... does that count? 

Costa Rica: Bought the guide book (a combined Nicaragua/Costa Rica) and has conversation with colleague at work about suggested places to visit.

Cuba: Checked out some suggested routes for 16 days, looked at Airbnb prices although restrictions on internet in Cuba means we might need to sort out accommodation sooner rather than later.

Mexico: Booked first night in Cancun and then 12 days for Christmas and New Year in Tulum. Loads of recommendations given by friends and colleagues on suggested places to visit. We are in Mexico for 7 weeks. Looked at bus journeys and places to avoid in car rentals

Hawaii: No planning baby, just dreaming...

Japan: Conversations with colleagues over suggested routes for a three week stay. Flicked through Hector Garcia's A Geek in Japan at a friend's house this weekend. Researched average accommodation prices.

China/Hong Kong: Great advice and recommendations from a colleague at work on suggested itineraries for our month trip and what to expect at a Chinese train station! 

Vietnam: No real planning, plan to head over the border to Laos. Hoping we will have not run out of money by then.

Kenya: I mean this is more than a year away from now! But due to age restrictions on safaris - although I am sure the lions will be more scared of Grace than she of them - we have had a quote for a two night safari and will no doubt book that this week. Also figured out how long we will stay in Nairobi and decided we would head to Mombasa on the coast for a week or so on our way through Kilimanjaro. Also due to the need for the Yellow Fever vaccine in Kenya we have had to do a lot of research for Grace as there is a risk to egg-allergy sufferers as the vaccine is grown on hen egg embryos (more on how to travel with a kid with allergies in future posts!).

Greece: Had some great Greek island recommendations from a mum from Grace's nursery. I should really not be worrying this far ahead.

There you have it, out planning so far. 

How to quit your job to travel world?

So how do you quit your job to travel the world? The simple answer is you resign. It feels awesome! In reality there are more things to consider. When to tell your boss? What impact will resigning have on your career? Will they take me back? Does the company have sabbatical schemes? If your mind is made up, don't overthink things too much (she says totally overthinking the whole process!).

Here is the disclaimer : I am writing this post having recently quit my job to travel the world so I am still on a high. In reality we are still in London as D-day is in four months time (yikes!). I am basing my post on my current experience and advice I have been given since I quit. 

When to tell your boss?

I booked the tickets for our world trip end of January and I told my boss shortly after. I could have waited until the legal three month notice period kicked in, in my case early June, but giving your company plenty of time to digest the information and plan for your replacement shows good intent. I am currently working on a critical project for the company with sizeable investment behind it. But leaving a role gives other employees opportunities to grow. In my case, my boss embraced he news. He was genuinely happy for me and encouraged me to take full advantage of my year away to regroup and prioritise.

What impact will it have on my career? 

Leaving your job behind takes courage and don't forget that. It shows confidence, commitment and initiative. Even though it might feel like the scariest thing (which it definitely does!) take a step back and look at ways your adventure will add to your CV. Careers are being redefined. There is no longer one template of work satisfaction and success. The lines between work and home life are blurred. There is so much planning involved and therefore a number of skills you will demonstrate before and during such a trip, whether it is a year or 6 weeks away from the daily grind. Social media is supporting the rise of a new tribe of digital nomads who are rewriting the rule book of what is a job. Since we started this blog and our associated Instagram account we have discovered hundreds of couples, families, singletons travelling the world and living of their adventures. There is some serious hard work involved and we are still figuring our how we might monetise our year away but the possibilities are out there so watch this space...

Whilst you will no doubt need a settling-in period on your return, don't let anyone tell you that you will need another year to achieve your next career goal. It is all about the story, as my boss always says, you need to come back and clearly position yourself for your next move if that is your goal. I have been on two maternity leaves (9 months the first time and 11 months the second time) during my time with my current company and you do not come back brain dead (although for those of you who have taken time off to look after kids it might have sometimes felt that way!).

Will they take me back?

If you have a good relationship with your company and are valued there is no reason why they will not take you back. It is hard to recruit good people and if you have a solid track-record it will be an easy choice for your employer to take you back. Depending on your company you might have a sabbatical or career break schemes you can take advantage of. More and more companies are offering this possibility to employees as they embrace a more holistic approach to careers. But if your company doesn't offer such schemes it is still worth knocking back at their door when you are back. 

I have been with the same company for over 8 years and it is scary as hell thinking about having to find a new job when I come back if I decided not to return to my current company or if they decided not to take me back. But I am telling myself to take things one thing at a time. 

Have you thought about quitting the day job to take some time out? What is holding you back? Would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

Test travel with toddler in Toulouse

So for Easter we flew to Toulouse in the South of France to see my little bro. Our World Family Trip is made up of 15 flights so we thought it would be prudent to do a test run. Let's just say we have our work cut out. Flying with a toddler, you hear about it, you read about it, you expect the worse but secretly hope for the best.

This was Grace's second flight but her first since hitting the terrible twos. I think Aidan was the only sane one left when we arrived at our destination. First hurdle was baggage drop off. Grace had a melt down when she could not drop off her Hello Kitty mini-wheeled suitcase at the baggage drop-off. It was her carry-on with toys for the flight. A full-on tantrum. David then darts outside for his last cigarette before security and I am literally stuck. Aidan is pretending he doesn't know us. I resort to leaving her rolling around on the floor while I continue to walk, hoping she will realise we are gone and snap out of it.

To be honest, I have tried that tactic before with Grace, so should have known it would not work. All good tantrums come to an end and we finally manage to get through security with only one incident, which involves Grace freaking out at the full body scan she is asked to comply to- I mean they actually ask her to spread arms and legs - as David had forgotten he was carrying loose change in his pocket when he went through the metal detector with Grace in his arms.

Next stop, the small miserable cafe where they sell bottles of water at £3.00 just near the boarding gate. Grace spills the contents of her snack box all over the floor to the waitress' despair, not on purpose mind you. Last pit stop before we board, the ladies, which involves me weeing at 100 miles and hour while Grace waits outside the cubicle (couldn't keep her inside with me as she kept opening the door as I was pulling my trousers down). I keep a close eye on her little red shoes from under the door. I rush out and am trying to wash my hands when she runs out of the exit. Next thing I hear is a security alarm going off. She made the wrong turn out of the toilets and attempted to enter an Authorised Personnel Only area.

As we make our way back to the waiting area she spots an assistance buggy. I should have read the signs. We walk past it, hand in hand, and she acts casual but her gaze lingers. She loves getting into the driving seat in our car. It takes ages to get her out as she re-enacts the journey home from the nursery, hands on the wheel, indicators and windscreen wipers blazing.

Back at the airport, her grip loosens and she makes a bee-line for the empty buggy. Next thing she is in the driving seat pressing all sorts of buttons with one hand firmly on the steering wheel. I have to literally sprint to reach her in time before she starts the buggy. 

Oh and this is all before we even get on the plane. I am a wreck by the time the seat-belt signs come on. David and I, who have spent the whole journey staring at each other aggressively mumbling under our breath "how will we survive a whole year???!!" and "whose bloody idea was this all anyway???!!" have a debrief that evening: we are buying reins... basically a lead for turbulent toddlers.

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How do you afford to travel the world for a year?

The question everybody is too polite to ask : how do you afford to travel the world for a whole year? It would certainly be the first question entering my mind. I have no interest in keeping you guessing, no interest in making anyone feel financially inadequate. We decided to book through a specialist travel agency Travel Nation. We had in mind around £5,000 per ticket, a bit less for the kids. Travel Nation were fantastic. They have access to so many flights and get great deals for bulk booking. The final adult ticket price was £3,610 each, £2,790 each for Aidan and Grace and wait for it... that includes all the flights through the following cites and countries:

1. San Francisco (USA)

2. New York (USA)

3. Montreal (Canada)

4. Managua (Nicaragua)

5. San Jose (Costa Rica)

6. Havana (Cuba)

7. Cancun (Mexico)

8. Mexico City (Mexico)

9. Los Angeles (USA)

10. Hawai (USA)

11. Tokyo (Japan)

12. Beijing (China)

13. Hong Kong (China)

16. Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)

17. Nirobi (Kenya)

18. Athens (Greece)

Fact 1: As you can see, a round the world ticket is not as expensive as you might think. If you are with kids, you want to move around and do no want the stress of booking the next flight whilst on the road,  I would definitely consider a specialist travel agency. Travel Nation are used to crafting family trips and whether you are considering 3 months or a year, they will help you, advise you and most importantly give you plenty of time to make those crucial final decisions when it comes to destinations.

Fact 2: We have not spent the last 10 years of our lives saving for this type of trip. We have savings, sure, but no where near enough to fund a whole year aboard. We have well paid jobs but live in London where nursery fees for Grace are higher than our mortgage. We did borrow money to fund the dream.

Fact 3: We borrowed the money against our house. We own our now 3 bed semi-detached house in Wood Green, North London. We bought it in 2012 for £315,000. We completed a loft conversion (forever grateful dad!) in 2014/15 (see before and after pictures below). The London property market took care of the rest with our borough, Haringey, even bucking the recent cool-down in the capital. When our mortgage came up for renewal at the end of 2017, the value of our house had comfortably increased so we asked for £80,000 in additional borrowing.

We are aiming to leave with around £55,000 for the four of us for 11 months. We think that is enough but honestly we are not sure. 

So this trip started with a dream, but was funded by hard work and property luck.

Here are a few websites and blogs helping us calculate our family world trip budget:

• Budget your trip
• A little adrift

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And so the adventure begins

Welcome to our World Family Trip blog. Our tickets are booked and the countdown has begun. On the 1st September 2018 we are leaving London for a year to explore the world with our two kids in tow. I still cannot quite believe I am writing this. David and I have been talking about doing a world trip for a few years and in January we made that enormous first step and booked the tickets. The time was right. For our year away, our eldest would be in Year 5 (no exams) and our youngest, not yet in school. 

Why are we leaving London behind? To live on our own terms. To relax into family life. To push ourselves out of our routine and to explore other countries and cultures. In other words, to have the adventure of a lifetime. We have still so much to plan and prepare and sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the magnitude of what we are about to do that my stomach is in knots but I am so proud of us. There is one thing to want to quit the day job to travel the world it's another thing to actually book the tickets and say we are doing this. The weeks following the booking were liberating. Talk about New Year's resolutions, this was a big one ticked off by the end of January.

We decided to start this blog before leaving, as there is so much to share in the run up to our very own World Family Trip. Our doubts, our dreams, our decisions and our dreads (how will our feisty Grace behave? is a biggie). My mum sent us this card (see image above) as soon as we broke the news... And so the adventure begins.