Overland with Kids

If we don’t go now, we never will ! ……………… (we’ll get too old and lazy!)….

If you asked us 20 years ago - this trip would have been a great excuse to get out of work and just go laze on a beach somewhere (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…….dreams of becoming professional beach-bums still linger!)

But now, it’s about what and how much we can get out of such a travel plan (well - with a little BB’ing now and again and the amazing opportunity get out of the daily grind and do something different - imagine - no work, no housekeeping, no school - not in the normal traditional in any case)

We have tons of other reasons too:

Andrew says:  ”26 years x 2 week breaks or 52 weeks in one year - you do the maths!”

Anne says: “Time is going by too quickly!”

More serious reasons:

• Perfect timing! - the ‘finance’ (never right but you have draw a line in the sand sometimes to just make it happen) , the ‘right time’ and being on the ’same plane’ (Anne has finally managed to brainwash Andrew). 
• Children’s ages and education schedule - children can’t be too young so they can’t remember and get little out of the trip or cannot read or write - nor do we feel they can be too much older where secondary school education starts to impact and feature more seriously - think they need to be settled then.  We feel confident in being able to do some formal as well as flexible home schooling at the age we are taking Jessica and AJ  but any younger/older, we think we would struggle.  Also children begin to form more permament friendships, confidences, interests and attitudes etc. in secondary school which we think could make it distressing/worrying to break - may well be unfounded but we don’t want to take the risk. We are not rich and still saving toward the trip (money goes out faster than we can save it!).

We are trying to finish our house so we can rent out - though we may have to face the prospect of selling to raise enough cash and freedom.

Freedoms - some good and several silly childish, non-grown up, things like:

• To have some ‘quality time’ together as a family and while our children still want to know us and spend time with us. Also as parents - while we are young and healthy and can still kick a football, swim, cycle and run etc.
• The excitement of not knowing (why did Hillary climb Everest? ….Because it was there!)
• How many miles is it from UK to Australia? - we feel sure we cover that in one year in East Anglia alone for work purposes - would be nice to travel that distance over a period of a year in a much more meaningful and memorable way
• To get outside our comfort zone - we can earn the right to be complacent when we’re old. If we don’t go, Anne will spend the budget on a house extension, replacement windows and a whole load of other material things we should really be doing at this time of our lives - then we’ll get too comfortable and won’t go anywhere
• So Anne can die happy knowing she achieved her (20+ year!) dream of long-term overland expedition type travel
• So Andrew can have ‘time’ to practise his hobby photography skills and watch the sunrise in differing parts of the world - oh! and ‘not’ have to habitually wake up to an alarm clock at 6am each day (true bliss)
• To have fun, meet new people, network, open up new opportunities, educate ourselves and increase our awareness of the world, experience differing environments, cultures and religions
• To see what we’re like as individuals and a family once everyday  pressures and routines have been stripped away
• To persuade our family and friends to come and join us to spend some time with us
• Never had the opportunity (money!) to ‘do it’ when we were younger (still don’t!!!)
• Over-landing across the world (or at least part of it) has been discussed for at least 15 years - so it has to happen!  - Due largely to timing, commitments (and cash) - cannot fail this time! - as we’ve learned we will always have these responsibilities - part of being grown-up’s - so now have to make it happen - before we can’t ”One life, Live it” as they say
• To have an excuse and reason for this website
• To show our children the world - or bring the world to them - ‘the world is our garden’
• So Anne can annoy Andrew for longer periods of time - think of all those daylight hours together! (Anne is really looking forward to this bit!)
• To obtain a happy and refreshed outlook on life and an immense feeling of ’sense of being’ - a real-life world education!
• To improve on our ‘togetherness’ and ‘connectedness’ as both a couple and as a family (i.e. end up killing each other somewhere in the desert /  bush or similar)
• Half-life break!
• Wanderlust!
• Just to spend time and be together (well, maybe more for Anne - not so sure about Andrew - he’s starting to look a bit worried at the prospect - think of all that ‘quality nagging’ time that Anne will have available!!!)…..giggles.