Today our family celebrates 5 years of full-time travel!
Today we celebrate ourselves and our courage to let go of everything we knew, everything that made our life comfortable to set out into the unknown. We got out of our comfort zone with 3 young children (2, 8 and 9 at the time) to explore many different countries and their different cultures, languages, and traditions!
Just in our first year, which was the only one planned initially, we visited: Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Bhutan, India, United Emirates, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Uk, and Ireland!
Wow, that was a lot of world to cover in 12 months!
But the plan was to return and start a new life somewhere new….that did not happen!
Just three months into our travels, we all knew that we wanted to see more of the world.
Experience more of this lifestyle.
Spend more time together without returning to a comfortable and predictable lifestyle. We were not ready to give up the connection we had created in these first 12 months together 24/7. We wanted more time together! Does it sound a bit crazy? Probably!
So a new travel year started… fewer countries…there was no rush anymore, and there was no plan to end anytime soon. We started focusing more on learning about the country rather than visiting the major sites as a tourist…we began to let go of the tourist status and transform into travelers!
Then covid hit and slowed us down even more…that was ok! We were perfectly happy in our little apartment in Patan, Nepal. We were spending more time together and taking a break from being on the move for so long. We cooked, played, read, watched movies, wrote, and started our YouTube channel (In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is the link)!
Then a new way of travel started…different…a bit more challenging, with many rules and limitations. But we didn’t let that stop us!
That is when we welcomed Rainbow (our camper van) into the family. She gave us back our freedom to move around. It was a different pace and way of traveling, but it made us happy. Now we had a home again, not the traditional one, but it felt like home for us and still does today!
Then travel started returning to normal, more countries reopened, and we could finally start exploring and experiencing different parts of the world again! So yes, now it is more about experiencing places than just seeing them.
So today, we celebrate moving around the globe together as a family for 1826 days!
A few crucial years in the development of this incredible family life journey.
2010 – when we boarded a plane to move for good (after selling everything) to Phoenix, US, from Florence, Italy, with our 2 babies. Never in our wildest dreams would we have imagined that in 2023 we would be traveling in a camper van in the middle of the Netherlands, celebrating 5 years of exploring the world with a 7-year-old and 2 teens!!
This is incredible!
2017 – when we went on a bit of a life-changing trip to Thailand. This is where we came up with the crazy idea of selling everything (again) to set out to explore more of the world. Never would we have thought then that this would happen and for so long!
This is incredible!
2018 – when after selling our home and our stuff we jumped on a plane with a one-way ticket to Bali, Indonesia. We had a clear plan of traveling for 1 year. We never imagined then that our project would change radically and that we would still be on the move, exploring the world after 5 years!
This is incredible!
We have grown and changed a lot through these years of exploration, but not just because two of my kids already surpassed me in height!
When we started, we aimed to see as much as possible. But, to be fair, we thought it would be only a 1-year thing for a few months, so we had to see as much as possible!
Many people think we still move pretty fast now, but how we travel has changed a lot. We listen to our instinct more and don’t plan much when we get to a new country. We love to get suggestions from locals and find more unique things to see, especially if they are not popular with tourists! We also enjoy being in a place without really doing much! Does it make sense? First, we need to respect ourselves and what feels right to us as a family, which might not always make sense to others around us. But it feels good and makes sense to us!
We have learned to go with the flow more; when things don’t work out at the moment, it doesn’t mean they won’t happen; it simply means now is not the right time! We know it will happen, though!
We have always learned to respect new places we visit. We go in with an open mind and find our flow there. Sometimes their ways are similar to ours, and others they are very different. Yet, we still find our way and are open to learning more!
We have learned to be flexible. Plans change, unexpected things come up, and we are ok with that. We adapt and change direction without many regrets; there is a reason for everything!
We have learned to be curious! Every new place we visit has something incredible to teach us. A different way of life, other traditions, food, and language. So much to be curious about and so much new to add to your life!
In the end, this is our life experience. We have learned to follow our dreams, believe in them, and know they will happen. Sometimes it might not be in the instant we planned them, but they will come true; so our biggest tip is to keep believing in your dreams! Trust the process!
This is what we teach our kids every day.
This is what these 5 years of travel have been all about!
This is our life adventure!
Wishing you all to follow your dreams; and why not share them with those you love!
Cheers to our family of 5 traveling full time for 5 years!
Looking forward to seeing where the future brings us next!!!
The 5 World Explorers
