Do you ever dream of traveling the world? What about doing it with two small children in hopes to help raise worldly, caring, compassionate, empathetic human beings who will contribute to society and change the world?
Well, this has been our dream and we are making it come true! We have bought a 23 foot motor home to start on a 6 month journey from Edmonton, Canada, through the USA, Mexico and Central America. We are leaving for this journey on September 30th, 2017 and this will be the first of many world travels. And by the way, for all you carseat gurus like me, yes there are two shoulder belts with tether spots for forward facing carseats for when the kids get to go forward facing (yes my almost 5 year old is still rear facing!).
We have researched all the different vehicle options for accommodating us for six months in order to be safe, comfortable, fun, and have some comforts of home for the kids. We looked at conversion vans, minivans, truck and camper combos, our truck with a roof top tent, and motorhomes. Let me tell you that finding a vehicle that accommodates two car seats safely, provides comfort for all of us and places to sleep was very difficult! Most motorhomes only have one tether spot, if any! There are pros and cons to all types of vehicles. The cons with the motorhome are that it is wider than we hoped for, not 4×4, and it is not inconspicuous! But the pros are that the kids are safe, we have a separate bed from the kids, we have running water and a full bathroom, and it is comfortable! So the motorhome it was! Now we just need to name it and find a way to provide the kids (and is of course) with safe, clean water via a reverse osmosis filtration…any ideas any one?
Most people say to us “I wish I could do that,” or “man I envy you…I could never do that,” or “oh man that’s my dream!” We make our dreams our reality and you can too with a little innovation and brain storming.
We are a family of four who love nothing more than spending time together, going on adventures, and traveling. We have traveled lots independently, together as a couple before kids and also with the kids. I, AJ am a RN working in a rural Emergency room and on the sidelines I run a Beachbody fitness company called Beaches and Dreams. My husband, B is a paramedic on a First Nations Reservation close to where we live and works full time, which consists of two 24 hour shifts in eight days! How amazing is that…it’s like we are already semi-retired! Our youngest, Felix, turns 3 in October and is full of zest, vitality, adventure, curiosity but always loves a good snuggle (or in his words “a nuggle”). Our oldest daughter ‘Anela just turned 5 and loves to travel, dance, sing, and learn!
Speaking of learning, we will be adopting a form of home or should I say motor homeschooling while on the road. ‘Anela is going into kindergarten and will be learning culture, language, geography, surfing etc while living in our motor home! And of course, Felix and the rest of us will learn right alongside her! We get so many different reviews about what we are doing with our kids and so many times people say “but what about school?” As if traditional school is the only way to learn. I am confident our kids will learn more on the road with us at their side experiencing life first hand than sitting in a classroom.
Our long term goal is to educate and inform other families about travel with kids, where to go, where not to go and the hidden treasures we find! Over the months of our travels we will be continuing writing about our life on the road and hope to have you follow our adventures and learn how rewarding and amazing travel with kids can be! Life isn’t over after kids by any stretch of the imagination, it is just starting!
