Welcome to "Family Travel" first of many interviews with traveling families experiencing an extraordinary life.
I hope to do an interview with a different traveling family every month.
Today I'm very excited to introduce you my friend Ruth from "Exploramum & Explorason".
Intro:
"I’m a single older Mum from Australia, and I have been traveling with my son around the world.
We have been traveling 22 months to 23 countries so far. We do not have a mapped out route of where we travel. We talk and work that out as we go.
We love to focus on Random Acts of Kindness when we travel. So we have sold our home, car, most of our possessions, and we have left our old life in Australia behind for now. We support ourselves with our savings. We have no income, but we aim to use our blog to fund our travels.
It is a great way to also educate my son.
Travel for us is not just about seeing. It is about making a difference too.
The more we give, the more we want to give.
It has become our addiction – to put a smile on a face.
To say “we care”."
Interview:
1. What was your travel style like before you had children?
I am a single parent now, and prior to having my son I
was not single - we were a couple. we had rather expensive taste, and tended to
splurge on luxury hotels and resorts.
2. What ages were your children when you started travelling with them?
My son was 6 weeks old when he had his first flight
and regularly travelled thereafter as his grandparents lived in another state
in Australia. His first overseas trip was to a resort in Fiji when he was a
toddler.
3. How long have you been traveling for and what countries have you
explored?
I have been traveling with my son to 44 countries on
THIS particular trip and we are in our 3rd year. It includes the Pacific,
North, Central and South America, UK, Europe and Eastern Europe to Turkey.
4. You follow an unschooling or homeschooling approach for education?
We used to follow a regimented homeschooling program
but it became to unrealistic to expect my son to explore the world, and then to
put his head in a book. We discovered world-schooling and have never looked
back.
5. Why did you decide that exposing your children to travel was
important?
Travel is important. Firstly the bond and experiences
are shared between parent and child. But the world becomes our
living classroom.
6. Can you tell us how your traveling
lifestyle has enhanced his education?
My son knows the value
of money for starters. He understands the rising and falling US dollar. His
geography is fantastic. He can lead the way and draw a map on any underground
or subway system. Not to mention he is culturally rich, and aware of different ethnic
regions. And this is just the start.
7. How have helped your children to build your itinerary?
My son is a big part of our planning. He can draw a
map of all the countries we have been to and plan where we are going. We
discuss what we both want to do and then we plan how to do this geographically,
financially, and physically.
8. How has it been for your children in regards to making friends on the
road?
We are part of a group called Families on the Move.
Here we meet up with many families. We also have met other blogger families.
And as you know we met and stayed with you. Our children are now friends as
well as us!
9. Your backpack: what items would I find? What is a must for your
children?
Food, Water, rain jacket and an iPad and charger. A
warm, full and happy contented child !! He can also use the iPad as
his camera.
10. How you find your interactions
with locals?
We try to use 'the road
less travelled'. We have a car now so we often get to stay in out of the way
places and experience real culture. We share meals in homes of ,local
Romanians, we learn to weave or create with Greeks, we learn Spanish with the
kids in the playground of Ecuador. And we buy our clothes from local markets.
We immerse ourselves in the culture.
11. Your family and
friends were been supporting for your choice?
I did not tell to many of our
decision at the start. Now I think many admire me. But at least once a day I am
asked on Facebook "when are you coming home, and what is the end to this
journey", to which I reply we don't know. My son wants to travel to 100
countries so we have a long way to reach his goal.
12. Has your
relationship with your children changed since you started traveling together?
Definitely. We talk and decide
together. He also knows that I make the major decisions but if there is a
reason why, we talk about it. We also have an agreement to tell the other
person if we are staying somewhere and the other person isn't happy there. We respect each other.
13. If you could choose
the best and the worst things about traveling as a family, what would they be?
Love - the best thing is that
my son constantly tells me he loves me - many, many times a day, and of course
I return and spontaneously do also. When I was working I never had him around,
now if anything the only bad thing is as a single Mum on the road, I sometimes
need adult or me time. sharing a hotel room makes that difficult.
14. According to your
child, what is their favourite part about travel?
"I get to see new places all the
time" was his reply
15. How do you fund
your travels?
That is a toughy. Im
desperately trying to make my website into a business and support us through
affiliate links and advertising. I also accept Guest posts so if any of you
would like a really inexpensive way to promote your product, please contact me!
16. How much longer do
you plan to be traveling and what are your intended destinations?
I joke but refer to #11. We
really don't have a limit. We are also very free spirited and planning is so
difficult. For us the Schengen zone limit of time makes this hard. I do think we
ant to go back to Italy, Greece and Romania in Summer.
17. What tips would you
offer parents when it comes to travel with children?
My biggest tip is "Do
it". Anyone can travel. If you really want to do it, you will find a way.
It is the greatest time you will ever share with your child and they will grow
up so quickly. Try to get the time to travel. Even if it isn't full-time, try
to spend some weeks where the mobile telephone and computer and TV are no
longer the loudest noise or the busiest item in your family.
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