by For a long time, we never thought that a world tour as a family was achievable. We mainly hear about solo travelers, backpackers who explore the world. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment when a little spark appeared in our minds.
We visited Japan twice; a country we love. And on the day we left, we vowed that the third time we would go would be with our children. We wanted to travel with them, and one day, we searched online for “traveling with children” to inspire us on our family vacation. Looking through blogs and videos of these nomadic families, we realized that many of them were embarking on world tours lasting several months or even years!
And that was it! The dream started to take root in our minds. So we joined a Facebook page for families traveling around the world, which only fueled our desire to make this extraordinary project a reality.
But upon reflection, we realized that this interest had quietly settled in much earlier, without us fully noticing it.
The books of globe-trotter, Quebec TV host, and author Bruno Blanchet (the four volumes of “La frousse autour du monde”) introduced us to the idea of “less touristy” travel. Although the adventures Bruno shares are far more daring than what we’re ready to do, our curiosity was sparked, and it gave us the courage to consider living elsewhere. We knew that if we didn’t seize the opportunity, we would regret it.
It was along these same lines that we realized that if we didn’t accomplish this world tour with our children, we would regret missing this opportunity for the rest of our lives.
For over a year, we kept saying, “It would be so much fun to take a world tour!” “We could do this and that, visit this country, etc.” “The kids would have such a great time there!” “One day, we’ll do it…”
Then came the day when the real question was asked: “Are we really going to do this trip, or will it just remain a dream topic?”
A question that’s dizzying, as it involves finally deciding on what could be the biggest project of our family life… The answer, as you may have guessed, is yes, we’re doing it. And the strength of our couple/our family is that when we have a serious idea in mind, we do everything to make it happen!
So, action plan number 1: Start listing the places we’d like to visit (this includes buying a world map and adding stickers in two different colors for “must-see places” and “places we’d like but need to research a bit more”).
Once the initial draft is in place, action plan number 2: So when do we do it? That date keeps changing because several factors come into play: work, school, fatigue, exhaustion, fear, budget, etc.
The first date aimed was Summer 2019. It was now officially changed for March 2020. (yes, you read that right! And you can guess how interesting our adventure got at that point!)
If you have this dream to go out and discover the world, follow your instincts. It’s entirely normal to be afraid, to have a million questions, to wonder if you’re making the right decision for your children and/or for yourself.
Go for it, listen to your heart, and make your dreams come true too!
