How We Prepared for Our Around the World Journey

As someone who owns their own travel agency, my family and I travel often and are comfortable doing so. However, choosing to pack up and leave our home behind in order to travel around the world for up to nine months is something entirely new.

We have been asked many questions about our around the world trip and I have tried my best to answer the three most common questions below:

1. How did you Pack?

This is easily the most commonly asked question. My family and I have learned to pack light after traveling as much as we have. There is nothing fun about having to carry heavy luggage while also trying to keep two little kids under control! You learn quickly what is necessary and that you often pack more than needed. More often than not and depending on where you travel, you can purchase what you need a long the way.

The Yoyo stroller is easily one of the greatest inventions for young families. It folds up and fits into the overhead compartment making it a breeze to travel with. As for car seats, we don't travel with any and instead make arrangements with our transfers when needed.

The photograph above shows what we have packed for the journey except for John's Osprey backpack and the Yoyo stroller. We have three large Osprey wheeled luggage pieces with two being the Sojourn 80L and one an Osprey Vector of a similar size. They are lightweight, hold a lot, and are durable. We packed the kids items in one, John's items in another and mine in the third. We made sure to have some room for small soccer balls for donations and also a few extra toys for the kids.

The kids each had their own backpack and we had James choose what toys he wanted to bring in his. This was mainly toy cars, Legos, some books, headphones and his sleeping stuffed animal. Julia, being two years old, had the choice made for her. She had Frozen stickers, a Peppa Pig coloring book with stickers, a water coloring book, crayons, and her sleeping stuffed animal. We also made sure to include some snacks, an IPad and a water bottle for each child in our backpacks. John and I packed our computers, phones, passports, wallets, chargers and a change of clothes in our backpacks. I also carried some diapers and wipes for Julia in mine.

I usually wear the same or similar outfit for long haul travel. This includes black silk pants, a grey long sleeve shirt, a nice scarf, green jacket and Toms shoes. Personally, I try to look nice while also being comfortable and warm as I find planes to be cold. I dress my kids the same way.

We will be traveling in warm weather climates until July when we will spend some time with family in the States before heading back on the road again. During this time in the States we will have the chance to switch out clothing and items as needed. As we will be traveling through some major cities, we know that we can also purchase additional items what we may need along the way.

As for what was in my luggage, here are the exact details for those that have asked:

Swimming suit x3

Snorkeling shirt

cover up x 2

Pj's x2

pink Patagonia rain coat

Shorts x3

Long pants x2 (including what I wear on the plane)

6 T- shirts

3 tank tops (green, black and white)

3 dresses (2 black, 1 pink for dressier occasions) 1 Skirt

7 pairs underwear, 3 bras (one black, one beige, one strapless)

2 workout outfits (pants, shorts, sports bra and tanks)

Shoes: beach sandals, rose gold sandals, Nike trainers, Toms slip on shoes

Black Patagonia puffy jacket for when colder

Sunglasses x2

Sunscreen (1 for adults and 2 for kids)

Toiletries

Jewellery (gold hoops, studs and one other pair) Sun hat Wrap Bar of soap to wash clothes when needed

2. What are you planning to do about school for James?

James is four years old and turns five in July. Formal education in the States is typically required from six years old with the exception being home schooling. James already started reception in London and therefore we will continue to build upon what he has been taught. Having been an elementary school teacher before switching over to the travel industry, I feel comfortable with teaching him on the go. I have a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction which I intend to use with my own children, as well as when designing my client's itineraries.

We believe that the experiences our children will have in traveling throughout various countries will provide for a rich education. Julia, who is two years old, takes about a two hour nap every afternoon. During this time James will have homework and we will work on his schooling. Children are naturally curious about the world around them and if we can capture it correctly, he will have endless learning opportunities throughout each day.

A few things we will do:

1. Geography and Culture. James will be blogging about each country he visits. He will need to learn at least two words in the native language, three facts about the country, and will write a review of where he stays. He is our future travel journalist! You can take a look at his blog here. Please follow along and ask questions for him to answer as we plan to have a lot of fun with this!

2. Math. With so many apps available, James will be able to practice on his own as well as with us. We can count coconuts on the beach or the buses we pass in transit. It is relatively easy to come up with games.

3. Reading. We have brought various books and will purchase more along the way. There are also a number of apps for this.

4. Writing. It is always easy enough to find pen and paper wherever we travel and we can also practice writing with a stick in the sand. I have packed a wipe off sheet of paper that has the alphabet on it for him to practice on as well.

3. What is your travel schedule and is it all planned out?

Our travel schedule is planned out about 2 months in advance. We have ideas on where we would like to travel beyond this and will finalize these plans as we go. We are careful to select the locations and partners that will be the most beneficial for our goal in finding the best in luxury legacy travel.

Our schedule for the next two months is as follows:

April            The Maldives
April            Sri Lanka
May             Bangkok
May             Myanmar
May             Kuala Lumpur
May             Lombok
May             Bali
May             Nihi Sumba Island

For June and July we are considering but have yet to book:
Flores, Raja Ampat, Borneo, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

Late July and Early August we will be in the States. From there we would like to travel to Peru, Columbia, Nicaragua, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania.

It is always key to leave some room for connections and recommendations made along the way! Please share your suggestions with us below as we would love to hear from you.