Hello, I know, I know, I’ve been very quiet for the last couple of weeks. It’s time of year again. I hate it, it’s time-consuming and tedious and fairly pointless. This is where a lot of you will just close the page, that’s OK, I understand, see you next time. I’ve been writing a homeschool report …
In 2012 we decided to save, sell almost everything and set off to travel the world. This post is from the preparation phase. This is what I wrote back then as a very new, inexperienced blogger. I can’t believe I’m the same person today, things are so different now. Was it worth it? Find out …
I went to see my GP to talk travel vaccinations yesterday. I wish I hadn’t! I came away with a sinking feeling, convinced we’re all going to be sick or even die, either from terrible tropical disease or from the toxic vaccinations themselves. I can also feel a big financial headache coming on, probably a migraine. …
Am I scared to leave home and travel the world indefinitely, with no fixed plans? Not really. I can’t wait to go. If I was scared last time we took off round the world back in 2001 on our first RTW, I can’t remember. Maybe I was anxious about finding accommodation or getting off the …
I’m sure you all know what backpacks and suitcases are, but many won’t know about travel packs. They used to be my preferred world travel luggage, I carried the same travel pack around the world for many years before switching to a regular backpack and now, sometimes, just a carry-on bag. The choice of backpack …
Were you wondering what the kids think about being uprooted and dragged around the world by their crazy parents? Is this a plan that works for them, too? I thought I’d interview them and find out. They are two pretty well-travelled children already, they’ve been to Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia, let’s see …
We all know that long term family travel is great. Seeing the world, learning cool stuff, developing personal qualities and global understanding. But here are some more reasons to hit the road, ten very real reasons long term travel is great for mums ( or dads, or anyone else looking after children). We’ve been travelling …
In 2001, pre-kids, Chef and I took on the Annapurna Circuit Trek in Nepal, it’s considered one of the best treks in the world. It’s a high altitude trek, reaching 5416m at the Thorong La, the highest pass. It’s long, it takes around three weeks to complete and it’s cold, in February, which was when …
What to pack for a round the world trip is largely personal choice. However, there are certain things to take into consideration that we talk about below. Some items of clothing are absolutely essential along with certain items of travel gear for an around the world trip. We’ve spent at least 7 years of our …
Several years ago, a not very rich family set out to travel the world. Today, they’re still travelling. It’s been an incredible ride, we’ve loved it and we’ve had many adventures. The financial aspect, well, it’s complex. We had a lump sum when we left home and over the years we’ve learned to make money …
Cairns, Australia, is one of the stepping off points for snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, but is there a beach in Cairns? No, actually, there’s not in Cairns City itself. There is a pretty esplanade walkway and a narrow strip of sand but mostly Cairns has a busy estuary and salt water crocodiles, big ones. …
Why did we choose Malaysia as the first destination on our family gap year? I’m going to tell you. Air Asia had a fantastic flight sale, we are flying to Malaysia from The Gold Coast for just under $800 for all 4 of us. The flight sale was about to end, so we clicked the …
We’re in the process of decluttering, losing our possessions, ready to hit the world for a few years. But here’s a thought, minimalism is great, I’m loving owning less, but should we all be so hung up on making money selling second hand stuff? Selling our stuff was part of our scheme to raise money …
Technically, The Trans Siberian Express doesn’t exist, I’ve Googled it to check. It’s the Trans Siberian Railway or the Trans Mongolian Express or Railway. But when I booked my tickets I booked tickets on the Trans Siberian Express, so I’m keeping that for now. We left the train in Mongolia for a few days. It …
We took a 12 month RTW ( Round The World Trip) in 2000. A long time ago, I know, but that year was life changing, gave us great memories and was a bonding experience for my ridiculously-younger-than-me-husband and I. ( Read why in 12 Reasons to Take a Round the World Trip). This is part one, …
The Golden Temple and Buddhist monastery Hiraṇyavarṇa Mahāvihāra also Kwa Bahahas existed in Kathmandu since 1409. The temple is just off the Patan Durbar Square, to the north. You can find it down a narrow alleyway. It has two entrances, the narrow stone entrance below is guarded by 2 stone lions, the gateway itself was sculpted …
Looking for a foodie treat in Cairns or this area of Far North Queensland? I’ve posted about London’s Borough Market before, well this is our local version when we’re at home in Port Douglas. Rusty’s Market Cairns is not to be missed! Rusty’s Market Cairns Rusty’s Market is fabulous, every type of fruit and veg …
I’m going to tell you my story, it’s not just about finding love through travel, it’s about having the guts to change things. I was deeply unhappy for a long time, but I somehow found the strength to change that. This is how a fairly nice Welsh girl ended up switching continents and sweltering in …
Yes, we have saltwater crocodiles in Queensland and yes, they can eat you. But mostly they don’t, which is good. Taking a boat trip to go crocodile spotting in Port Douglas is a lovely way to spend a few hours, I’ve taken the children many times and they always enjoy it. Each trip is different …
Want to know what’s top of my “Things to do in Port Douglas” list? Well, I always say that feeding George the groper is the most exciting thing that happens in Port Douglas. It’s certainly not something you should miss if you are in the top right-hand corner of Queensland or visiting Port for our beaches, rainforest, …
We are a family setting off to travel the world. We’re not planning a gap year, we’re planning to travel for as long as possible, indefinitely. This is a pre-departure post, we are 6 months away from the departure date we have set. We started planning this trip 1 year before departure. Most of the …
What is homeschooling like? A real homeschooling family, that homeschooled from 6 – 18 years old, explains what a typical homeschooling day or lifestyle looks like, for their family, and for the homeschooling families they knew. We are a homeschooling family with years of experience and successful academic outcomes. Our family homeschooled in Australia and …
And the kitchen porters, the housekeeping staff, the gardeners, front of house, maintenance and everyone else working to make your Christmas special. They are all amazing. They all have to work over Christmas and all have a smile and a “Merry Christmas!” for even the grumpiest customer. My husband is a chef, Executive Chef …
The Ayutthaya Floating Market This floating market just outside Ayuthaya, Thailand, was so remarkable, so odd, so strange yet delicious, that it needs its own little post, to keep it separate from the real world. This place was crazy, annoyingly, I can’t remember the name, but if you’re in Ayuthaya, Thailand, you’ll probably come across …
Ayuthaya (also spelt Ayutthaya or Ayudhya) was the second capital of old Siam (1360-1767) after Sukhothai. This ancient city to the north of Bangkok has history on its side, but is it worth a visit during your trip to Thailand? What about those all-important “things to do?” We think it’s well worth visiting Ayutthaya and …
I’m no expert on gardening in the tropics, I’ve lived here for 5 years, in tropical Queensland, I’m a British expat in Australia, I’ve made plenty of gardening mistakes, but I’m starting to see some good results in the tropical food garden. Check out our tomato crop. Until a few years ago I lived in …
Many people will regret not travelling. But does anyone actually regret travel? A group of travel bloggers look at their biggest travel regrets. “I regret travelling around the world; I wish I’d stayed home instead,” said no-one ever. Man Vs World I love that quote. I was first asked to write this post way back …
Honestly, I’m confused, my head is a mess. I spent forty-two years experiencing Christmas in winter. December, in my mind, will always be cold, now, suddenly, our tropical Christmas is in summer, it’s too weird! I find myself living in Port Douglas, Australia, in an alternate hemisphere, am I supposed to adjust to the idea …
Yesterday was the first day of summer in Australia. It brought wind and rain to Port Douglas, looks a bit stormy doesn’t it? Our wet season has started, so there is plenty more rain to come . Don’t be fooled into thinking it was cold, the temperatures were up in the thirties and the humidity …
Why do I love India? I fell in love with India a long time ago. I think it had something to do with visiting a neighbour’s house as a child, seeing her Ganesh shrine set up in the front room and hearing sitar music as she wafted about the house barefoot, jingling and dazzling in ankle bracelets …
The scary scuba diving story is the scariest of my travel horror stories. If you’re learning to scuba dive, read this first and avoid my mistake! Is scuba diving scary? Well, yes, it can be, depending on the person, but this experience would scare the whatsit out of most people. Despite this newbie diver story, …
We live in the tropics, Far North Queensland, we get horrible tropical diseases, more so, because we have children, adorable little germ factories that they are. Today’s disease is impetigo or school sores. It’s so bad I’m going to add it to my list of travel horror stories, I didn’t even have to leave home for this one! …
We’ve just got back from observing the total solar eclipse at Four Mile Beach Port Douglas, the whole experience was stunning! Dragging the kids out of bed at 4am didn’t go down too well, but a few ice creams and some celestial spectacularness soon perked them up. This last total solar eclipse in Australia was …
Is snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef on the top of your bucket list? It’s an experience like no other, a marine adventure that people travel the whole world to experience, an unforgettable day during your time in Australia. In this post we talk about snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, what it’s like, what …
Kopi Luwak or Luwak Coffee is often described as the most expensive coffee in the world, prized for it’s mellow taste. The first stage of coffee luwak coffee production is growing the coffee beans of course, but after this, the ripe coffee beans must be eaten and partially digested by a small mammal, a civet …
Small group adventure holidays usually involve travel to an adventure holiday destination, domestic or international, and touring or taking part in an activity with a group of strangers, plus a guide or group leader. These holidays can be of any duration from a few days to many months. For some individuals they are a great …
I’d love to get a long-term volunteer position while we are traveling, but, it’s hard to get into. it’s often a voluntourism scam and it is expensive for the volunteer. For me, I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. Somebody else, with fewer family commitments and more cash will have the privilege of taking …
Well, who knows? We’d like to see a few new places and, of course, we have favourite countries from our previous trips that we’d love to share with the children, to explore further, or just revisit. This RTW, With Children, Will Be Different. We’ll have to travel slowly, build in some quieter times to kick …
My husband laughs at my packing. He laughed even harder when I mentioned that I was going to blog about packing for, you see, in the last 4 years of full time travel, of constantly moving on to pastures new, packing anxiety has been my constant companion. I hate packing! I really, really can’t stand …
A chef’s widow is a term used to refer to a person who is married to a chef. Chefs spend so many hours in work, at antisocial hours, that their wives and partners barely see them. I am married to a chef, a blog post about life, work, travel, and kids as a chef wife. …
It’s not unusual to attract wildlife when you’re camping in Australia. Living in the tropics involves plenty of up-close wildlife interaction. We’ve had wallabies and possums visit our tent more than once. But did you know kookaburras like to snatch your food too? I’ve seen them snatch chicken legs directly from somebody’s hand down south, …
A weekend camping on Lake Tinaroo. A great chance to catch Lake Tinaroo redclaw yabbies and mess around on Tinaroo dam. There’s loads to do up on the Tablelands, from playpus spotting to chocolate tasting, but first catch your yabbie. The Tablelands lie to the west of Cairns and Port Douglas in Far North Queensland. …
