" There's no place like home", Dorothy, Wizard of Oz
We have only been back two months but it feels like we have been back for an eternity. I think that says more about how much we have done in that short space of time. As soon as we landed we were caught up in the craziness of seeing family, moving house into a home we had never seen before, settling the children into a new school we had been to once, sourcing uniform and crossing our fingers that we were doing the right thing. One thing that has rung true though is how happy everyone is to be home. Yes we had an amazing time but there really is no place like home. Our family, friends and all those we love - we missed you! Our time away made us appreciate you all the more. We are also looking at England with fresh perspective, marvelling at how beautiful our own country is. Perhaps even more than anywhere we visited. Eliza who reluctantly was dragged up hills and across mountains to watch the sunset during our trip came running home from an early morning walk last week to say how beautiful the sky was - something she hadn't said once when away...
I will be writing more on our country life in a new blog but for now it is only right that we give our Wandering Wards the final instalment that is due.
A couple of friends have asked what my advice would be if they too decided to take the plunge, taking kids out of school and planning a family adventure. This is tricky as every family is different. Overall we had an incredible time and have come back stronger as a family, aware of each others idiosyncrasies but also more grown up on both a practical and emotional level. There are however a few things we would do differently if we had our chance again and so here are a few thoughts:
1) Do less - it really is more. We were guilty of trying to fit in too many countries in too short a time. Choose one or two countries and explore them properly
2) Don't expect the children to be as enthused as you are - more often than not we went to an amazing view or place and the children really weren't impressed. It was too hot, too cold, they were hungry - I could go on. Sometimes it was soul destroying and other times just part of our journey. It is worth noting that this never happened in a water park!
3) Be mindful - Travelling didn't suit us all. Eliza really struggled with it and I wonder whether we needed to prepare her better ahead of our trip or involve her more in the planning
4) Reduce , reuse , recycle - We may have a very negative carbon footprint now but this is a good mantra for life , Reduce is a particular pertinent message - we did not need half of the items we took with us and some remained at the bottom of a bag for the whole seven months untouched - what a waste!
4) Think carefully before home schooling - its hard but if you have to do it prepare your lessons before hand. Or perhaps like other families who travel just stick with the basics and the three Rs. Re-enacting tsunamis wasn't my forte.
5) Do spend some money on a baby sitter once in a while - Fred and I only went out the two of us once and I think that was a mistake. It would have been far healthier if we were able to do it a couple more times
6) Do carve up time for yourself. Perhaps this should be my first point as it is one of the most important. Travelling with your family is relentless. Yes it is rewarding in so many ways but you sometimes just need time out. I tried to do this with my running but regardless you feel the clock ticking and it was over before it had almost begun. We didn't feel we needed it much but when we were with friends we relished the occasional coffee or walk whilst the other had the kids. Make sure you do as much of that as possible.
7) The beauty of travelling should be that if you don't like one place you can move on. We were too budget conscious (quite rightly) to do that but in hind sight (which is a wonderful and non expensive mind set) there were a couple of places where we should have just left behind
8) Arrange to meet friends where you can - Whilst we loved and valued our family time we were lucky enough to intersperse this time with family and friends. Seeing my family in Vietnam, friends in Hong Kong, and then friends in Australia and Canada was a much needed tonic that injected our trip with some fresh perspective. The children absolutely loved seeing other young children and were much happier for it
And on a slightly flippant level:
1) Do use packing cubes - brilliant and we will use them for holidays going forward. Everyone has their own bags and you can literally transfer straight from the suitcase to a cupboard
2) Enjoy the natural benefits of sun, sea and sand. I have left my hair for almost a year now saving a small fortune. The sun has done an excellent job of highlighting it and although it looks a mess it is probably a perfect fit for my new more muddy lifestyle!
3) Unless you want to argue with your children every day accept the fact that they may not like Asian food and that you may have to substitute for English meals more often than you would like
4) Do treat the kids to a couple of theme park visits. Absolutely hideous and rather went against the whole 'travelling' ethos but bar Universal, which was a little disappointing, the children loved them
5) Stay in places with a swimming pool or access to water in a hot place. I don't think any explanation is needed here
And from the mouths of babes:
Eliza - "Only stay in Asia for two weeks - it is beautiful in parts despite the amount of rubbish on the beaches. It is hard work and I prefer Canada."Despite not liking Asia much Eliza would like to go to India so something must have clicked. She loved the animals, especially the racoons in Canada and it installed in her a love of all things living. "Don't do DAM school and just learn as you go along - Lots of places like the national parks in Canada have good information sheets. Don't do too much walking, it is very tiring. Overall I would rather be at home."
Alfie - "I learnt about Tsunumi's' so maybe the home schooling wasn't so awful. His message to other families would be have fun! "Oh and Enjoy the jungle. Don't bring too many toys as they could get lost."
Olivia - "I loved the water slides" (so we could have saved a fortune and just gone to Splash Down!) . "Don't forget your favourite toys and bring a cool dress to Asia, it is very hot."
So there you have it. Fred will be putting pen to paper in his final post but for now thank you readers for following our adventure. I will be starting a country life blog, for my own benefit really , but welcome any interested followers. More on that to follow...........Farewell Wandering Wards and hello country bumpkins!
'Life takes you to unexpected places. Love brings you home.” ― Melissa McClone, Mistletoe Magic.
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