Last summer my husband and I were talking about what our ‘game plan’ was going to be. We talked about where we wanted to end up in five years, and what we want for the kids in our future. Deep, I know. But as expats we have to check in and have those conversations every now and then.We both agreed that at some point we want our kids to plant roots, but we are so happy that we gave them the gift of being global citizens from birth. They’ve called many countries home, from a very young age. We may have done things backwards and given them wings before roots, but we’ll be sure they eventually get both.
In our house, travel is considered to be a priceless education. Seeing the world, experience different cultures, and learning from people and places around the globe is something my husband and I have both been passionate about, long before we even met each other. It’s organically become a family value that we’re instilling in our kids.
During that conversation last summer we decided we wanted to take the kids on a trip around the world for one full year.
It was the goal of all goals.
For us it wasn’t just a flighty idea, or an ‘imagine if’ concept. I’ve said many times that Congo has given us the gift of perspective. We wear our expat here like a superhero cape: If we can move our family to Congo and actually create a life here for ourselves, we can pretty much do anything or live anywhere. So we sat down and pragmatically talked about how we could make our goal happen.The plan basically consisted of differed salary, saving money, and me homeschooling the kids on the road during the year of travel, with Kevin helping out on the French side of things.
Five years. That’s what we needed to make this dream a reality. The kids would be at the perfect age: old enough to remember, and young enough to want to be there with us. Without any unforeseen circumstances, we *should* be able to save enough money by then to fund the trip, when added to a differed salary. We were crunching numbers and I was excited.
Then we went to Russia for Christmas.
The trip was amazing. One month in Finland, Russia, and Estonia. We arrived with a youthful twinkle in our eyes. Everything was new and exciting. We were on an adventure! We wanted to see all there was to see. We were eating, experiencing and exploring….until week three.After going full-tilt for three weeks, something became very clear to me.I don’t want us travel for a year straight.Here’s why:
You Get Numb
When ever we start a trip, we go in guns blazing, full of enthusiasm, wanting to embrace all we can. After awhile, human nature unfortunately takes over and we get spoiled. What a few weeks earlier, was an amazing old town; has somehow become just another cobblestone street. Instead of leaping into the next adventure, we find ourselves dragging a bit and going to places to simple check them off our list.
My Suitcase Would be too Heavy
Moving between countries requires packing and unpack over and over again. Space and weight are at a premium and if you find treasures(which I always do), the real estate inside your luggage often won’t allow for it. Say goodbye to any extra suitcase space if you are changing climates--that requires some seriously skillful packing unless you don’t mind wearing the same clothes for weeks on end(which I do not enjoy). No matter where we go our suitcases are almost always overweight. It's the Webb way.
We'd be Tired
I speak from experience. Travel is tiring. Travel with kids can be exhausting. But it's worth it. When the girls were babies and I was changing their diapers on park benches in foreign counties and potty training with squat toilets in Asia, I still knew that I'd rather travel slower with our kids, than not travel at all. If I'm going to spend all of my extra money on exploring the globe(which we tend to do), I want to enjoy it. I don't want to take it for granted because I've been doing it for months on end, non-stop. When I arrive in a new country, I have this feeling of being alive that I could bottle up and sell. I want to maintain that feeling instead of being a tired traveller who has been on the road too long.
I Would Become Obese
I'm not one to hold back in life. The same applies when I visit a new country. I like to use all my senses...especially taste. Belgian chocolate, fresh Italian pasta, mountains of pad Thai, and many a bratwurst have crossed my lips and ended on my thighs. There's no moderation with me when I travel. I can't help myself. I have this view point that I'm only in a place for a short time so I might as well enjoy. I don't stop until the top button on my jeans tells me I have to, and by then it's too late. I always gain weight when I travel, with the exception of India where I had some serious gastro issues, but that's another story that I'll spare you from.Generally speaking my love of food has no global parameters and my waistline will attest.These are the things that I always notice after I've been on the road for a month. Imagine how I'd feel after twelve months.
Had I never travelled before, this might just sound like my list of excuses to not make this adventure happen. But I love travelling! It's my absolute favourite thing to do! We live a lifestyle that feels constantly in motion; flying internationally with our kids nearly every six weeks since they were born. Each summer I fly solo with my girls over oceans, and back again. We don't know any different as a family. There will come a time where our lifestyle will change and I may forget the feeling of exhaustion that comes with our extended trips.That's the reason I'm writing this.To remind myself. 
We will always explore the globe. It's part of who we are as a family. My kids are well-travelled little girls, but there are many places they have yet to visit. I want them to experience the awe of sitting in front of the Taj Mahal, to eat sushi in Japan, and float effortlessly in the Dead Sea. My hope is that they become worldly in a way that they can't learn from textbooks. But I want us to enjoy doing this while not feeling like we're dragging our feet.
I feel that living as a global citizen for the greater part of a decade has taught me a lot about myself. In terms of travel, I've learned that I'm more than ready to go home to my own fridge, bed and closet after a month of being away...even if those things are in Congo. The huge amount of money it would cost us to pull off a one-year trip around the world with neither of us working, might be better served if that amount of savings could be broken up and used on many trips, over many years.So, I have changed my mind, and that's okay.Those are my thoughts. But that's just one opinion, from one travelling mom.We'll see what happens, because these days, I never say never.
