We don't know how to deal with traveling around the world with our children, whether we can provide education for the children during the trip, if we return home three months later, we say with shame, "Oh, this has no meaning at all." A year and a half later, we traveled through Borneo, Indonesia, Thailand and Laos, and experienced the adventure of a lifetime.
If you are considering similar issues, here are some things we learned in the process to share with you.
Children and travel are indeed mixed
Don't think that children are an obstacle to brave travel; they are amazingly tough and thrive in adventure. Living in tribal longhouses in Sarawak, Borneo, our lives are more abundant; orangutans found in the majestic tropical rainforest of Malaysia; cycling in the fantastic karst landscapes and peaceful villages of Laos. Children are always the first to make people smile. If they are too young to walk far, you can rent a vehicle to a village close to the road to "cheat" them.
Don't set a too tight rhythm
When things become monotonous, children quickly become tired and need to be able to spend a lot of time playing. If you move frequently, find a good place to stop and give your family a chance to recharge and make friends. A place feels like home soon.
Take appropriate precautions for family health
Bring insurance, get vaccinated in time, and find ways to protect your family before you leave. But don't be too paranoid: our children are healthier than they were in London.
Beware the buses
In developing countries, people’s bus rides are often scary and uncomfortable. Drivers are always speeding, safety standards are questionable, and air conditioning is always set to “maximum”. We put spare clothes and vomit bags (and games and books) in our hand luggage, but if we can, we will take the train, ship or plane.
Keep yourself sane
They may be the apples of your eye, but during the ups and downs of long-term travel, taking care of your children around the clock can be tiring and stressful. If given the opportunity, we will hire someone to take care of the children, go out together to enjoy a romantic evening, or take turns to stop and indulge in more personal pursuits, such as diving or mountain climbing.
Educating on the trip
Of course, you need to let your children receive education. We have to restrain ourselves and set aside a few hours each working day for one-on-one family education. This is not always easy—children would rather wander around in the dirt, chasing small animals—but we usually adjust the exercises according to their interests and use our environment in class to win their support.
Bring a laptop
In addition to its important roles, such as movies, game consoles and skype-the hub with rellies, computers have become a vital tool for our family education. We can access educational resources and conduct research wherever Wi-Fi is available. Shop the best laptop backpack
Travel itself is the best education. Instead of just going to the beach, it's better to find interesting and unusual experiences to maximize the value of your trip. Our children have roamed the reefs, forests and mountains; encountered some amazing different cultures; explored ancient temples and exotic markets; saw crocodiles, hornbills, orangutans and many other animals-in the wild, not in the zoo . Such an experience is impossible in school.
