sarahlavendersmith

We traveled around the world with our 11-y-o daughter and 8-y-o son; feel free to read our archives at away-together.com for destination...

Hi - our family traveled by car from Sydney down to Phillip Isl. and back up the coast, staying in family-friendly RV camps that have cheap...

Have you noticed that the negative critical response to the film release of Eat, Pray, Love is creating a backlash to long-term travel? Regardless of what people think of the book and film, I hope they don't assume all far-flung, months-long journeys are "self-absorbed" and "culturally insensitive," as some criticism of the film suggests. I try to address the criticism and highlight the positive consequences of long-term family travel in this post http://away-together.com/2010/08/14/one-year-later/
What do you all think? Would love to hear some feedback here.

Well, all I can say is, I've hung out on a lot of Thorn Tree discussion branches and always found them useful and interesting -- and I...

I feel compelled to chime in against all this Eat Pray Love criticism. I liked the book but haven't seen the film and don't plan to because...

Hi Ruth -- the trip won't be easy and there will be times of homesickness and second guessing, but in the end chances are you'll join the chorus of families who say "it was the best thing we ever did."
Regarding traveling with an only child, I recommend checking out this blog: letsdosomethingdifferent.wordpress.com
and here's a post from them that links to one of my posts recommending a safety device called the Road ID that I used while traveling "just in case."
Good luck to you!!

Looseleaf -- thanks for the link and the thoughts! I appreciated reading that other guy's blog.

Hi all -- since so many topics in this forum deal with planning a RTW trip or gap year and getting ready to go, I thought I'd share some...

I finally wrote a little about the weirdness -- the highs and lows and surreal sense that everything has changed -- after coming home from a RTW family journey; the post is at http://away-together.com/2010/07/12/homecoming/
I'm determined to maintain and nurture the positive changes and lessons we gained as a family while traveling, and to keep traveling! Has anyone out there faced similar challenges after ending a long-term trip?

Hi there - as a family, we read together "Three Cups of Tea - Young Reader's Edition" which was a great intro to Middle East (esp. Afghanistan) issues and helped my kids understand and get interested in the conflict and culture in the region. We also read a lot of the Horrid History series, but those deal more with time periods than with specific areas you're visiting. For New Zealand, it's worth a visit way up north (or just visit the website) of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to learn about Maori culture and the handover from the Maori to the British; we had a special tour there which was great for homeschooling and an introduction the country. good luck!

Lovely post. Thanks for sharing!

Well, I'm headed home with very mixed feelings. I'll keep checking in with this group periodically as our family plans its next journey. Our round-the-world travel already feels a bit dreamlike, but I'm determined to nurture the positive ways in which it changed our family and not go back to the same ol', same ol'.
Here is a blog post that lists all the places we went -- I felt I had to get the list down as proof and as a reminder to myself that we really lived for a brief time in all these places! http://away-together.com/2010/06/15/83-places-5-continents-10-months/
One final thought: A year ago, as we struggled to leave a job and pack up a home to make our journey happen, one thing kept me going: the phrase that others who had done similar trips kept repeating, "It's the best thing we ever did." Now I'll join the chorus for all who might be contemplating a similar long-term, far-flung trip in spite of all the risks and logistical challenges: It's the best thing we ever did :-).

Hi all,...

I have to disagree and say don't get wheels! Please see my blog post...

Our family has been traveling 10 months RTW, with an emphasis on traveling as light as possible, and I just put together a post with advice...