We live more than 2000 miles away from our families. We only get to see them every one or two years, only for a short time, and at considerable expense. But it has meant my husband having a good job that has (so far) allowed me to stay at home with our children. Sure, there are sacrifices. But it is worth it.

It has meant learning to make new friends, adapting to new places (and cultures!), a broadened horizon, and view of the world.

Very Best wishes on your journey.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and…
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I just had to chime in. Spouse, kids (9 & 11) and I are engaged in our own world trekking adventure this year, exploring parts of Oceania and homeschooling along the way. We’ve been in Fiji the past four months and are ourselves headed to Thailand in February after a quick pit stop in Melbourne and Tasmania.

Your comments and the exchanges above were most thought provoking. Having just finished our first Christmas away from family, I was right there with you as you described the difficulty of being away from family. Your reasons in favor of the trip rung true as well. I have one more to add in the form of an anecdote.

While chatting over Christmas Eve dinner about the past year and the year that is to come, all of us us realized how far away in time and experiences last Christmas seems to us. What a change from the past fifteen years in suburbia when the refrain was, “Christmas?! Already?!”

It has such been a rich year for us, not only in terms of just getting ready for the trip but learning the million and one things you need to figure out when assimilating into a new culture.

It is funny but we were just as busy as at home with work, school, sports, etc. I guess it is the newness of it all that makes life on the road so much more rewarding. Unlike the past handful years, the four of us — whether together or apart — will always remember 2009-2010 and the adventures we’ve had. This trip has changed us forever. And THAT, to me at least, is worth the extra years that my husband and I may have to work before retirement.

Another well-traveled friend labeled it another way — “Memory Insurance.”

Good luck in your travels! Keep up the adventure!

Brooke

While many people travel to escape or experience something new and exotic, there’s one thing that will always remain true: you can’t run away from yourself. Spend enough time somewhere and the shine wears off and it feels like home. You fall into a routine and your true personality comes through. You will run out of exciting new things to do. Even jumping out of a plane or diving with sharks gets old after a while. Sure you can keep moving, but then you’ll be like that druggie who has to keep doing more and more often to maintain the same high. Eventually, it will all crash down on you. Eventually, when you’ve seen and done everything, you will have to learn how to live with yourself. That’s when “real” traveling really happens, IMO.