So I think it was time to let the cat out of the bag... not
that it was ever really in a bag (except with work friends maybe) as I feel
like I’ve been thinking and talking about nothing else for months on end, but
now that more people know, there are more questions.
So… here are some answers.
What are we doing?
We are going to Europe for a year. The original plan was to
immerse in Spain - to live there - but as we started planning the details of
our trip we soon realised that was going to be a tough ask. There’s just too
much to do and see over there and we want to see it ALL. We have still chosen
Spain to be our base, and will need to establish our residency in Seville
(as per visa requirements) before we can start moving around for the rest of
the year.
For now, here is what our itinerary looks like:
Dec/Jan – Germany, Austria, Czech
Republic (Prague) – finding the spirit and origin of Christmas tradition. And to have a White Christmas!
Jan – Finland, Sweden, Norway (Arctic
Circle) – visiting a tired Santa in Lappland and chasing Northern Lights and
Polar Nights.
End Jan-Mar – Spain (Seville) - defrosting, catching our breath and speaking Spanish!
Mar-Apr – Spain (Seville), Portugal,
Morocco (Chefchaouen)
May/June – France
June/July – Italy and others. Switzerland
is in here somewhere – to offload all our winter gear and enjoy free
accommodation for a few weeks in a particular place called Zug! Oh and of course to see Switzerland!
Aug – December – Have no idea. Will
need to head back to Spain at some stage due to visa restrictions and to speak
more Spanish. Anticipate this would be Northern Spain and Balearic islands maybe. If we
run low on funds we may find ourselves heading for the most southern island of
Spain called the Philippines. That’s a joke btw – the fact that the Philippines
is an island of Spain – not that we may head there if funds run low.
All these plans are of course up in the air and the key to
this whole journey is our freedom and flexibility - being able to go where we
want to when we want to.
Why are we doing it?
There are so many reasons why. The reasons don’t seem to
have changed much from when we were planning to do this back in 2013.
With our kids growing up in a multi-cultural society in
Australia I feel it’s important for them to be exposed to the world and
different cultures. In doing so I hope they come to understand and be more
tolerant of cultures and people who are different to them. I want them to have
their stereotypes challenged and be educated firsthand about people – not just
from a book or someone else’s opinion – but because they have experienced it
for themselves in their home environments where we are the foreigners. Where we are
the ones who don’t speak their language.
The world and its people are a beautiful place… it feels like
a crime not to experience it all. As the famous quote by Saint Augustine goes… “The
world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
Then there’s family bonding. Our day to day lives are filled
with routine. Wake up, get to work/school, come home… do it all again tomorrow.
On winter weekends our days are filled with sporting commitments. When we’re at
home, everyone is glued to a screen – a TV, the computer, or a phone. (Warning
to kids – those devices will get ‘stolen’ if the same happens on our travels.) We
needed something to short circuit the routineness of it all and reconnect with
each other. Which is why I feel conflicted between sharing our experience with
everyone (which many have requested) or keeping it to ourselves. Not that I don’t
want to share it. I can be an ‘over sharer’ at times and I personally love and
get inspired reading about other people’s experiences, but it does take time to
write and upload photos and I definitely don’t want that to take away from the actual
experience. The jury is still out on this one. Although one day I’d
love to be able to write a book about it all.
I also think the best test of a relationship is to be able to
travel with people. You’ll either end up closer or you will want to kill each
other – if not during the trip - by the end of it. I’m hoping we won’t all want
to kill each other.
Lastly, Cat is at the age now where she will start making her
own decisions, making her own way in the world. Luckily Bee is still a bit of a
homebody, and Mig doesn’t get much of a choice. If we don’t do this now, we may never
be able to do it as a family.
Life’s too short to wonder about ‘what ifs’. More
importantly no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. My Dad passed away suddenly at 46….
yes 46. Our age. One day he was there, next day he was gone. No warning. At the
time I remember being grateful that his youngest (me) was already 18 – at least
my mum was not left with young kids she would have to raise by herself. Now I
realise he was way too young.
So the simplest way to answer the question why we’re doing
this is… why not?
Many people have expressed envy, wishing they could do it too. The truth is if you really want to, anyone could. There's nothing special about us. We're not "loaded", some distant relative hasn't died and left an inheritance nor have we won the Lotto. The one thing that we do have going for us though is our health (although for some even an illness doesn't stop them). So if you want to do it - go for it! There is nothing stopping anyone from doing the same - not the money, not the time, not the career.
That’s it for now. I need to get back to packing. I will save the ‘How’ for next time.
I will end this with a corny but apt quote - one that I've had on my FB profile since I created it as it succinctly explains how I want to live my life.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover" - Mark Twain
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