Up until now, all or most of my posts have been “how to” type of information. This works well for most of what I want to share but there is one exception:
Travel.
I can’t just give travel tips here without also sharing my passion about it.
About 12 years ago, I read an article that said that everybody defines happiness differently. After I read the article, I realized that my husband defined happiness based on having money saved because it makes him feel secure (seriously, you’d think he grew up in the Great Depression) and I base my definition of happiness on having the freedom to travel. He loves to travel as well but doesn’t use it to define his own happiness (my way is more fun).
Why do I love to travel?
Because it forces you into new situations, foreign travel exposes you to new cultures, it’s adventurous, and it’s fun to learn bits of new languages. I especially love exposing the kids to different cultures (though my son asking a group of British kids why they talk like Harry Potter wasn’t my proudest moment) so they can see there’s a whole world out there and they will be comfortable being and living wherever they want as they become adults.
I also love other travelers and airports and public transportation. My husband is often embarrassed because I feel the need to chat with my seatmates on airplanes or strike up a conversation with people at a hotel. We have made trips to the airport just to watch planes take off and land. I love everything about it.
My son being an airplane in the viewing area of DFW airport, 2006
We know many people who say things like “one day I will go to [fill in the blank]” or “I wish I could travel as much as you do.” The fact is, they could, but they just don’t. As with anything, it’s all about priorities. We have arranged our lives in such a way that traveling is easier to do. We’ve never owned a new car, our only debt is our mortgage and we maximize our vacation time to go new places.
When we were buying our current house, our realtor was desperately trying to get us to buy something bigger and more expensive. She knew we could afford it but we insisted that our house didn’t need to be that big or that expensive. She said “can’t you give up your family vacation every other year to get a bigger house?” (For the record, our house is 2700 sq. ft. and has 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Why would we even need bigger or more expensive house?) We stuck to our guns and I’m glad we did. I wanted to tell her “my ideal year has 4 trips so giving up vacations every other year sounds like hell.”
For example, on a train ride between Slovakia and Hungary a couple of years ago, I figured out that the cost of visiting 100 countries would be roughly equal to that of buying a new S.U.V. When I saw how relatively little that was, I felt encouraged. I gave up the hypothetical large vehicle and received the world in return.
-Chris Guillebeau in “A Brief Guide to World Domination”
My daughter at the Vatican, 2001
Now we find ourselves looking at relocation just 1.5 years after we moved into our house. Our plan? To downsize, go even more affordable and simplify the work needed to maintain the house. Why? You guessed it, so we can travel more. We don’t care about big houses or nice cars so this is planning our lives around our priorities, not somebody else’s blueprint.
I will be doing a series on this blog about traveling to Walt Disney World because it’s something that I think is really fun to plan, especially if you are willing to dive into the details. However, getting away from this touristy type of travel more often is a goal of mine because cultural experiences are just as important to me as silly family fun.
My travel goal
For that reason, it is my goal to go somewhere for an entire month in the summer of 2010 and get a taste for what it’s like to live like a local for a bit and expose my children to a new culture. I was inspired by Eat, Pray, Love to go someplace for an extended period. Although I don’t have the need to runaway and heal from a painful situation like the author did, I do have the desire to experience a place as something other than a tourist.
I’m still trying to figure out where we’ll go and the logistics to make that happen but it will. My husband will likely be able to join us for part of the time but it will primarily be the kids and me. How great will that be that they can grow up and say that they “lived” outside of the US for a month? Longer than a month would be fantastic (like maybe a year – or five!) but this will be a good start to experimenting with extended travel.
I always say that planning is half the fun for me and I’m ready to get started. I’ll be documenting the plans for our month-long stint here over the next year.
First decision: where to go. Have any suggestions?
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m so with you on this. I love travel!!!!!! And, for the same reasons.
Where to go……hmmmm……was it Honduras that you loved on your cruise? I loved the little town of Akumal in the Mayan Riviera and would enjoy getting to know that area better. But, that is not “luxury” by any means.
The DFW airport viewing station is fantastic. Wish we had one here!
Keep up the good work. Your kids will be forever changed by your efforts. Such a great mom!
Honduras just had a military coup so it’s out for safety reasons. I don’t want luxury but I do need affordability since it’s a whole month. Considering Central America and Asia but need to see what makes sense.
KC airport is easy to view as well. Andy used to take Payton out there when she was 2 and they’d spend time watching planes. It’s not an actual “viewing area” but it’s easy to park and watch and now with the Zona Rosa shopping area right by there, that would be a fun afternoon.
What about France? I had this vision of you and your kids living in the countryside of France for a month… bicycling to the local market. And I LOVE your weird son… asking the Brits why they talk like Harry Potter?!? Awesome. I can’t believe a realtor would say that… but then again she just wanted a bigger commission. I’d rather live in an apt. my whole life, and a small used car and be able to see the world. Can’t wait to read your up coming posts on how the details come together.
One more question…. Can you and your husband adopt me so I can go to Disney World with the family??
I also love that travel forces you to face new challenges. Whenever I travel, it’s a great reminder that all you bring with you are your skills. It’s a great way to test yourself while you learn and expand.
If I could go anywhere for one month, I’d go back to Italy. I only got to stay about 10 days the first time. It was fun to see the highlights in Venice, Florence, Aasisi and Rome but I’d love to go back and see how the locals live.
Aasisi was great since we walked all over the place. Cars weren’t allowed into the town and it was amazing how much calmer and relaxed the people were. Florence just seemed so much like New York City to me. Crazy traffic, lots of noise and tons of activity.
K,
Thanks for stopping by!
One of my goals is to rent an apartment in Florence and be there for a long time (NYC is my favorite city so it sounds like I’d love it!). However, for this 1 month stint, I’m looking for something more economical than what Europe can probably provide. One great suggestion I was given was for Proyecto Asis which is in Costa Rica. I am going to research it a bit more and see if it seems doable and I’ll report back here on what I figure out.
Hi, Shannon. We set up our lives so we could travel as well. We live well below our means, which means we are taking off next year for 1-2 years of travel around the world. Sweet! Something that could NOT have happened had we kept our old lifestyle of just 3 years ago.
Have you considered Mexico or South America as your month-away-from-home? Our first stop next year is in Ecuador, where we plan to spend a month. I’ve also read great things about Guatamala from Pam at Peregrination (she’s on an Eat, Pray, Love type of tour). Both are economical spots, especially compared to Europe (though Florence is really terrific!).
Good luck on your travel planning!
I had the chance to spend 3 months living in South Korea a few years ago. Not for school or work, just to be there and see what life was like. It was the best 3 months of my life. Yeah, there were plenty of moments where I wished I wasn’t there but looking back it really changed the way I view culture, America, tourists from other countries, etc. So I think it’s great that you want to take your kids over for a month.
And, by the way, Korea is both beautiful and extremely safe but it is expensive, at least up around Seoul. Maybe a smaller city in the middle of the country would be less costly.
Thanks for sharing, Anna. People’s stories like yours have solidified my desire to take my kids somewhere. Great memories and worldly experiences!