It’s time to share the ‘other side’ of family travel, because we all know that traveling comes with it’s own challenges, it’s own ups and downs, great times and great frustrations. But what about traveling with kids, and doing it for an extended period of time? We’ve all done the super high speed, do everything in 2 weeks vacation. Running from one activity to another can be exhausting, so what is it like to drag it out, doing it s l o w l y over a 6 month stretch….
We set upon this journey with grand ideas about how things would be. Leaving the status quo behind and following our dreams of traveling as a family was a very exciting idea. We would grow closer as a family, we would open our eyes and hearts to a bigger world and show the kids that there is so much more out there than they could ever imagine.
We would show them how children in other cultures live. They would learn a new language, new currency, and many new life skills. Above all that, we would learn about each other and ourselves.
I’m very happy to say that this big adventure succeeded in achieving all of the above and more. Without a doubt, this was a life-changing experience that has altered us as a family forever. And for that, we are eternally grateful and looking forward to our next adventure together!
But with most big life experiences, there is always a downside. And we really didn’t see it coming. What was it? STRESS!
One (false) expectation of this big endeavour was the great escape from daily stress. The stresses of work and daily life would be gone. Poof! Everyone knows how to chill out on vacation, right? So we’d be chilled for 6 months. How cool is that!
But guess what? Stress is a part of life and sometimes getting rid of one source of stress can simply open up doors to other forms of stress. And let me tell you, we had lots of stress on this adventure! And sometimes it really got to us.
HERE ARE THE TOP 5 MOST DIFFICULT STRESS-INDUCING TRUTHS:
1- Financial Stress
We left Canada with a budget of $1500 a month (as detailed in this post), but that budget went out the window before our flight left the ground. Why? Because we are Canadian and neglected to realize that all of our online research was in US dollars. And at the time of our departure, the exchange rate was 37%!! Budget. Down. The. Drain.
2- Filling our Time
How can all that free time be stressful, you ask? Didn’t we say we were going to chill out for 6 months? Well, much to our surprise, this was harder than we thought. First of all, we originally planned to stay in a bungalow on the beach the whole time, but that was one of the first things to change, when after the first month we found the beach to be too hot so we headed for the mountains. We LOVED the mountains and made some great friends during our time here, but still found it a challenge to fill all the hours of the day, every day. Especially with our budget being tighter than expected.
3- Grocery Shopping on the Move
Now, with a tight budget to start with, and empty cupboards on move-in day, and really no more than a one-month commitment in one location, it turned out to be extremely hard to stock the kitchen with a good variety of decent, healthy, well-priced food. Buying in bulk is more economical but not wise when you know you won’t make use of it before moving on. And as much as we loved experimenting with all of the new foods we found in Costa Rica, we can’t deny that this was also a source of stress when figuring out our best grocery choices.
4- Being Together
Ok, here is the dark truth. Despite all the great times we had (and there were a LOT), there were also many challenges that came from just being together all the time. Man, that was a LOT OF TIME to be together!! I follow and admire so many other families out there who are permanently traveling, and I love reading the amazing stories they share. I think we were a bit naive in thinking that it would be all butterflies and lollipops all the time. Honestly, Ian and I don’t have a history of arguing but I would have to say that during this trip I’m sure we argued more in these 6 months than in the last decade!! And the bulk of it, of course, was near the end of the journey. Being together literally 24/7 can really bring out different aspects of each other, and a desperate need for personal space.
5- Language Barrier
I have to admit that although our Spanish definitely improved, the language barrier was exhausting at times. Even in some of the most touristy venues, such as hotels and car rentals, we found the challenge was more than we had anticipated. It was a lot of fun when our limited Spanish was successful, but there were many times when we struggled with getting an answer to a simple question and just had to walk away without the answer.
WHAT WE LEARNED:
First of all, I think it’s important to have realistic expectations before setting out on an adventure like this one. If you’re trying to run away from stress, think again. Stress will come and it will go, and understanding this is the first step in being able to deal with it in a healthy way.
Secondly, if we were to do this all over again, we would go for a shorter period of time. We had a $10,000 budget, so a 3 month trip would have been perfect…in hindsight. This would have taken care of (above) stresses #1, #2 and #3.
As for #4 above, ‘Being Together’ too much, we realize now that breaking up our days and giving each other more alone time would have gone a long way in relieving stress. And as a family of 4, we could have split up and separated, one adult/one kid, and done more activities apart, then come together at the end of the day to share stories. We did these things, but not nearly enough.
And of course #5 goes without saying….LEARN MORE OF THE LANGUAGE before embarking on a long journey such as this. It would have changed so many of our experiences, every single day.
Can you think of other things that we could have done to ease the strain of long term travel? We can’t wait to do something like this again, although shorter next time, and would hope to learn something from each new adventure.
Till next time,
Keep Going4Ward!
Nancy and Ian
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I loved your honesty in this post! Lots of great, helpful info for anyone thinking of doing something similar!
Thank you Jill. I think it’s really important to tell both sides of the story. The stress doesn’t cancel out all the great benefits from doing something like this, but it’s nice to have realistic expectations.
Very insightful and I love your honesty. Wow things you wouldn’t think about until you actually went through it. I admire you all so much. You take life by the horns and go for it. Does that mean everything is picture perfect no. However when you get to the end of this life you will know you actually lived it with few or no regrets. We must live each day to the fullest even when some of those days don’t seem so sunny. For they are the days we find we learn the most about life. So proud of you guys. Miss you all as well.
Thank you Anita! So true.