Nine Months Family Adventure Travel Round the World

We did it – a nine month trip around the world, leaving behind family and friends, work, school and “normal” life. Here is our itinerary and experiences of family travel round the world. The journey begins…

NINE MONTHS FAMILY TRAVEL ROUND THE WORLD

CHINA: AUGUST 2016

China was the starting point for us. Travelling through China for almost a month took us from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie, home of the landscapes that inspired the sets for Avatar. Onto Guilin and Yangshuo which were beautiful places, the China depicted on postcards, with misty bumpy mountain peaks and twisting rivers. Then onto Xi’an and the hugely impressive Terracotta Army. Finally to Beijing where we hiked the Great Wall of China and explored the Forbidden City.

Our time in China enabled us to get to grips with travelling. It was a new experience for us all and took some adjusting. We were each used to having our own space for much of the day, the boys at school and Dave and I in work, and suddenly we were all together for every minute of every day. The boys went from having school, friends and lots of activities, to just having each other. Mostly it worked well, but i’d be lying if i said it was plain sailing all the time!

We also had to adapt to being on a budget, staying in cheaper hotels, taking public transport or walking, and eating in less expensive restaurants.

Quickly, we had to become accustomed to only having a back pack containing all our worldly goods; a few changes of clothes, some card games, and our computers and schoolwork.

Our days were very different from at home. Travel, sightseeing, travel planning and a few hours schoolwork dominated our days. It was very different but we loved it.

China is so completely different from where we live in the UK that it was a real baptism of fire, but it was such an adventure. It really was the perfect place to start our travels around the world.

The five of us adapted well to our new lifestyle. It helped that we were seeing world-class sights in a fascinating and vibrant country.

SEE ALSO: China Travel Tips: Things To Know Before You Go

SINGAPORE: SEPTEMBER 2016

We spent a few days in Singapore seeing old friends and exploring what the city has to offer. The Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Zoo were the highlights.

SEE ALSO: A Short Stay in Singapore

MYANMAR: SEPTEMBER 2016

Myanmar was a fascinating country, and one we knew little about before we visited. We spent two weeks exploring here. Firstly, in Yangon where we saw the Shwedagon Pagoda, next Lake Inle which offered us a fascinating insight into the way of life of the local people. Bagan was our next stop and an absolute highlight with its endless temples as far as the eye could see. Lastly Mandalay with its royal capital cities and mighty river.

SEE ALSO: The Temples of Bagan

BHUTAN: SEPTEMBER 2016

Bhutan is the last great Himalayan kingdom with a reputation for mystery and magic, where a traditional Buddhist culture carefully embraces global developments. It is a small land-locked mountainous country, surrounded by China to its north and India to its east, south and west. In Bhutan Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product. A special place indeed. There is a big cost involved with visiting, at $250 per person per day, but we felt it was completely worthwhile. Our time in Bhutan involved some memorable hiking through beautiful scenery, white water rafting (a first for us) and visiting  ancient buildings, all the while learning about a different culture and people.

READ ALSO: One Week Bhutan Itinerary With Children

THAILAND: OCTOBER 2016

Thailand is a fantastic country which offers great variety from the temples of Bangkok, to the idyllic beaches of the south, and the rainforests in the north with trekking opportunities and all manner of elephant encounters. Thailand’s nickname is “the land of smiles” because its people are so happy and friendly. It is also renowned for its food.

We started in Bangkok before heading to Koh Samet for some relaxation at the beach. From here we headed north to the ancient city of Sukhothai, then to the rainforests of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Our favourite places in Thailand would have to be Bangkok, Koh Samet and Chiang Mai.

READ ALSO: Fun and Adventure in Chiang Mai

LAOS: OCTOBER 2016

We travelled into Laos on a slow boat down the Mekong River. It was an amazing experience. Sitting on our wooden boat, drinking cups of tea, relaxing, watching some of Southeast Asia’s best scenery drift by. It will stay in our memories forever. Laos is a beautiful country with the friendliest of people.

READ ALSO: Taking a Slow Boat Down the Mighty Mekong River

Luang Prabang, a small French town in the jungle, where we spent five days, was fantastic. From here we did an overnight mahout experience, learning to ride, bathe and communicate with Asian elephants.

READ ALSO: Learning to be a Mahout at the Elephant Village

CAMBODIA: OCTOBER 2016

Cambodia was next. Here we were joined by some good friends from home who travelled with us for almost two weeks. Siem Reap is a place that we fell in love with. Touring the temples was fantastic, but we also went quad biking and air-boating which were super family friendly, fun activities.

READ ALSO: Exploring the Temples of Angkor with Kids

READ ALSO: Best Family Friendly Activities in Siem Reap

We all got a dose of history when visiting S-21, the infamous prison, and the Killing Fields, in the capital Phnom Penh. It was here that Logan celebrated his eleventh birthday with a Bear Care Day, spending the day with sun and moon bears, at a local sanctuary.

READ ALSO: A Short Time in Phnom Penh

FOR MORE ON CAMBODIA: A Perfect 10 Day Cambodia Itinerary with Kids

VIETNAM: NOVEMBER 2016

Our tour through Vietnam started on the island of Phu Quoc for some relaxation at the beach and then continued on from the south to the north of this fascinating country, taking almost a month.

Highlights were the time with friends on the island of Phu Quoc, touring the de-militarized zone with a war veteran, wandering the streets of beautiful Hoi An, and cruising Halong Bay in a traditional junk for two nights.

READ ALSO: Cruising Halong Bay

BALI, FLORES, KOMODO AND RINCA ISLANDS: DECEMBER 2016

We had ten days in Bali, split between Ubud and Sanur, to relax and take things slowly. We were in need of some down time as we had been travelling hard for four months.

Next stop was Flores, a stunning island covered with volcanoes and forests. Tourism is still very much in its infancy here.

Our trip to Rinca and Komodo Islands was the highlight of our time in Indonesia. It was here that we saw Komodo Dragons, the only place you can see them in the wild. To see these large lumbering creatures, a throw back from the dinosaur era, was a privilege and something we’ll never forget.

READ ALSO: Walking with Dragons:Taking a Trip to Komodo With Children

AUSTRALIA: DECEMBER 2016 AND JANUARY 2017

After four months of traveling through Asia we arrived in Australia where we spent five weeks. Christmas and New Year were spent with great friends of ours in Melbourne, a real family Christmas, the other side of the world. Australia was wonderful, but like New Zealand, expensive.

There was lots to see in Australia, and its a big country to get around! We wanted to do all the big sights like Uluru, Sydney, and the Great Barrier Reef. We loved our time on the Whitsunday Islands, and the days we spent in Noosa further down the coast. Our trip to Fraser Island was superb, camping at the beach and driving our rented 4WD along Seventy Five Mile Beach. Uluru was spectacular to see with the boys, even though one of them was poorly and we couldn’t do as much as we’d planned. We ended up in Sydney, which has become one of our favourite cities in the world, a stunning city located on the waterfront.

READ ALSO: Top 8 Things To Do In Sydney

NEW ZEALAND: JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2017

New Zealand brought a month touring in a camper van. We started in Christchurch on the South Island and ended up in Auckland on the North Island. It was mid-summer when we visited New Zealand but nobody had told the weather! On the South Island we experienced high winds, rain, a lot of rain and hail, which dampened our spirits a little. We spent most of our time in fleeces and trousers which hadn’t been worn since leaving home.

Our month long trip had us waterfall climbing, hiking, kayaking, jet boating, tobogganing and wine tasting. New Zealand is a country where you can get out and be active, enjoy some of the world’s best scenery, all while getting an adrenaline fix. Even with the wet weather we did some incredible activities in New Zealand. Amongst our favourites were hiking the Tongariro Crossing, waterfall climbing in Wanaka, kayaking the Waikato River near Taupo, staying at a vineyard in Martinborough and visiting Hobbiton where much of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings was filmed.

SEE ALSO: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing With Kids

FIJI: FEBRUARY 2017

Here we spent ten days in paradise, snorkelling, sailing, paddle boarding, exploring some of the smaller islands, and getting in some much needed rest and relaxation. The beaches and sea are some of the best we’ve encountered anywhere in the world.

SEE ALSO: Stunning Modriki Island

LOS ANGELES, USA: FEBRUARY 2017

For a few nights we experienced Los Angeles. We happened to be here for the Oscars so we got as close as possible to the action. Our time was spent at Universal Studios, the only theme park we visited on the whole trip, at Venice Beach and Santa Monica, and in Hollywood.

SOUTH AFRICA: MARCH 2017

After a mammoth journey from Los Angeles, via London and Dubai, we arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. It was on these flights that Dylan celebrated his thirteenth birthday with no less than three different birthday cakes! We were here for  a month exploring as much of the country as possible. Cape Town quickly became another of our favourite world cities, with Table Mountain as its spectacular backdrop.

From Cape Town we toured the best of South Africa’s coastline, along the Garden Route and then around Durban and St Lucia on the east coast.

We ended our time in South Africa on safari in Kruger and Thornybush Game Parks, our first safari experiences as a family, and what a way to start! The Big 5 all seen during our time in Kruger, and then again in Thornybush. Wild dogs, the only thing on our list we failed to see. We’ll just have to go back one day!

South Africa was unexpectedly amazing. The country has so much to offer with fantastic scenery, great hiking, safari and other animal encounters, and great food and wine at cheap prices.

READ ALSO: Twelve Reasons Why You Should Visit South Africa With Children

MAURITIUS: APRIL 2017

Our world adventure finished in Mauritius with ten days relaxing at the beach in a swanky hotel. A perfect end to our eight month trip around the world.

BACK IN THE UK: 8TH APRIL 2017

Before we knew it, we were flying back to the UK. By this time we had reached our 250th day of travel visiting fifteen countries in the process. The nine months had passed so quickly. We were excited to be returning home to see friends and family again but sad to see this trip come to an end. It was very strange arriving back at our house after nine months away!

Since our return home the most popular question we are asked is, “what was your favourite place during the trip?” The nine months were filled with many different countries, amazing memories and fantastic experiences. My favourite was probably Bhutan, I loved being in the mountains with the spectacular scenery, in a land that takes you back in time. Dave loved China and all it had to offer. Dylan and Flynn both list Australia as their favourite country and Logan loved our time in New Zealand touring in a camper van. We all felt South Africa was unexpectedly amazing with its fantastic scenery and many animal encounters.

TRIP STATISTICS

Our trip took us to fifteen countries in 250 days. During this time we stayed in 87 accommodations, averaging just 2.8 days in each location. We moved around a lot but we loved it. We took 41 aeroplanes, 52 boats, 27 buses, 23 mini-vans, 16 kayaks, 16 tuk tuks, 12 bicycles, 6 cable cars and 1 train. Some of the more obscure modes of transport were ostriches, elephants, swegways, an airboat and a seaplane.

ROUTE AROUND THE WORLD

HAVE WE CHANGED…?

A good question, and one which i’m not sure I have the answer to, but here’s a few thoughts…

The boys have grown enormously in a year becoming more confident, more “worldly wise” and more aware of different people and cultures. In between specific adventures on the trip we practiced the philosophy of “letting children get bored” – our aim was to avoid the option of providing stimulus all the time, and specifically to avoid electronic things! Consequently they have developed their own skills in occupying themselves, talking to others, and just finding things to do. They have proven to be highly adaptable throughout the journey and constantly made us proud when willing to try new things and experiences. After nine months with primarily adult company, one of their biggest adjustments for them will be to re-integrate with their peers. They also need to re-learn the norms of adult/child relationships when in a structured setting like school or sports teams!

We have developed a greater appreciation for things that we once took for granted. In the United Kingdom the opportunity to go to school and live in a nice house are readily available, while in many parts of the world this is not the case. So much of the world lives at a level of poverty not seen in the United Kingdom. We’ve seen this with our own eyes, again and again.

We have returned less materialistic, having lived with few possessions for almost nine months. Living out of a back pack with five changes of clothes, two pairs of shoes and few toys for the boys, has made us realise that our house full of clothes, shoes and toys is somewhat unnecessary.

The world is a safer place than we see in the media. Before we left on our world trip a common question was whether it was actually safe to travel the world with our kids. We travelled for nine months, to many different countries, and very rarely did we feel unsafe. Two incidents do stand out however: Being stranded in a tiny boat out at sea in Indonesia and a couple of times in South Africa where we felt uneasy and at risk, but nothing actually happened.

Finally, taking a trip like this does not extinguish any wanderlust we may have had at the start of this trip. In fact, its probably made it worse! For every destination we ticked off the list, two more got added. Now home, we will continue to travel and explore as much of the world as possible.

READ ALSO: Travelling Around the World:Your Questions Answered