How do we travel so much?

I read a lot of travel blogs and I follow people who are doing this full time.

Paris

Living the nomad lifestyle.

I am not there yet.

But that is the dream. One day.....

Right now, my family and I do as much travelling as we can or even can't afford. And I say that because we sacrifice a lot in order to be able to travel.

But for us it's worth it. And I'd like to share our story.

We are a one income family. My husband is solely responsible for bringing home the bacon. I do things here and there on the side, but they don't amount to much.(I create and sell Unit Studies which you can purchase here). Hopefully, one day they will.

Anyway, we live on a shoestring budget. Counting every dollar and just making it month to  month. We have an average salary. My husband's job is in E-learning, so you know he doesn't make a six figure salary. But we get by.

Don't get me wrong. We provide for our family. Everyone has what they need. Everyone is healthy. Everyone is happy.

We are not into material things and I guess we passed that down to our children. They have toys, books, most of what other kids have, just not in excess.

We don't own a home. We did until a year ago, when we decided to sell it since we are now living in England.

We don't have a lot of savings other than our 401K. What we save eventually goes towards travelling.

Bruges, Belgium

So how do we do it?

• I do a ton of research to find the best deals. A TON! Sometimes I spend days, even weeks researching.

• I don't book anything without checking TripAdvisor first.

• I make an itinerary. I call it my flexi-plan because I like to be organized and have a general idea of what we will be doing and seeing, but I also realize we have to allow for unexpected things that may come up. And they do.

• I always try to book a hotel that offers free breakfast and free wi-fi.

• When I can't get the free breakfast, I purchase easy to store breakfast foods such as oatmeal, cereal, milk, bread.

• I make a list of our "must visit" attractions and cost them out, so I now how much we will be spending on those.

• I pre-book certain attractions that offer better online rates or those that you have to wait hours in line for. (saving time also saves money)

• I find free things to do as well.

• I give my kids a spending limit.

• I treat the planning phase of the trip like a job. I dedicate time and effort to it because I know it will pay off in the end.

Tapas in Malaga, Spain

We still spend way too much on our trips. I know I can cut down on our expenses even more. 

Marbella, Spain

I've become a sort of expert at booking affordable family travel. I advise my family and friends on the best deals. And I've even started planning some trips for them. So far, everyone has been happy with the results.











So this is how my family does it. I know some people have a bigger budget or a smaller one.

Whatever your budget it, you CAN travel. It may not be a 3 month trip around the world but there are so many amazing and affordable places to see on this big, beautiful Earth.

I welcome comments and tips on budget family travel. Happy World Adventures!

Rome

What am I doing in England?

Big Ben

As many of you know, my life changed drastically in 2013 when my oldest daughter decided to attend college in England.

Here's what happened. She was 17 at the time and had never travelled by herself, let alone lived in another country far from her family.

When she applied to and got accepted into a great Occupational Therapy program in England, it was an easy decision for her. She wanted the education and the experience of living abroad.


I couldn't deny her that opportunity, but it was hard to think of her a whole ocean away. We are a tight knit family and she and I have a strong bond; it was very hard to think about letting her go.

Well, what is a mother to do? I told my husband that I would be going to England with our oldest daughter and taking our youngest with me. I gave him two options: figure out a way to do your work from England and come with us, or stay here by yourself.

Of course, I didn't mean that. I would never leave him behind or split up. That was never an option. But I did want to push him into action.And push I did.

He worked it out with his company to work out of their London offices for a short predetermined period of time.

We got over our first hurdle. Now what. We are actually doing this. Panic strikes.

After realizing the magnitude of our decision and a few glasses of wine later, we had a plan.

We rented our house, sold almost all of our things, put the rest in storage and took off for England.

Traditional Double Decker Bus

We've been on a rollercoaster ride ever since. But I wouldn't change it for the world.

Our daughter is incredibly happy at University. Our youngest is homeschooled and we've been all over London exploring museums, parks, and everything in between.

My husband and I are enjoying this adventure which has had an unexpected benefit. We've grown stronger as a couple. Nothing can shake us and I feel blessed and proud of that.

So how long are we here for? Originally we planned on 3 years. Now, it's open ended. We will see where life takes us!

Thanks for sharing this space with us and following us on this adventure!

Platform 9 3/4

Christmas at the South Bank

Stone Henge

Thatched Roof House

Somerset House

Homeschooling Abroad - 15 things I've learned

 

This is our 3rd year homeschooling, 1st year homeschooling abroad.

As with all firsts, this year came with its share of challenges. First, just the challenge of getting acclimated to a new country, new city, new home, new culture. Thank goodness we didn't have to learn a new language! (although sometimes I do feel like we speak different languages). For those of you who don't know, we are in the UK. In London.

It's been almost one whole year since we first arrived and now that we've completed our homeschool year I can sit back (drink firmly in hand) and reflect.

I'm so happy and proud that we made it! That's it. We survived. All of us.

Beyond that, I have a whole new understanding of homeschooling in another country. This country. This beautiful country we're in....England.

I cannot speak about homeschooling in other countries. I have no experience.

Here's what I have learned:

1. Most Brits "unschool", so it's been difficult finding groups and other like minded homeschoolers.
2. When I say unschool, I mean they take their kids out of school and basically let them do whatever they want all week. I met an 8 year old who doesn't know how to read or write and her mom said, "she'll learn eventually". Ok
3. Libraries are not what they are in the US and they leave a lot to be desired.
4. Thanks to no. 3, we had a terrible time finding books. Once I went with Buttercup to the library with a list of about 10 books, foolishly thinking they'd have at least 2 or 3. Nope. None. Nada. We walked out empty handed.
5. Because of no. 4 there are lessons we are not able to complete or do to its fullest because we cannot get the books that accompany those lessons.
6. I've had to improvise A LOT.
7. Amazon has become my best friend. I order books and other materials online.
8. Printing is expensive so we've also improvised on that front. (Hoping to buy a printer soon)
9. Homeschooling groups are mainly "play groups". So, no formal or informal learning going on. They meet at the park.
10. I have yet to find a group that meets regularly to discuss books, to learn science, or learn art.
11. Socializing hasn't been all that easy. We've met a few people but cannot get beyond the superficial. No play dates, birthday party invitations, or anything that would resemble a friendship.
12. Everyone is cordial enough. Helpful if I ask a question, but that's as far as it goes.
13. Being in a new country has given us the opportunity to explore lots of  new things. So lot's of learning going on. Yay!
14. London Museums are FREE! We've gone to so many and they are wonderful.
15. London has a ridiculous number of parks. It will take a VERY long time to explore all of them. But we are having fun trying.

We are forging ahead and will homeschool this coming year. I'm continuing to follow my own path. That path is basically a fusion of structured homeschooling with interest led homeschooling.

Buttercup and I both need structure..............We need a schedule................But we've learned to be flexible within that structure.

Math, reading, and writing are non negotiable. The rest I take her input on most subjects like History, Art, Science, Geography and Language.
This past year we studied Ancient Civilizations, Chemistry, Bunnies, Portuguese and French. We studied Picasso, cityscapes, perspective drawing and negative space.

Buttercup is now studying Italian in preparation for our trip coming up in the Fall.

I hope to get more and more accustomed to life here in the Old Country. I hope to meet more people and make some friends. In the meantime, we are learning to live a whole new life full of challenges and adventures.


Happy Summer!                   

Happy Homeschooling Adventures!!