I’ve found it can be hard to find those families who actually live full-time on the road as most family travel blogs are filled with tips and advice for taking your children on a short vacation. If you’re like me and enjoy following along with the adventures and misadventures of families slowly making their way around the world, this list is for you!
1) 1 Dad 1 Kid
Talon Windwalker is a single dad traveling around the world slowly with his young son. After traveling through parts of Mexico, Cuba, Belize, and Guatemala, they planted themselves in Honduras for several months living on a small island in the Caribbean. Their journey began while planning a 20-day trip to Africa. It rapidly evolved into an indefinite, slow, around-the-world nomadic lifestyle. Talon’s goal was to get more living into his life, to spend more time raising his son, to create special memories with him, and to raise him as a global citizen. His motto of “Live Without Regrets” is a great one for many of us to remember!
2) The Great Family Escape
After years spent behind a desk and shuffling the kids off to daycare, the Mussler family decided they wanted more from life. They knew they loved to travel, but never really had the time or freedom to dig deep and experience the world with their children. One day they decided to take a shot and change every aspect of their modern, American life in order to travel as a family for as long as they wished. Their blog tracks the entire process of how they are simplifying their life, learning to work from the road, and spending as much time as possible wandering the globe with their kids. They plan to visit Central America and Europe in 2012, but are still debating if they will drive, cycle, or find some other adventurous way to experience the world.
3) Raising Miro on the Road of Life
Lainie, a single mom, and her son Miro began their eight year adventure in 2009, starting in Central & South America. They are traveling slowly around the globe allowing inspiration to be their compass. The pair is most interested in exploring cultures, contributing by serving & connecting with humanity as global citizens.
4) Travels with a Nine Year Old
Theodora and Z are a mother and son from London who have been slow travelling Asia for the last two years, largely overland. They’ve trekked into the jungle to meet hunter-gathering nomads, dived an undersea volcano, watched buffalo sacrificed at a funeral, climbed the highest mountain in SE Asia, rafted rivers and visited most every theme park in the region.
5) Almost Fearless
Cole and Drew, two corporate workers who decided they had had enough, decided to quit their jobs to become writers, photographers, and film makers. They travel the world slowly, moving from place to place every few months. They travel with their two children.
6) Our Travel Lifestyle
The Burns family decided they weren’t happy with their lives in suburban Australia and set off to explore the world, perhaps endlessly or perhaps in search of a place they would be happy. At this point, they still aren’t sure which they’re after, but that’s half the adventure. Both Tracy and Colin had careers that weren’t reliant on being in one location so they headed out with the kids in tow. They’ve been on the road since January 2010. Tracy said, “Travelling with young kids has been a bigger adventure than we anticipated. Some days we wish we never got out of bed. But then there are the magical days that make it all worthwhile!”
7) The Dropout Diaries
Barbara tells funny stories about her post-career life after dropping out of the rat race for a second time. With a toddler and a bewildered husband in tow, Barbara is now traveling slowly around the world seeking out street food – and trying to get her toddler to eat.
8) DiscoverShareInspire
Rachel and Greg Denning, along with their five children, are slowly making their way south toward Argentina in a veggie-powered truck. They are normal people who were living a normal life – until they decided they wanted something more and began designing the life they really wanted to live. Now they’re homeless (on purpose) and extremely nomadic. Their website shares their family travel adventures and inspire others to live their dreams, no matter how crazy.
9) Edventure Project
It all started with a little bike ride: from London to Tunisia and back. The Millers and their four children, aged 9-15 are now in their fourth year of full-time travel on a quest to combine education and adventure. They’re all about moving slow, diving deep, living education, dreaming big dreams and inspiring others who would walk a similar path that anything is possible. They are passionate about education, sustainable travel, literacy projects, social justice causes and simple living. Having spent half of this last year in Guatemala and the other half exploring the USA from coast to coast The Edventure Project is headed for Asia in the spring.
10) Family Trek
When their son was 14 months old Clark and Monica embarked on a life-changing journey. Completely life-changing. They rented out their house for six months and traveled across the United States. They also took little diversions to Ireland and Nicaragua. At the end of those six months they moved to Lake Tahoe, but have never stopped traveling. Traveling became a way of life. They made it a priority financially and don’t allow not having enough money for having a “perfect” trip keep them from going on adventures.
Many thanks for this list, Nancy, I will check each of them out and subscribe to the ones that intrigue me; it’s what I did with your blog a couple years ago !~! Still loving your writing.
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Nancy Reply:
December 29th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
@Lynda M O,
Thank you Lynda! All ten of these blogs are top-notch and deserving of a follow. I always love finding new blogs – although I definitely don’t need to from a time perspective!!
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So lucky to be on this list Nancy! I can’t wait til we get to have some of the adventures and family time the others here have. Much Thanks and glad you like the blog.
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Nancy Reply:
December 30th, 2011 at 10:05 am
@Justin,
You’re there cuz you’ve got an awesome blog
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Great list!!! I really, really love all of these, and read them daily.
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Nancy Reply:
December 30th, 2011 at 10:06 am
@Elizabeth,
There were so many good blogs it was hard to narrow it down to only ten! I love following along with travelers.
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Like your blog and love lists like these but…#4 and #9 are dead links (at least for me the past 2 days) and #10 stopped blogging about 3 months ago…
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Nancy Reply:
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:41 am
@Brian,
Hmmm… Both #4 and #9 just worked for me. They are both slow to load, but so worth it! As for Got Passport, they have definitely slowed down in their blogging in order to spend more time doing other things. I respect that, but still look forward to their occasional posts.
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Awesome list! I already follow two of these families and it is awesome to see so many more fascinating stories.
I am ready to embark soon on my own journey and it is so great to see so many like-minded people doing it in style.
Thanks,
Serena : )
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Nancy Reply:
January 3rd, 2012 at 10:36 am
@Serena Star Leonard,
Glad to have helped enable another traveler
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Great list, but Snaps and Blabs, which I love, should be on it.
http://snapsandblabs.com
Cheers.
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Nancy Reply:
January 31st, 2012 at 12:25 pm
@David Robert Hogg,
I love Snaps and Blabs too. I had no idea how hard it was going to be to limit this list to ten. I really should have had my top 50.
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How did I miss this before? Thank you so much for including us! To me, this is just a list of friends! I’m very thankful for you and the many wonderful people we’ve met through blogging and travel adventures.
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