“When are we going to travel again, Mom?” Davy asked as we drove home from Boy Scouts last night. “I really miss it.” “You give us the word,” I replied, “and we’ll take off.” It’s hard finding a balance when there are many good options. How does one go about figuring out whether doing Thing [...]
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Back from the brink: One year after a journey to the end of the world
This was us one year ago today At that time we were cycling through our very last valley before rounding a corner to get our first glimpse of Ushuaia – our target, our goal, our destination. It had been a long slog to get there. The most intense year of my life to plan and [...]
I think I’ve discovered the key to long-term happiness. Yes, indeedy, I have.
“How did you keep going?” That’s one of the most common questions we get after Why did you ride your bikes from Alaska to Argentina? And How? And How did you keep the kids motivated? Indeed – how did we keep going? I’ve been wanting to write a post on this for ages but, truth [...]
Do you have an exit strategy from your long term travels?
There are many wonderful aspects of being a long term perpetual traveler. There are dozens of names for them – digital nomad, lifestyle design, location independent, world wanderer – but they are all basically names for the same thing: a person who travels the world with no plans to ever settle down in one place. [...]
9 Simple things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving
It’s Thanksgiving Day in America and I am more thankful than I ever thought I could be. This will be our first holiday in our new (old) house, and we’re looking forward to many more. I’ve been thinking about our good fortune and the many, many things I’m thankful for this holiday season. 1) My [...]
Seven months on – and still living (more or less) simply
Seven months. In some ways it seems like it’s been seven years since we arrived back in the USA; in other ways seven days. Tomorrow, on our seven month anniversary of arriving in our home country, we’ll be moving into our house. We’ve been working frantically trying to get the house ready, but it’s not [...]
Reentry – A mental conundrum
I am seriously hoping we are nearly to the end of this whole reentry process. I just want to feel settled. In many ways, we are now comfortably entrenched into a normal American lifestyle. The boys are doing well in their math and science classes taken through the public schools, they’re loving being a part [...]
Enjoying life with less
Kids come up with priceless tidbits of wisdom every once in a while. Even mine. When D & D were recently asked what advice they would give to parents that want to undertake a similar trip with their kids, Daryl’s advice rang true. “Do it. You really don’t need to have a chest full of [...]
Embarking on a brand new adventure
I feel like I’m lost – I’m standing there looking at the pile of rubbish scattered around my feet and I have absolutely no idea what to do with it. This home improvement learning curve is steep. Now I know what others feel like when they are just starting out on a bike tour. We [...]
Jumping back in the box
Dear reader, Before you read this post I need you to promise not to laugh at me. I know that you could have told me what I’m about to say years ago, but I didn’t get it until yesterday morning. I know… I know… But still, I need you to promise you won’t laugh at [...]
The real price of quality of life
I’ve been asking a lot of questions lately. Where do we go from here? What do I want out of life? What do I want to do when I grow up? But all I seem to end up with are more questions. I’ve recently found myself in a bit of a quandary and am having [...]
How do you define a traveler?
Am I still a traveler? My panniers are packed away. My tent and sleeping bag are rolled up and stashed. I’m in the process of buying a house and plan to stay in it for the foreseeable future. Does that change my status? I’ve been thinking about my identity lately – who am I? When [...]
Strangers in our own country
“I want to take off on the bikes again,” Davy said as he climbed into the car after school this afternoon. “I miss the bikes.” ((sigh)) It’s been five weeks since we arrived in Boise – about the longest period of time we’ve stayed anywhere for the past three years. Our bodies and minds are [...]
How fair are standardized tests?
“Hey Mom, what’s a binder? My teacher says I need one.” I never saw that one coming… Our boys have had so many life experiences. They’ve cycled with buffalo and camped in snow. They’ve danced at Carnival and made a pilgrimage to a holy site. They’ve flown over the Nazca Lines and seen conehead skulls [...]
Education plans
We’re making some decisions and moving on – it feels great! One of our primary concerns (after finding a place to live – still working on that one) was figuring out what we would do about our boys’ education. There were so many options available and we weren’t sure which option would serve their needs [...]
It’ll happen… It’ll happen…
I’m feeling a bit more settled these days although we still have a l-o-n-g way to go. I’m grateful that we’ve passed beyond the frantic OMG-where-are-we-going-to-sleep stage, but that’s really about all we’ve managed to do. For now, we are hanging out in a small apartment where we can stay as long as we need. [...]
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