We are very fortunate in our lives to be able to travel and see so many beautiful (and not so beautiful) parts of the world. We have learned a lot about ourselves as human beings and the way we lead our lives. I can only speak for myself when I say that traveling has changed something inside me, deep in my core, and has made me a better person. I have a great appreciation for everything I am given, everything I see and I don't take anything for granted!
So many people we come across, as well as friends, are amazed that we travel with our children, and have since they have been little. Above...Riley on her 5th birthday & Cole 4 months old at Costa Azul, Mexico. This was Cole's 1st trip out of the U.S. I still laugh every time I look at his passport photo. He was only 2 months old, we had to prop him up with towels, his eyes only half open, and spit-up on his onesie.
I often get a little "heat" from school teachers not agreeing with us pulling our kids out of school for weeks at a time, but to be honest, I wouldn't do things any different. My kids have learned more about life, cultures, languages and the world than they would in any given day sitting in a classroom. My kids have seen third world countries, they know what poverty looks like, they have traveled by airplane (and are quite good at it now), ferry boats, pongas, camper van and have been 4 wheelin' on dirt roads. They can speak a few words of Spanish, which I hope they will be fluent by the time they are adults. I am very proud to say that our kids have seen so much of the world and have had these experiences at such a young age.
Now it's not always perfect, and we go into knowing that everyone is going to have their moments and I think that's how we get through it. We expect the worse and then we are usually pleasantly surprised when there are no meltdowns. Above...this was on the 2nd of 3 flights to Bocas Del Toro in April, 2009. We had a 3 hour lay over in Mexico City which we spent running up & down the moving sidewalks trying to wear our kids out, and of course a stop at the bar for mom & dad.
This is Alex and Riley in Costa Rica (July 2009) getting ready to zip line. I was stuck back at our casita with Cole who had come down with strep throat. He was too young to zip line anyway so I let Alex have this one. He is way more of an adventurist than I am.
Here we are fresh off of a 13 hour overnight flight to New Zealand. I was so proud of my kids after this flight. This is to date still our longest flight we have done with the kids. It was after this flight that I realized they could handle whatever we throw at them.
That is our camper van on the right. This is Raglan, New Zealand. My husband has wanted to surf this wave since he was about 13. The waves weren't epic and it was crowded but at least he checked that off his bucket list.
Savaii, Samoa, April 2010. This is probably the most rustic accommodations we have stayed in with the kids and to be honest, I think it is one of my most memorable and favorite. These "houses" are called fales (pronounced fah-ley). It is a very basic "hut" with plywood windows you prop open with a hook and rope. There is nothing but a bed and a couple mosquito nets inside. They did have electricity wired in with a dim light hanging from the ceiling and a bathroom off to the right. There is no hot water but it is not necessary since you are in the tropics, a cool shower feels wonderful! This was a surf camp called Aganoa run by a retired Kiwian and his Samoan wife. They had 4 kids that took my kids under there wings showing them the ropes of local Samoan living.
Here are 2 of the locals, Melita and Hurricane, teaching Riley how to crack open a coconut on the edge of a boat trailer.
Chris, Hurricane, Riley & Cole hunting for crabs at night. And Cole with his Samoan girlfriend.
The Samoan people are extremely friendly. We were the only Americans on the island at the time of our visit and everyone loved us. They were amazed that we had come so far just to see "their" country and appreciated us for that. On a trip across the island by taxi, the driver actually took us to his house and introduced us to his wife and 2 small children. Another taxi driver invited us to stay with him on our next trip to Samoa. The local kids invited Riley to go to school with them for a day. It was such a wonderful and eye-opening experience for her. She got to go barefoot, have top ramen and a fresh coconut for lunch, and the teacher would slap the kids with a yard stick for misbehaving (don't worry, Riley didn't get slapped).
And this is from our most recent vacation to Hawaii to visit my parents who moved over there last year, are building a house and living their dream.
Cheers to many more adventures to come!
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