To consider selling our house and travelling the world with two toddlers?

I mean, if your kids are experienced travellers and you've sorted out all the logistics, dont think your toddlers are going to beca nightmare, then the other issues are resolvable I think. The school thing- if you are moving anyway you can easily homeschool a 5 year old until a school place came up. Have you thought of hiring a camper van in each place and using that to travel in? I also agree with others- what are you going to do in Dubai for 2 months? You could go for a couple of weeks and see everything, whereas almost anywhere else in Asia you could be there for 2 months and not even scratch the surface!

Yes, you need very good insurance. My BIL and his wife live in SE Asia and end up on drips a few times a year due to dodgy tummies!

I think it sounds amazing! Though agree that selling your old house and buying one in an area with good primary schools and renting it out then makes sure that you're all set up for your return, with no issues getting a mortgage after a period of no earnings.

And I was going to suggest some time in New Zealand as well - beautiful country, friendly people, so much to see.

OP- have you looked into travel insurance for the trip? Being properly covered for both health AND potential need for medical evacuation would be vital.

No, schools are actually closing in some places because there aren’t enough children. The LA has a statutory duty to educate all children so you’d definitely get a place, it might not be in the school you’d ideally choose. If you’re moving anyway that would factor into your decision about where to live.

@travellingwithtoddlers We're debating this too, although I only have one two-year-old. Our current plans are either to get a visa to move to Spain - I'm eligible, but it's expensive and a frustrating process - or to travel in the way you've planned.

A university friend of mine is doing it with her four children at the moment. They sold their Australian home and spent three weeks in Bali, but felt it wasn't child-friendly enough, and then started travelling. They've done longer stretches in Vietnam, Thailand and are currently in Morocco at a world school site, where they're staying for a bit. They're going to Egypt next for a month, and then looking for somewhere in South America to "settle" for six months, as they've found nine months of moving every 2 - 6 weeks has taken it's toll and they'd all like to rest a bit. They've done shorter trips to Paris, Germany, Poland and Spain, too, but they have to be mindful of the 90/180-day rule, as we would too. They also did Christmas in Japan, but that was a special bucket-list thing, I think.

I love to travel with my little one, and I'd love to give him that experience. My only concern with your plan would be your eldest's age... 3.5 seems too late. She'll be disadvantaged with not starting school with her peers, if you intend that she goes to school here. She'll have a brilliant time travelling, but I think you need to plan to wrap it up before she needs to start.

You'd also need to be mindful of the laws where you'd be when she'd be due to start. Spain, for example, doesn't allow home-schooling, and some other places are the same.

On reading the original title I thought "madness induced by too much watching people's unrealistic on line lives"
But after reading your actual plan...I'd say it's really a long holiday not traveling.
You plan on staying in hotels in areas slightly more challenging and having 1&2 months in Dubai is definitely not showing children or dh the world... it'll be watching cable TV in air conditioning and trips to the mall....
I'd probably say if you want the feeling of "doing travelling" and the kudos of saying " oh yes we took the children traveling when they were babies" ...then why not a motor home round Australia and new Zealand for 6 months ..

@travellingwithtoddlers Whatever you do, you would be really, really, unwise to sell your house before you go. I see you want to change your location when you come back, but you would be coming back with no job to go to, at least in the short term, all your savings gone and wouldn't be able to get a mortgage until one of you, at least, does have a job - so it wouldn't be the 'quick' resettling you are imagining., for starters and you could find yourselves very much worse off when you return and bitterly regretting selling. Rent it out while you are away and it may help to offset the mortgage payments while you are away

Having said that, I think you are getting caught up in the excitement of all the planning and are not thinking how you will cope with two very small children who will catch all kinds of bugs, at least one still in nappies, the heat, the dirt in many places you are thinking of visiting away from tourist areas.-, the different foods they will have to eat and get used to, the travelling light, washing and laundry facilities etc. etc.

A nice dream for you, but entirely impractical IMO with 2 very small children. Many of us want to run away from time to time, when our jobs are getting us down and also when we have very small children, but your husband should look for a new job (in a new area you want to move to) and do that instead. I do understand how awful it is when you absolutely hate your job, but really, this will not be the fun time away you think it will be and very very bad for your children. They won't remember the time away anyway.

I sincerely hope you don't do this

For this trip, I would be prepared to start our eldest at school late.

What will you do if you can't get a school place?

Libby Purves and her husband Paul Heiney took a year out and sailed round the coastline of Britain with their toddlers - she wrote a book about it called One Summer's Grace - it's a lovely book, and it sounds as if it was a wonderful experience for them all - albeit one with ups and downs, and some difficult times.

Your plan sounds exciting, @travellingwithtoddlers - and if you can afford it, and if your toddlers are good travellers, I think it would be an amazing thing to do.

Would you do some sort of travel blog/potential book, do you think?

Agree with all other posts, dont sell rent your existing home out.

If you sell then come back with just a new home deposit , you will not get back onto the property ladder for a while, firstly you will be starting over as a first time buyer, you need to be able to show your recent bills with proof of being a good payer on rent ect, your previous home bills will not suffice, also you/husband will need to of been employed for the last how ever many years is required nowadays on mortgage applications.

Why dont you buy/rent a camper van and do a dummy run across Europe for 3/4 weeks in the summer, (not sure if husbands employment will allow him to take all his leave in one go, or request unpaid leave perhaps?) it will give you an idea of how this will work both being around each other and the children 24/7.

Clearly haven't met my dc who both grabbed the reins, hauled me over and then sat on me like I was a horse. Then ran off into the abyss anyway. I would love a compliant child!

Yes, because the kids certainly won’t remember it.

FWIW, a couple of months in an air conditioned BnB in Dubai with toddlers is the nearest thing to living hell that I can imagine. And for why? So your kids can get acquainted to complete cartoon series on TV? Because that is all they will be doing there.
SE Asia would be culturally much more interesting. Rent a place in Luang Prabang for a month and get to know the area and the country.

This.
My daughter rented out her house when she moved in with her boyfriend. ( As a back up plan in case the relationship didn't work out.)
FF 1 year and she gave the tenants loads of notice that she intended to sell.
They refused to move out and 2YEARS later she is still waiting for a court case.
This,despite paying extra for safeguards to the rental company.
It's a nightmare if tenants won't move.
Beware!

Personally i would, life is short and if you would enjoy it then FK YEAH