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

I agree with a pp about those posters who say “We did this with our baby and it was great”… Travelling with ONE BABY is entirely different from and IME a hell of a lot easier than travelling with TWO TODDLERS.

Reins.

I actually know/have met quite a few people who’ve done this, most of them had school age children and enrolled them in online school and spent up to two year travelling. They loved it but were definitely into alternative lifestyles even when living in the UK (Steiner schools etc).

With younger children is could be harder, as the one couple I knew who had babies/toddlers had a camper van and based their travels in Europe before Brexit - not sure how easy it would be to get any form of travel visa that would cover a year/extended travel exploring Europe now.

Because of this, and the loss of the European health care coverage, I’d be very wary of taking very young children overseas without access to good medical care.

I think it’s doable with older children, though - but it has to be for more than ‘being unhappy’ now and can’t be done in a whim. It needs a lot of planning, decent savings to cover emergency health care for each of you, a back up in case either of your children are later shown to have SEN/NDs or some other developmental need. And you both ned to be mentally and emotionally ‘in a good place’ before you go.

It sounds to me as though DH needs some counselling (careers and personal) before you do anything drastic. If there are underlying issues as to why he is unhappy at work, why you want to move to a different part of the country on your return etc… then those issues will just be carried with you, and could actually turn a fantasy travel adventure unto a full-scale nightmare if he has a mental health crisis when away.

Apologies, I haven't RTFT.

But one thing that occurred to me was travel insurance - the costs and whether you could even get cover for that length of time if you're no longer resident in the UK.

Having a medical emergency far from home with 2 toddlers is not a scenario I'd relish...

I think travelling with a baby is hugely different from travelling with toddlers. Toddlers are very much mobile but have no sense. Every amazing view will be punctuated with trying to stop a determined toddler trying to throw themselves into the abyss.

It sounds crazy to me. You'd be running away from some stresses but you'll come back much worse off financially, having to rent as there'll be no recent earnings from employment in order to get a mortgage, and still back to the job stresses you ran from.

The DC are too young to understand or appreciate what they experience and won't remember it anyway.

I'm another who's lived and worked abroad in many places, Asia and ME included, with regular stretches of free weeks to see and enjoy some amazing places (at my employer's expense too) but I'd be hard pushed to convince myself that what you're proposing is a good idea for your long term futures.

Obviously there will be plenty of blasé "YOLO!" replies but I'd think long and hard about the end game if you do go on this whimsical trip. Coming back to the same stresses but in a far worse financial position, for the sake of 'making memories', wouldn't be my bag.

Rent your house, sell your cars & other valuable assets (art, furniture, tech). Don’t pay to store anything, it’s ludicrously expensive, ask if friends and family to store anything too precious to leave with the renters. Fund trip using savings, sale of assets and rental income. Buy a new house when you get home, using old house as collateral. Legging it abroad for two years will make it difficult to get a mortgage (unless you already have one) when you get back. Presumably your income would pause whilst you travel?

Oh OP if you do it please come back and share your tips! This is my dream (don't have kids yet but hope to). I know a few people who've done it (NB they are particularly adventurous people) and they said you need to travel slower because of the kids, but that can also be a huge bonus as you can spend a few months in some places and really settle in. And of course do research into healthcare and get great insurance before you go.
There are risks to renting - you might get a tenant that causes damage to the place that's a hassle to sort out; a problem might arise that is expensive to deal with and counteracts the profits from the year; and of course it's always possible you'll get a lower price in a year than you would now. But if you sell and leave, you'll have the advantage of being chain-free and ready to go, plus you'll have a set budget - the main risk would be finding somewhere to live once back in case buying takes longer than you'd hoped, and the risk of a random rise in prices. If you'd be left with no savings after travelling, this is a concern - but you could put the profits from the house sale in decent accounts earning 5% or so, which may get you more than renting out the house would.
If you start to have a wobble, you could consider a more European focus, where you're closer to home for any emergencies and it's not too expensive if you're not in the main touristy areas. Perhaps keep one of the cars in this case. Personally I'd do that rather than Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Sounds amazing, I wish I’d done something like this. Go for it OP!

show them the world

They are three and a half and one years old.

Go for it - but don't get off the property ladder, that is very risky! Just rent your house out, travel and sort the housing situation when you get back.

I also think you have to be honest with yourself about the types of people you are.

I know people who have done similar but they are very much wing it kind of people through life.

Much as I might like to be like that, I'm not. I'm an over thinker. I am good at camping, don't mind lack of luxury, quite practical so I'd be okay with that side. But even saying 'hire a campervan ', I love them but too big and it is hard to take them the places you want to go and even then you are constantly moving things around. With a toddler in a hot climate, I think it could get wearing quite quickly.

How much travel experience do you have?

I would absolutely do this! Being unhappy and stressed at work is horrible and travelling and new adventures is incredibly renergising (I met my husband travelling after quitting a job when I was unhappy!). If well planned, you'll never regret it as the opportunity (financially, professionally and with the kids education) may never arise again.

With two very young children, I might be tempted to pick 12 places to stay for a month or similar rather than backpacking with more frequent travel. You could still leave some flexibility in the trip incase you liked a particular place and wanted to stay longer.

I can't believe the negativity. What a fantastic opportunity. GO FOR IT. It's absolutely the best time when the children are so young. You'd never do it when they are in secondary school and missing the start of primary totally isn't the end of the world. They'll learn so much on their travels. Wish I'd done it.

If you have the money to do it, do it.

travel with young kids is hard when you have a schedule and a time limit. When you don’t, it’s bliss.

show them the world, cement your relationship and create everlasting memories.

’cementing’ foundations is for people who have no money or are too scared of the future.

faith and funds will get you everywhere.

live.

I saw someone on Instagram recently who had done just this, wish I could remember the name of the page!
They had a toddler and a young school age child, maybe in reception, they deregistered the school kid and off they went. I think they’re maybe 6 weeks or so into their journey and I had a scroll back, she was sharing the ups and downs of it all but overall they were having an incredible experience.

I wouldn’t do it myself but I’m in awe of those who have the drive and the vision to do it!
I think you should go, no they might not ever remember it but that doesn’t mean it’s a waste of time. They won’t remember these years of being at nursery or in reception either!! Also, you will remember it and that’s important too.

I'd look to change my life instead. Not sure how life will be better if he has to return to the miserable job.

It sounds a brilliant year but is it worth it for another 30 harder ones?

Sit down and think about what you want in the long term. Change of area? Change of job? Work less hours.

Perhaps have a couple of big holidays.

I know that now I wake up looking at the sea everyday the desire to run away has diminished. To visit interesting places or see new things, yes. But not the fantasy running away from everything.

If you come back to no savings and house prices have risen and you can no longer afford a family home, life will be ultimately more stressful not less.

If you did it in a few years, the kids could get a lot out of it. Personally I wouldn't.

Is this idea great or am I just swept up with the excitement of planning the trip? We can afford to support ourselves for the trip, but it would use all of our savings.

You might want to look at the cost of living crisis in Australia, the current housing crisis, and the nationwide rental crisis. You will be paying immense amounts of money for your "month here and there" in an Air b'n'b, before you buy groceries.

I think it is a silly idea. Your toddlers are hardly going to appreciate any of it, and would probably be happier with an icecream and a day at a beach in the UK.

not forming close relationships with other adults (wtaf?!)

That was me, and I'll bat your "wtaf" right back. I didn't say "close" so don't make out it was creepy.

At age 3/4, did your children really not have any relationships with grandparents, aunts? Their friends' parents, neighbours, to greet and speak to, supervised by you? Preschool teachers that they look forward to seeing?

If you travel around for over a year, then to the 3/4yo every adult they meet is a fleeting encounter with a stranger. Just a conveyor belt of strangers, no familiarity. It gets to the point where it's not worth learning anyone's name if you're not going to meet them again.

It's the literal opposite of the fabled "village" mumsnet goes on about helping raise your kids.

Another option perhaps

Your husband saves up & goes off on his own trip, you stay & look after children
Then you do the same?

It would be much easier to have done the travelling pre children or when you don't have to support them financially

When I went backpacking we met a German couple in Fiji with a baby who was about 8 months old.
They said the government were paying parents something like 12 months full pay to increase the birth rate. So they both could be off and travel. They were having a great time! No idea how they seemed to have bags smaller than us though 🤣 they must have been very efficient!

You can only stay in Thailand for max 30 days
But you can go out to Vietnam
, Cambodia or any other country then go back again to Thailand

Check the visa restrictions

Based on your update, you are planning a very extended version of a hotel and air bnb holiday, to Western standards, in standard tourist areas. Which is probably more enjoyable and doable given the age of your kids, but much, much more expensive than the comparisons you probably have in mind.

You’ll be charged the ‘luxury’ rate for everything in Asia, bringing it much closer to a European price. There’s a big difference between hopping on a local, creaky, stinky, crazily driven but really cheap long distance bus and getting dropped at a temple at dawn (I happily did this daily in my 20s but would not in any world do this with my kids until teens), compared to getting an air-conditioned, seat-belted, comfortable, tour guided, hotel organised trip to do the same thing (which is the version you are suggesting). Probably ten fold in cost. Multiply that over a year. I reckon with your itinerary you could drop £100k in a year if you want to do activities and visit the key sites everywhere, as well as choosing more expensive accommodation. Flights are so much more expensive than they were even four years ago.

The cost of living in Australia is higher than the UK - cost out everything, including food shops and eating out. Dubai is too hot to leave the hotel much of the year, and boring as hell unless you go and do stuff that’s unsuitable for small kids (due to heat and logistics).

If you are going down this route, why not Europe? So much culture all very close together, much closer to the UK in health and road standards in much of the continent. You could take your car or buy a camper and sell it when you get home.

But still don’t sell your house! Security is more important than you are realising- you may want to come back early for a whole host of reasons.