To think seriously about travelling with the DC for a couple of years?

[NotWell]

I feel hemmed in. I hate suburbia. The DC are 7 and 3.

DC 1 isn't a fan of school...she's ok but it's not her ideal situation. I KNOW she needs an education...but I just keep dreaming about taking them both off on a massive trip...in a swishy van with DH and not coming back until DC1 is old enough to start secondary.

We could do it in about a years time. My Mum would go spare...she's very traditional and would worry sick about us running all over Europe with the DC...but imagine what they would see! The places and the people...amazing.

I could H.E. them both....I could stick to the UK curriculum and keep them up to scratch.

Is it totally silly? I work from home...via a laptop. I don't need anything other than a broadband connection and my fingers to earn my living. We have savings...enough to live on and to have a cusion in case of emergency.

It's this...or buy a house. I don't want to buy a house. I want to see the world. DH feels the same.

A practise one sounds great - Notwell - what is the longest road trip you have done with the kids? could you do that?!

Biscuit I have very strong roots but they do nothing for me...I can actually trace my relatives back to this area for centuries but all that tells me is that we're a lot of scaredy cats!

I stopped looking at around 1600 as it got too samey! Another James, John or Joseph who was a blinking miller or a book binder or some other trade...the furthest any of us got was 20 miles from the city I now live in!

I can walk the streets here and say "My Great, Great Gran lived in that house."

It does nothing. THose roots are my DDs too...they won't go anywhere.

THey also have roots in Australia and I think they should see them.

A book or blog will surely come out of this f it comes off! Thank you for the enouragment on that!

I went to the same primary school as my Mum, her Dad and his Dad...before that there was only the school in another larger town...and our other relatives were rural types who worked...so I can literally trace back to when our family began to get an education.

I want to just change it up a bit! We'll probably end up back here...and then in future years, other descendants can say "Ah...another one who went nowhere!"

Poinsetta the futhest we have been is Oz...and then camping over there...we have only been on the road for around a day with them...but i suppose that's all we would do in Europe.

We have just returned from a year away with dds 12 & 13. It was the 4 th time we've done it ....it does get addictive. We were away a year in Europe and then 6 m driving through Africa. It was fantastic and the girls loved it. Our first year away was when they were 6&7 and that was a year around Australia. That was a complete adventure. They have gone back to school now and it's interesting that they slotted in from day 1 and their academic standard is way ahead. When they were young they did correspondence but last year there was so much to absorb on a daily basis we felt a curriculum would detract. There was actually no way we could have "home schooled " as well as lived like we did in Africa. Australia was easier as we moved slowly staying at places longer. Socialization has never been the remotest issue. Kids are like magnets. The girls have kept in touch with quite a few kids they have met on the road and have friends scattered all over the world.
Having grown up on the road myself and loved it, but do admit to terminal itchy feet, I would say go for it! Good luck and happy travels!

sorry, by road trip, i am meant a travelling holiday not a car journey. I meant, have you been on say a six week trip in a school holiday to know if you would like a 2 year trip or is the longest you have been away 2 weeks? I guess if you have been to Oz (never been myself, love to) you must have been away for a considerable amount of time so must know you like it which is half the battle.

OP. thank you. I've just bounded into our bedroom inspired by your thread, demanded DP stop reading (see how thrilling our life currently is?) & suggested that instead of saving towards a big wedding next year, we have a registry office ceremony followed by a pub lunch & that we save instead for a month in Mexico next summer. He loves the idea & I'm going to pull out the guidebooks tomorrow. A month in Mexico with a two year old. So excited!

Alright, I'm going to put a dampener on things!

I think it's a fantastic thing to do when you don't have children to worry about. I don't think, though, that it's the sort of thing I would have wanted as a child.

I think children love their home and their friends and their family. They don't really like constant change. It's unsettling. If they got used to it and then you brought them back here to full time education, don't you think that in turn would be unsettling?

I think it would be REALLY boring to be taught by my mum and dad. Really, really boring. It's fun learning with your friends, looking forward to lunchtime and art lessons and Christmas preparations with them. I don't think (unless they are exceptional circumstances, such as if a child is ill) that you should be their whole world.

You're actually narrowing their world by travelling. Their companions will be temporary. They'll quickly learn to have shallow relationships that don't stand the test of time.

If you made a decision to house swap every summer, so that your family spent six weeks living another kind of life, that would be different, or if you went to wild and wonderful places then, that would be great. But a life of constant travel - well, I don't think it's in the children's interests.

Tbh if it will only be for a year or two, it will not benefit the children all that much, certainly not the 3yo.

It might be a lot of fun, but I wouldn't put the 'exposing children to other cultures' etc spin on it. Also if you won't stay in one country for long enough, they won't learn another language, beyond few words.

I have travelled as a child and tbh while few weeks/couple of months is fun, I remember feeling homesick a lot when it went on for 3mo+.

If you wanted to show DC the world it would make more sense to have lots of long holidays at their age and still some stability, esp for the 7yo. IMHO.

And everything that Imperial said, much more eloquently than me

My God I read the first line and think go for it I am coming with you

Of course it will benefit them. A child's world is in general a narrow world..they see what is laid before them. If they are seeing constantly new places, new people and hearing new languages then their brains will benefit from that.

They will have us...which is the most important thing to them. THeir precious things will be in storage. They will learn to think for themselves and to do things which are out of the ken of most.

THey learn by example. I don't want them to follow the status quo without question.

By the time I added up my expenses over the last year school fees and all the life that goes with it there is not much left over. I run my own business successful so I am trapped.
I have travelled and lived abroad if I have one memory one thing that I have learnt the most from its that Please go if you can just go there is a whoel world out there and if you are in aposition to show your children that thenyou really are giving them the very best education there is.

Imperial but I never made lasting frendships at Primary school...and neither did DH. We both moved on. And my "real" friends were those made in Uni.

Poinstta Yes..we were in Oz for ten months. We stayed in DHs hometown for five months and then went to Sydney for three. THe last part we travelled a bit.

Hi op
Join in on the Home Ed threads on MN - you will definately get a different range of opinions there!
Socialisation really isnt the issue people think it is.

If I could bloody well sail, I would do it by boat darn it! But I can't and neither can DH...so wheels it is. I am thinking more and more along the lines of bugger being afraid. Bugger the "fear" of damaging the DDs...I fear that daily anyway!

Ooh is this school the "best" and Oooh I wish there was more of the old fashioned "Playing out" culture in this area....and "Ooh they don't do enough after school activities."

All the usual fears of parents. But those fears don't go away do they? We all question and doubt. So why not do it somewhere else for a bit?

I still have brilliant buddies who I met travelling in my early 20's, people who I prefer the company of than the Boden Botexed bigade...yes I knwo they represent a hedonistic life of freedom and the latter are a life llived through my children.

Cake I will do I think....I'm not so worried about it tbh. I have looked into HE quite extensively and feel comfortable with it. It seems to be (some) other people who don't!

Kids are what they are imo. Either they naturally socialise or they don't. I never took my younger DD anywhere but toddlers group once a week...she makes new friends wherever we go....my older one is more self contained but had if anything slightly more socialisation.

My best friend takes her son to tonnes of thngs and he STILL likes to be alone. They are who they are.

I think if you an your family are this set on it, then you should go for it NotWell! There is certainly a lot to be gained.

But, if you have any doubts you should listen to the people who have told you the downsides - they are all people who travelled as children! Travelling is usually an adult desire. Kids just don't care about other cultures/languages/history etc.

For me, the worst thing was overwhelming sense that my life was constantly changing, and there was NOTHING I could do about it. Absolutely no control. If you think this could be an issue for your kids, could you let them have input into the places travelled to? You could narrow it down to 3 or 4 places you'd like to go, and let your 7 yo pick sometimes. I think that would have helped a lot.

No, sorry, I don't think 3yo will benefit from travelling, not much in any case. At this age 'accepting status quo' is a bit of none issue, really.

I don't necessarily think it's a bad idea, but I think it's just that you and your DH have this romantic vision of travelling/rebelling etc and while it's all great, children definitely don't need to spend two years abroad to grow into independent, broad-minded and happy adults,imo.

I am not sure I want my children to be part of that world though aquashiv I want them to meet different people. People who DO things.

School for the masses is a relatively "new" thing anyway....I know that before school a lot of the lack of education was due to poverty etc....but people were not expected to send their DC to school....they did not HAVE to. It wasn't ODD of they didn't and I am talking middle classes here...not mill workers.

Now...you consder doing something different and people are all "Ooh you might damage their education."

Whose IDEA of education though? A levels are easy to pass if you've some intelligence and know HOW to study.

Do it! If you don't do it you will always regret it.

I don't mean NOW winny...later, when she is older she will have the knowledge that we made that choice. That will help her to form her own ideas of individuality.