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.

And I think most kids crave stability. It's fun for them to go away to new exciting places for few weeks at the time and then comeback to their rooms/schoolfriends etc. You can encourage inquisitivness, openmindness etc through travel without uprooting them for years.

But then what do I DO Winny?? Remain here? Unhappy?

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Yeah...but tbh I don't remember that much from my travels. We had a sail boat, so that did give me a love of sea/nature/travelling/wind in your hair sort of thing, but tbh that goes back to the short trips we did-I didn't like the long ones very much. Not sure it had any beneficial effect.

I get what you're saying about wanting to do something. Bear in mind though that if your DC realise that they are moving all the time, and nothing is permanent, they may actually end up doing LESS.

After a couple of moves I decided there was no point investing my time building relationships and joining in things I liked doing, since it would just hurt to give them up. Definitely something to keep your eye on.

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I don't know. Is your happiness reliant on travelling non-stop for few years? Could you go every holiday/half term etc?

I think travelling is brilliant, I do, but then remember that you always take yourself on your travels Happiness is a bit harder to attain than by just driving few hundred miles.

So, how are you going to both HE and WORK on your laptop, from a campervan, somewhere in Europe/Planet?

Quint I manage my work in the evenings mostly anyway....Winny I just hate the thought of living in one house forever! Even being here for the last 5
years has got to me.

So, you are going to work in the evening, in a campervan, and where are the kids? Asleep, or playing next to you?

Have you ever been on any campervan holidays in Europe? Elsewhere?

What do you think wireless internet in a van on the go is going to cost?

Living in a little village, same where your family has lived for generations, probably doesn't help...Can't you move to some more exciting, bit more multi-cultural place? And then do lots of great trips when kids have school breaks?

Oh I don't bloody know how much it will cost Quint! I don't care! And yes...I will work in the evenings and the DC will be asleep! I can't see why that is an issue. I work in some horrendous circumstances here as it is!

Meh to moving elsewhere. I don't want to move, I want to MOVE.

Mind you, I don't necessarily think you'll traumatise your kids for life if you do decide to take off. But neither do I think it will be very beneficial to them, certainly not more than just travelling lots when you can and then just providing lots of stimulation at home (I mean more like making them curious about things as opposed to dragging thm to lots of extra-curricular activities every afternoon iyswim).

Have you been on a campervan holiday before?

If you want to move, then do it
What does your 7yo say?

Can you give it a go during the summer break? If you all have a great time then you should go for it, but the reality of travelling is not at all like the dream! Bitter of experience!

Actually, Ouint, I can't imagine worse horror than being cooped up with mine two in the campervan for hours every day for years

I like you OP. I want to MOVE too I do take on board what those who travelled as kids have said tho and think I'm lucky as a teacher - we could spend a month each year exploring a different country but keep roots etc here.

For exactly the same reasons as you we did this when our dc were 5 and 2. Dd had done reception year and went back in yr 2.

It was amazing, we did a bit of the us, oz, hawaii then had six months in nz, which is just the most fantastic place!

We've been home five years and have a third dc now too. I have just started planning the next trip. This time the elder kids will go to school as we want to live in queens land for a few months and the steiner curriculum is the same there as in their school here. The rest of the time we will travel and loosely HE.

My dh works from his laptop too, so he will work the whole time.
I'd say go for it, you will regret it otherwise. We will not buy a house, ever probably, as I get itchy feet. A sabbatical every 5-10 years is I must we think, and the kids agree!

*Quint, sorry

We are about to do this, not quite the trip you are planning, but not dissimilar. My DD is 3 & we'll probably come back when she needs to start school, but we may stay, if the life suits us.

BTW, mobile broadband moving through different countries does seem to be a real pain & pricy. I plan on using free wifi at McDonalds where I can!

Pls feel free to pm me, if you'd like. I have just started a blog to which you might find interested www.pershilla.blogspot.com Sorry, typing on phone, so Not sure if link will be clickable

same here winny. A month in Poland in a Ford transit medium wheelbase took its toll. Equally a month in an upgraded version driving Hamburg, Szczecin, Hel, Mazury, Warsaw, Hamburg, Kiel, Gothenburg, Tornio, Tromso, in a slightly upgraded version, was not really my idea of sanity, serenity and calm. Not least because I felt utterly seasick, and had to steady my neighbours garage after 2 glasses of wine up on our return!

The thing is that travelling with children is not like travelling without. You seem to have this happy dream whereby you are free and able to do whatever you want. Who are you planning on mixing with? Most people will be at work and their children will be at school.

If you're mixing with other travellers who don't have children, you'll just envy them their lifestyle - you can't have that lifestyle again - or not until your children are grown.

You seem selfish, to be honest. You're just talking about what you want, not what's good for your children.

Selfish and unrealistic to be honest. Also, you have not answered whether you have ever been "campervanning" with children!

Lets all go!

Selfish & unrealistic or excited & a bit tongue in cheek? I doubt the OP would just bung her kids in the back of a van without planning it first.