to want to go travelling with my 4yo DD?

[wanderlust]

Basically I was a traveller for several years until I got pregnant, when I settled down in a house with my DDs dad. He left us two years ago and since then I have moved back to live near my mum, as I was really struggling on my own and xp was no help.

I have tried so hard to settle here, I spent last year in full time college doing an Access course which I passed with full marks, and my dd is at a private nursery (very kindly paid for by my parents). I just am so unhappy, I desparately miss my "old" way of life, my friends, etc. I want to take dd travelling (only in uk) for a year or so, starting in spring, I'd work with her so that she would not fall behind educationally and so on, and would keep the tenancy on our (private rented) house and come home every few weeks to do washing etc, but is this an ok thing to do?

I just feel like I'll be letting people down - my lectures on my course last year were all disappointed that I was not going to uni but I don't know what I want to do right now. I hope I don't come accross as an ungrateful moaning cow, I just want to try to get rid of my itchy feet for good and show my dd that there are other ways to live.

AIBU though???

go go go before the school ties you down (they are very strict about time off in term time) - have a great time, what a wonderful adventure, where will you stay?

I don't know exactly where we will stay yet, mainly on traveller sites/protest sites/communes though I expect. We will be going to stay with a friend in Spain who lives on a boat as well, and with friends who live in a tipi comunnity in Wales too.

I asked dd if she would liek to go yesterday and she was madly excited, she wants to go now today please please!

Good luck with all this - I don't think you are being selfish, it is far better to do it now rather than in a couple of years when your daughter is established at school. I am sure you will both have a lovely, exciting adventure!

congrats on the decision!

I agree with the others that this is the best age for your DD to try travelling with you. Big changes become more difficult the older you get. It will also give her lots of good memories that she'll be old enough to remember.

Lots of luck.

Thought I'd return to this to say - its really happening!

Have given notice for Easter to dd's kindergarten, got the world's biggest ever rucksack, am saving for a digital camera and a Family Railcard, and started to work out where we are going to go and what we want to see and do.

We are starting in Ireland, going here to see some old friends (and make some new ones), and then to see some of the rest of the country's history and scenery.

Also we'll be spending some of the summer here, and going to plenty of festivals, where I think dd will have the time of her life.

And of course the sea...

So thanks to everyone for the good advice and for reassuring me that I'm doing the right thing - it can be hard to tell sometimes, but I'm so sure about it now.