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Family of Five Traveling the World

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It’s the Return of Queventure.com

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Enjoying the warm waters.

Not that we ever went anywhere, and yet it feels like we’ve been everywhere. To be exact, since our last blog post, we’ve traveled to six countries and embarked on eight travel days. That equates to roughly nine bedroom changes in nine weeks. And still, we remain as excited as we were on day one. Okay, sometimes we are also annoyed and tired, and yet always excited.

Our whirlwind traveling over these last 2+ months included the end of our Central American travels (more on Panama in a future post), a surprise trip home to California, a magical cruise through the Eastern Caribbean, ‘Getting the Love That You Want’ in Orlando, and the beginning of a newly settled life in beautiful Cartagena, Colombia.

Welcome to South America, Queventurers.

South American Flag Map

by thedavefoster.

From Visually.

I still can’t believe our last blog post was published in 20-freaking-17. At that point, home was a four bedroom ranch estate in Liberia, Costa Rica. It was home through the holidays and overall a truly magical destination. Shout out to La Familia Santos. This family entrusted us with their home for six weeks. It was our longest slated stop to-date and it literally became home for the holidays. The estate’s pets became our pets, the pool our daily ritual, and the view from the kitchen window – possibly the only place on earth I didn’t mind doing dishes. Who knew scenic sunsets and scrubbing suds could be so soothing?

If you followed along @queventure.abroad on Instagram you saw us tackle a solo Thanksgiving dinner for the first-time in our 36 years of life. I made a full spread – cornbread stuffing and all. Diego experienced his first-ever turkey day not spent with his immediate family.

It was a warm and quiet Thanksgiving as was Christmas. Somehow we managed to pull-off a truly practical Santa Claus visit, which consisted of small gifts the kids could easily fit into their 12 by 16 backpacks one week later. If nothing else, we realized then, our children were turning out pretty good if coloring books, new goggles, and a couple of 99 cent travel puzzles brought joy to their first Christmas abroad.

Our home in Liberia came with maid services 24 hours each week. Yes, three 8-hour days of what turned into one of our favorite aspects of the ‘Pura Vida’ life. However, it wasn’t the clean sheets, perfectly tidied kitchen, or constantly stocked supply of fresh drinking water that made all the difference. The difference was Ms. G. In those weekly visits she became like a third parent to the kiddos and a companion for two adults who usually only have each other.

We’ve lost count of the number of times one of us have joked about missing Miss G and hoping she could pop in one last time for a chat or a bashful hug. This woman was incredibly humble and a breathe of fresh air in a world that moves a gazillion miles a minute. Thank you, G. Thank you Costa Rica, and thank you to everyone reading this post who decided to come back for a read after several weeks off for this travel-obsessed family.

I will forever remember that ranch estate in Liberia, Costa Rica which was more like a wellness retreat destination. There we could bask in the absolutely nature-filled scenery of Costa Rica, and by night, escape the noise of this busy world. We lived surrounded by remote darkness lit only by a sometimes full moon and a sky full of the most beautiful stars. Liberia, I will always remember your stars – oh the many, many stars.

Life is good.

By now, you’ve hopefully noticed the redesign of our new page. A page we continue to craft with love so you’ll come back for more, because at this point, we have so many crazy adventures, recaps, surprises, and tips to share.

There’s lots to catch up on Queventurers…

Don’t Miss These Upcoming Posts:

“Homeschooling ‘Bout To Be A Breeze…”

“Panama & Scary Marriage Ups and Downs.”

“A New Year Full of Surprises.”

Go ahead: tell me something “can’t” be done!

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Don’t you just love when someone doubts your ambitions? Notice the sarcasm there? I don’t necessarily love it, but I sure get crazy inspired. For some of us, being told we can’t do something is the actual fuel propelling us forward like a well-oiled machine.
My first experience with this happened to me when I was a sophomore in high school. Out of nowhere I decided to run for homecoming princess. It was a competitive, election process, with a handful of popular young girls vying for the tiara. My boyfriend at the time attempted to talk me out of it. In his usual kind and calming manner, he reminded me of all the other girls running: “So and so is popular and hard to beat!” His faithless statements didn’t inspire confidence in me as his girlfriend, but they also didn’t deter me. I thought to myself… well, we’ll have to see about that!?! Full speed ahead I ran, full speed ahead I WON. Him telling me I couldn’t win, and how I felt in that juvenile moment, made a permanent impression on me.
It was then that I learned something important about my personality… I didn’t like being told I couldn’t do something. Perhaps that’s why I eventually married my now husband. His philosophy is to never use the word “can’t”, but to instead replace it with “how can I?” I suppose before I knew it that’s exactly what I naturally asked myself… how can I? It also helped that other people’s opinions of me never had the power to hold me back. That isn’t to say those opinions didn’t sting. I am human, so they did and do. String or not, never letting opinions hold us back is the key.
When I left the country to travel indefinitely, I heard my mom gave us three months to fail. She said we’d be back within three months with our failure in hand. When I think about that I think quite a few things:
1. She doesn’t believe in me.
2. She is afraid.
3. She is negative.
4. She is wrong.
5. She means well.

Then, I remember she’s entitled to her beliefs. More importantly, her apparent doubts actually fuel a “how-can I!” not an “I-can’t” approach when I strive to make goals a reality. One of our most recent blog posts covers all the benefits of traveling long-term and perhaps you read it and thought “I can’t do that.” or worse, someone told you “you can’t do that.”

If deep down your “that” whether it be travel or anything else, is truly your biggest dream, then hang on to it. Believe it can be done and get after it always thinking of the “how can I?” formula. Trusting you can, and ignoring those who fail to believe in you, is the first step down a long path in making BIG, FULFILLING dreams come true.

Even better, it’s pretty darn satisfying to win when others thought you’d lose, try when others want you to quit, and learn that YOU are made of so much more than someone’s narrow definition of YOU.
P.S. Look ma’ I made it to month #6 

The Subtle Benefits of Life Abroad

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One purpose of documenting our adventures through this blog is to hopefully inspire you. Not necessarily to sell all of your belongings, quit your job and travel the world (although that’s an excellent idea if you’re considering it) but to inspire you to take action on your own BIG dreams. We hope that by you being part of our journey, you will set off on one of your own.
That’s the general idea, adventuring, dream chasing and reaching, of the blog. This post however, has a very specific purpose and that is to highlight why you should definitely plan and travel long-term with your family!
First, let’s address the obvious benefits of travel: you get to visit some awesome locations, take in incredible sights and don’t forget the food, fun and drinks! You also get to momentarily leave the “real world” behind and escape, at least for a couple of weeks, the same-everyday-ness of our usual lives. Your IG feed goes bananas! You get much needed time to de-stress. Good times all around!
I don’t think there’s much convincing needed to encourage travel. But have you ever considered long-term living abroad? If you haven’t or even if you have and just need that last bit of affirmation, keep reading! Outside of the obvious joys, here are four subtle but life-changing benefits:

…but first, coffee

I was so used to turning on the Keurig while brushing my teeth while looking for my tie that I almost forgot how to truly enjoy a cup of coffee. Traveling has exposed me to some of the best coffee in the world (volcanic soil anyone?) but even more importantly, it’s re-taught me to be calm, be present and enjoy a hot cup joe. It was coffee for me but it may be reading, writing, bird-watching or just breathing. Long-term will provide you with the time to appreciate every moment.

Get Rid of Distractions/Excuses

Long-term travel will get rid of distractions and excuses. I used to get home stressed from work and from my commute. I would justify being a grouch because of this. It’s “been a tough day” was code for, “family, leave me alone.” I always felt guilty about this but, again, would feel justified because of the day I had. While this helped me deal with the guilt, it didn’t remove the negative impact on my family, on my relationships with my wife and kids.
Prolonged travel abroad, while not stress-free, removes some of the biggest excuses we use to check out, to not be fully there. It provides ample time for reflection and introspection. If I’m being a grouch, I have nothing but myself to blame (as was always the case). Long-term travel will give you the ample time to take inventory of yourself to be the best for your loved ones.

Just Living

Extended travel allows you to experience a different way of life not just because you visited a specific location but because you will actually live there. There is a huge difference between vacationing and just living. It’s more than possible to visit a beautiful country and not experience the local culture one bit. This is not necessarily a bad thing but the two experiences are very different.
We have met wonderful neighbors, kind strangers, gregarious kids and local families all by being part of a community. There’s a certain bond that forms with familiarity and it’s been an incredible experience for our family to build these bonds in many different towns.

Become a Time Traveler

Well, not really a time traveler per se but more like a time slower-downer. Days are longer, nights are warmer, kids’ laughs are louder and the coffee’s (coffee again!) deeper. One of the biggest concerns we share as parents is coming to terms with how time flies. Before we know it, our little babies are graduating high school – all in a matter of what felt like a few weeks. It’s crazy and scary at the same time.
Long-term travel allows you to slow down this hyper speed aging of our little ones. While we can’t completely stop time, a sunset walk while the kids merrily splash along the shore allows us to feel it just a bit more. Homeschooling our kids means a guaranteed few hours of undivided attention on them – something that used to be hard to come by. The pace of life is just slower and for that I am eternally grateful.

Family Meals

We always made an effort to have family dinners. Often though, these dinners were late and everyone was already exhausted from a long day, kids and parents alike. Now we have two-hour lunches. Long term travel affords us the time to have “cooking class” on a random Wednesday afternoon. The amount of genuine moments really compound and over time these moments become anchors in our families history.

If you’re considering it, please take this as confirmation that extended travel abroad is well worth it. While not always easy, the subtle but impactful benefits cannot be understated. Do it for your family, they’re worth it! 

When an entire life fits into less than 10 boxes.

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It was about five months ago when I looked around our empty house and felt so free in all that emptiness. We had lived in that home for seven years, raising three children, and accumulated so many, many things. Everything was suddenly gone and we were down to about 8 boxes. All we truly wanted to hang on to in this life fit into less than 10 boxes and something about that felt good, so good.   
In these boxes, we compiled mostly books, photographs, legal docs., and other personal mementos. After all that online shopping, nothing much was left. We now carry only essentials to make it through our travels. We have the same clothes in rotation. We have passports, cameras, toiletries, books, and other must-haves such as anti-diarrhea meds. and bug spray. These items combined with those 8 boxes in the U.S. make up my almost 37 years of my life.

Today, I sure as heck can’t be defined by what I own. I am car-less, “homeless,” and own less than I did when I lived an a 125 sq. foot dorm room my first year in college. Today, I feel so wonderfully fulfilled and none of this feeling is fueled by stuff. Sometimes we work so hard for an entire lifetime to accumulate things. Sometimes we hoard so many of those things all over our home, closets, and garage. My garage was a breeding ground for junk, where once-prized possessions went to die, collecting dust, never to be used again. 
However, there was a time in my life when I felt oddly uneasy about what I had to have. That new TV, a set of curtains, a top of the line crockpot, it had to be mine – ha! All those things didn’t make it into the 8 boxes. I needed a home with just another bathroom or just another bedroom. We wanted yet another pair of shoes, a bigger yard, the bunkbeds. All these things didn’t make it into the 8 boxes. We wanted the expensive workout equipment, the fancy 8 piece luggage set, the custom made 100% real wood dinning room table. All those things, while great, didn’t make it into the 8 boxes.  
If I am being completely honest, the things I accumulated weren’t even for me in a lot of ways. I wanted to sometimes have what others had or I wanted to make someone else proud of me. I couldn’t not have what I was “expected” to or could I? Part of this maybe unconsciously, but like so many struggling to keep up with appearances, I couldn’t be a minimalist in a materialistic world. Or could I?
The only question I really had to ask myself was, “did I want this stuff really or was I collecting things for someone else’s approval, society’s acceptance, or to somehow match up to others?” In the bestselling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” the author challenges its readers to think about the joy items bring to a person. Joy: what a great emotion! In essence, the author asks us to think about items and the joy they bring, or in many instances, don’t bring. And if that is the case then why do we hang on to them?
When I reflect on my real wants, I know what brings me the greatest joy… my family, my internal qualities and quirks, and TRAVEL – it’s always been TRAVEL.

Ultimately, the 8 boxes at home could burn to the ground tomorrow, and I’d still be filled with joy! I am spending a magical time abroad, not tied to a mortgage or car payment, by choice. My work office is located where I want to be located anywhere across the globe. Presently that home office happens to be in a country estate full of really cool stuff! I get to use top of line home appliances after all. Yet when I am done playing house and want to see another part of the world, I get to kiss this cozy, fully-equipped home good-bye, and venture into a new home, use someone else’s cool stuff, and truly hang on to my most precious, joy-inducing items: memories, family, and travel.

  

Adventuring with Kids

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I love high-adrenaline activities but sometimes adrenaline can equal danger. Traveling with three kids 11 and under, this desire for thrills must be tempered with safety. 
Fortunately, there are some fun adventures that can be done with little ones… that are also fun for the thrill-seeker in you!

Kayaking

Kayaking, or canoeing is one of the funnest and safest ways to get an adventure thrill while at the same time being quite safe for even a five-year old to do. You can usually find kayak rentals fairly easily and inexpensively. 
Added bonus: kids are weak and tire easily – you’ll get a great arm and back workout!

Hiking

We love the outdoors so finding great places to hike is always fun. When traveling, we choose to combine our love of nature with geography/geology lessons. We’ve climbed everything – from simple mountain sides to incredible volcano treks.

Added bonus: kids are weak and tire easily, you’ll get a great leg workout since you have to carry 16 gallons of water up and then back down.

Tubing

This was something new for us but now we’re old pros. We’ve visited beautiful and gentle rivers, namely near San Ignacio, Belize where tubing is really a popular attraction. Basically, you hop on an inflatable tube and float down a lazy river. In Belize, these rivers actually went through caves to the experience was unbelievable. HIGHLY recommend it.
Added Bonus: kids are weak and tire easily, you’ll get to carry all of their supplies after they are soaking wet and get a great all around workout!

Traveling

This one is almost too obvious that we may just miss it. But traveling in of itself is a great adventure. Sometimes the destination doesn’t matter, it’s the journey itself that brings excitement, craziness and thrills. On our family trip, we have traveled by car, ferry, car on a ferry, plane, train, boat, motorcycle, Uber, taxi, tuk-tuk, and the biggest thrill of them all – the infamous chicken buses of Central America. This was especially “thrilling” because it was so foreign to our kids (and us). There were literally about 50 people on a 25 passenger bus. It was wild.
Added bonus: kids are weak and tire easily and since there are no available seats on the bus, you get to carry them while standing in an awkward position – a great yoga-like exercise!
Bottom line, there are lots of fun and exciting activities to do with kids!