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!
