Before we left the UK we hoped that the trip would offer the kids a glimpse of both the vastness of the world and how accessible it all is to us. We wanted them to experience a whole range of life, nature, culture, foods and people outside of the small bubble they call home back in Chinley. I’m pretty sure we’ve done this as best as we were able to, whilst making sure we all remained safe and well. I’m positive that learning and personal development happens in everything we do, any time of the day, not just those 5 hours kids spend sat on their arse in a classroom. And I’m certain that this experience will stay with us all for a VERY long time. Anyway, enough of all that positive affirmation shite. Let’s get to what you’re all wondering – HOW MUCH DID WE SPEND!

THE TRIP IN NUMBERS

Flights 26
Rental cars 9
Campervans 2
Sea travel, boats, ferrys etc 10
Trains 4
Drivers hired 4
Buses 15
Minibus 2
Songthaew 3
Airport pick ups 3
Tuktuks 17
Bikes hired/ loaned 7
Mopeds 1
Taxi/ uber/ Lyft 22
Vehicle breakdown 1

Subways 7

Hitchhikers 2

Cities 26
Towns 47
Islands 8

Motels 5
Hotels 7
Apartments/ Airbnb 29
Hostels 3
Cabins 3
Treehouse 1
Trailers 4
Camping 9, with 9 more that were planned but that changed due to kindness of hosts, extreme heat, storms forecast or route change.
Friends stayed with 5

Swimming pools 17
Hot tubs 2
Hot springs 4
Geysers 2
Beaches 58

Hikes 35
Deserts 4
Art galleries & museums 19
Aquariums 5
Amusement Arcades 3

Gardens, parks & playgrounds 92

Waterpark 3

Waterfalls 316 (275 of which are at Iguazu Falls alone!)

Jet ski 1
Bodyboard 1
Coconuts 6
Cocktails 11
Coffees too many to count
Ice creams 132
Boats 12
Luge 1
Pipe ride 1
Whitewater rafting 1
Ski lift 1
Cable car 3
Funicular 1
Islands 3
National parks 14

Police spot checks 3
Breath test 1 (for fun)
Crying episodes (adult) 2 for joy – 0 for sadness
Shrimp tried 1 (Henna was curious)
Family met 8
Friends reacquainted 8
New friends 30
Lakes, rivers and cenotes swam 15
Paddleboard 2 Kayak 2, Canoe 1
Books read 202

Arguments A Few
Injuries 9
Mosquito Bites Hundreds- over 400
Sickness days 6
Colds 3
Doctors visit 1
Teeth lost 2
Migraines 6
Case of Cabin Fever 1

Lost
Hats 2
Sunglasses 6
Glasses 1
Wave ball 2
Journal 1
Flip flops 1
Headband 1

Broken
Sunglasses 6
Charging leads 14
Electric toothbrushes 2
Go pro mounts 2
iPad screen 1

Fallen apart/ worn out/ outgrown
Footwear 7
Trunks 2
Vests 3
Phone battery 1

Bikini 1

Grown out of
Shorts
T-shirts
Dresses

Shoes

Presents 33 received and given

Journals 4
Photos 10192
Video Clips 2209
Blog posts 109
FaceTime 41
Phone calls home 16

Mileage flown 38880 m
Road miles driven – 10657m
Biking miles (family) 62

Runs 345 miles, 82 runs, 4.5 mile avg twice a week. anything from 1 mile to stretch out a bad back in Australia to 11 miles in Vancouver.

Pounds gained 17 by Canada, pounds lost 10 by home

Court case won 1
Fine $400NZ 1
Speeding Fine $171 Canada 1

Digital Kit
1 camera, 1 gopro, 1 4k video camera, 1 old laptop, 1 old iPad, 2 old phones, 3 SSDs, 2 card readers, 1 SATNAV, leads, batteries andonandonandon!

Costs
Pre Trip costs £960
Flights £12652
Accommodation £14935
Car hire £4615
Campervans x 2 £2153
Daily living, food, entertainment, clothes, £16070
Total £ 51, 375

*The pre-trip costs include: jabs, insurances etc

*Day to day living costs include: food, entertainment, medicines, petrol, public transport & Uber/ Lyft, entrance fees, shows, clothes, shoes, Yoga, massage, waxing, phone repairs, anything that comes to mind – EVERYTHING!

We’ve not included stuff like the cost of our camping kit or bags for the trip as that would just be too anal wouldn’t it? as if this isn’t! (don’t worry Colette is more than happy to remind me how sad I am for keeping track of all this whilst also being happy to use the info when regaling about our trip to anyone who will listen- so there’s really no need for anyone else to chip in with the piss taking!). We’ve also not included costs of the electronics kit we took as we had it all anyway and we STILL have it so it’s not a real trip expense. Though all this does obviously cost if you’re starting from scratch.

We’ve also not listed the continued costs of running a house back home as we chose not to use an agent to rent it out to complete strangers (we wanted to come back to OUR house in one piece). As it happens, by chance, we ended up having a number of people stay/ rent the place which covered a lot of the running costs whilst we were away (council tax never stops!).

All in all whilst the headline figure might make some people gulp, for others it looks like we’ve done it on the cheap. 36 weeks – how much is a week abroad usually? We didn’t scrimp by any means but it wasn’t 36 lots of your usual full on ‘blow it all’ week away, the wallet and the waistline can’t cope with eating out EVERY day and it’s been a mixture of travel, normal (as normal as nomadic life gets) day to day stuff and education. We’ve had the big ticket costs of safaris, tours, theme parks, Broadway/ Vegas shows or Sydney Harbour Bridge climbs but we’d also have zero spend days on the beach with a picnic. Yes it could have been done cheaper, simpler and much more sedate, choosing fewer destinations and just living in those places for 1,2 or 3 months at a time. But we didn’t want to do that, we wanted to see as much as we possibly could in the time we had available, whilst enjoying it, surviving it, loving the time together, the odd argument, very little sickness and only 1 late occurrence of cabin fever which was quickly nipped in the bud. We worked hard to keep each other focussed on the present so we could enjoy every moment rather than wishing it away or harking back to favourite places. The pace has ebbed and flowed from the ‘all you can see’ destination itineraries where we try to see as much as possible in our time in that city to those where hosts, locals or friends we visited gave us the ‘see it as a local’ experience where Google or TripAdvisor just didn’t figure. It took a shit load of time and effort to plan and book (98% of which was done before we left the UK). We made a few changes along the way but would not have traded places with a German family we met along the way who were winging it from day to day for their own 5 month trip. The 7 page accommodation, flights and car hire spreadsheet helped us keep on track and the excel table kept track of total spend. The various insurances whilst expensive provided us with peace of mind and the military style pack/ unpack routine we perfected served us well (8 bags – have we got 8 bags? – OK good to go!). We had an Airbnb host sum us up to a tee in her feedback as she politely reviewed that we “quickly made ourselves so at home, it was if we were part of the furniture” (it was a lovely home that one). Whilst we love our own home, we all quickly realised that home was anywhere that the 4 of us are together.

We’ve met some wonderful people, been shown incredible kindness, generosity, hospitality and friendship.  We’ve been lucky to arrive at places when special events, exhibitions or festivals were happening. Yes we had a fine on arrival to New Zealand but this was balanced out by refunds and freebies related to camper van hire. All our pre-trip planning paid off and helped us max out on sights, sounds, fun and food. Colette chose an amazing array of accommodations with us choosing to bale on just 2, one due to mozzies and the other due to lack of air con on a sweltering trailer sat in bright sunlight. Travel arrangements, trains, planes, car hire, buses, camper vans, boats and bikes all went smoothly even with the added excitement of dashing through one airport to make a connecting flight! (it’s amazing how you can sail through security checks with kids and a frantic look on your face!) as it happens, the connection was also running late so we needn’t have rushed.

So when you see me and ask what the highlight was, yes of course there have been fabulous places, people, moments, sights, sounds, tastes and experiences but for me the highlight was the 4 of us being together on what has been one hell of an Edventure! I know that sounds soppy as shit but I am acutely aware that back in the UK there is really VERY little time in the week when we are ALL together. I know some people think that’s perfect family life, or the perfect marriage, never seeing each other, but I love our gang.

We’ll soon be back home, work and school beckons but we’re all hoping to keep that sense of freedom, anything is possible attitude towards exploration in creating wondrous weeks rather than what can easily become the daily grind.