It’s also more affordable to
keep traveling once you’re
“out there” than to go back
and forth between home and
new places. The expenses
mostly lie in moving around,
not in staying put—longer trips
allow for slower travel, where
you can explore places more
deeply.
cultural mores like they were
pros. I think we adults don’t
give kids enough credit for
their durability.
• We humans are hardwired
for community, and we need
it on the regular. It was life-
changing to explore the world,
but at the end of the day,
we craved getting off the
Q: What are some things you
learned from the experience?
A: I could write a second book
just on the things I learned
from our nine months of travel,
but here are a few that stand
out:
• We really don’t need that
much stuff. I lived out of a
backpack, and loved every
second of it. I loved not having
to choose from more than
the few clothes I had, I loved
having only my laptop, Kindle,
and phone as my gadgets,
and I loved not having to keep
up with much. Laundry was a
breeze.
plane and having a home to
hang up our backpacks and
live among people we know.
We need to interact with
the same familiar neighbors
and immerse ourselves in the
ordinary—not only is that good
for our souls, but it makes travel
• Kids are adaptable and
all the more special. When
resilient. Everyone asks how the you’re constantly traveling
kids fared, but honestly, I think and seeing amazing things, it
they did better than us adults. stops being so phenomenal.
They learned to deal with
And that shouldn’t be. The
crowded public transportation, extraordinary is what it is
waiting in long lines, unfamiliar because of the ordinary.
food, confusing language
Q: What were some unex-
barriers, and different subtle
pected obstacles on your trip?
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