We are what’s called a digital nomad family. This means that our ability to generate a location independent income while homeschooling (some call it worldschooling) our 2 children, leaves us free to travel and explore the world. It’s about freedom, learning, adventures and stimulation, but it’s also about making memories for the kids and for us as a family. Memories are the bricks and mortar not just of education, but of a lifetime. This post is on family memories and making them through travel.
Family Memories
We’ve been lucky enough to spend 6 full years on the road with our kids, full time.
Before that they were homeschooled, so we’ve hardly missed a second of their childhood. It has honestly been the best way to live that I can possibly imagine.
Spending more time together must, by default, create more family memories than the average family, where time together is shorter through school and work commitments.
I’m grateful for that.
The kids are teens now and still happy to travel with us. Next month we’re heading to Everest Base Camp as a family, that’s the stuff that glues families together.
One of the best ways to make memories together, as a family, is to take on challenges together, and overcome them, together. We like to climb mountains and volcanoes. Walking gives you time together to chat and support each other. In the case of Everest Base Camp, 3 weeks of quality family time. The picture above was from a short dawn hike up a volcano in Bali. Another precious family memory, and, I think, great for kids’ self-confidence, they don’t doubt their abilities if they know they can achieve so much. Overcoming the challenges of travel in general, has the same bonding and memory-making effect. And what are memories? They are learning, they are education, they are gaining understanding of yourself, the world, and your family.
I asked the kids yesterday what their favourite family memory was.
“It was that time in Bali, Mum, when Boo was crying because the monkey took his piece of paper and you were swinging your handbag around shouting “Get away from my baby!”. It was really funny.”
Ah, I see.
The above image is to spread the word on Pinterest
It’s humbling to realize just how important to the boys I am, more so than Darth Vader, it would seem.
That’s nice. I’m always saying that we are in the business of making memories, maybe I should try harder to give them some memories of me. Maybe we all should.
More family memories, touring Egypt together, climbing on ruins, going into pyramids, exploring, meeting people, it’s all memories of family time, togetherness, not work and school, and it’s all learning.
So, as we travel and live our lives, I resolve to really do as much of this family memory-making as I can. The act of visiting places isn’t enough. It’s about us, how we interact with the kids, in actions and words.
Memories are the sticky stuff that hold family life together, shared memories that make everyone smile. After all, I’d like them to remember me as a nice sort of Mum, not just a tour guide.
Alyson Long is a British medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. A former Chief Biomedical Scientist at London's West Middlesex Hospital she started in website creation and travel writing in 2011.
Alyson is a full-time blogger and travel writer, a published author, and owns several websites. World Travel Family is the biggest.
A lifetime of wanderlust and over 6 years of full-time travel, plus a separate 12 month gap year, has given Alyson and the family some travel expert smarts to share with you on this world travel site.
Today Alyson still travels extensively to update this site and continue her mission to visit every country, but she's often at home on her farm in Australia.
Wow! So true! Even for none travelling times, the most important part might not be the impressive and catchy ones we would think! Thanks you so much for sharing 🙂 lots of love and good vibes from Canada!!
I’m not a mother myself so it’s hard for me to say, but I can tell that the funniest moments are the ones that stick more in my memories and live a pleasant feeling too 🙂 We really need top smile more often 🙂
How true this post is! Our kids also prefer the “laughter-memories” … or our “14th of July” (French national holiday) overseas : in Namibia and our singing the national anthem to the (very surprised) rock-dassies, or in Brazil singing it in the car with all the windows open … We love to recollect our travels at the dinner-table and just banter about “remember the time when Z. picked up walabi-droppings thinking it were pearls?” (hilarious laughter even after 12 years -) …
What would you say is your favorite travel memory, Alyson?
Gorgeous post! We’re currently living in a Tai Chi school in China for 4 months. There are no other children here and my initial thought was ‘oh dear, no friends to play with’. But after 10 weeks of just us and them I’ve never seen our kids happier. I wonder what their memories about this time will be and I’m guessing it’ll be more about just being with ‘Mum and Dad’ than the whole Tai Chi experience itself! The surroundings and experiences that we offer them, belong travelling families, are fantastic but I believe that kids are truly happiest when they’re with their Mum and Dad.
One of my sweetest memories so far is how my lovely bf comforted me after I fell for a petition/donation scammer as we got off the train near the Eiffel Tower…. I didn’t expect that to turn into a lovely memory.
Also speaking with DS10 on phone from train station in Paris and he was like “OH MY GOD YOU’RE IN PARIS RIGHT NOW!? I CAN HEAR FRENCH PEOPLE”….. the lady announcer was all ‘Bonjour’… it was a classic and I love how shocked he was. From his perspective he’s having 5 weeks with his Dad, which is an adventure in itself as he’s usually almost 100% with me.
Yeah, that’s how I think of life right here in the now.
When people say we should slow down, and I know I do get overwhelmingly busy at times, I just reply “these are their golden years and I’m making the most of them before she is off and away in the world doing her own thing. I’m making as many memories as possible for her to remember. And hopefully by doing that, all the cool adventures and experiences will outweigh the times mum has been cranky.
I love that “I’m in the business of making memories”
It always cracks me up the things the kids remember and look back on. It’s always so different that what I take away from something. We’ll just be sitting in the car and one of them says a favorite memory about something and we all start laughing. The memories our girls tend to keep so often have to do with something funny. I guess we need more laughter in our lives. 🙂
Memories are vital and it is the simplist of things that make a memory. Since the boy lost their dad we have talked a lot about him and it is the simple things like him putting his hands over their ears with the lighthouse sounding it’s foghorn and the time the big wave engulfed him that they remember. We are now making ‘new’ memories as our small family and I make a point of noticing the small special things. Thought provoking post!
Wow! So true! Even for none travelling times, the most important part might not be the impressive and catchy ones we would think! Thanks you so much for sharing 🙂 lots of love and good vibes from Canada!!
I’m not a mother myself so it’s hard for me to say, but I can tell that the funniest moments are the ones that stick more in my memories and live a pleasant feeling too 🙂 We really need top smile more often 🙂
How true this post is! Our kids also prefer the “laughter-memories” … or our “14th of July” (French national holiday) overseas : in Namibia and our singing the national anthem to the (very surprised) rock-dassies, or in Brazil singing it in the car with all the windows open … We love to recollect our travels at the dinner-table and just banter about “remember the time when Z. picked up walabi-droppings thinking it were pearls?” (hilarious laughter even after 12 years -) …
What would you say is your favorite travel memory, Alyson?
You’ll have to give me some time to think about that one!
Gorgeous post! We’re currently living in a Tai Chi school in China for 4 months. There are no other children here and my initial thought was ‘oh dear, no friends to play with’. But after 10 weeks of just us and them I’ve never seen our kids happier. I wonder what their memories about this time will be and I’m guessing it’ll be more about just being with ‘Mum and Dad’ than the whole Tai Chi experience itself! The surroundings and experiences that we offer them, belong travelling families, are fantastic but I believe that kids are truly happiest when they’re with their Mum and Dad.
Thanks for the reminder Alyson-just lovely.x
One of my sweetest memories so far is how my lovely bf comforted me after I fell for a petition/donation scammer as we got off the train near the Eiffel Tower…. I didn’t expect that to turn into a lovely memory.
Also speaking with DS10 on phone from train station in Paris and he was like “OH MY GOD YOU’RE IN PARIS RIGHT NOW!? I CAN HEAR FRENCH PEOPLE”….. the lady announcer was all ‘Bonjour’… it was a classic and I love how shocked he was. From his perspective he’s having 5 weeks with his Dad, which is an adventure in itself as he’s usually almost 100% with me.
Yeah, that’s how I think of life right here in the now.
When people say we should slow down, and I know I do get overwhelmingly busy at times, I just reply “these are their golden years and I’m making the most of them before she is off and away in the world doing her own thing. I’m making as many memories as possible for her to remember. And hopefully by doing that, all the cool adventures and experiences will outweigh the times mum has been cranky.
I love that “I’m in the business of making memories”
What a fantastic post! So true. I need to keep this in mind more often. Thanks for sharing!
It always cracks me up the things the kids remember and look back on. It’s always so different that what I take away from something. We’ll just be sitting in the car and one of them says a favorite memory about something and we all start laughing. The memories our girls tend to keep so often have to do with something funny. I guess we need more laughter in our lives. 🙂
Memories are vital and it is the simplist of things that make a memory. Since the boy lost their dad we have talked a lot about him and it is the simple things like him putting his hands over their ears with the lighthouse sounding it’s foghorn and the time the big wave engulfed him that they remember. We are now making ‘new’ memories as our small family and I make a point of noticing the small special things. Thought provoking post!
Oh I love it on so many levels. I can just see you protecting your children. It is all they want.. Time with Us! Nice.