What’s it like to learn to scuba dive? Our post covers the basics of scuba certification and follows my son learning to dive in Cairns, Australia and on the Great Barrier Reef with Divers Den, a local dive school and scuba operator. Yes, kids can scuba dive too, but how old do they need to …
Travel With Kids
What’s the best age to travel with kids or take your kids on a family gap year? How old should children be to travel the world? Should you take babies and toddlers travelling? Is it possible to take a gap year with your teenagers? I’ve travelled with my kids from babies to now, teens and …
We’ve had 5 Christmases on the road in the last almost 6 years of full-time family travel. Another one is coming up fast and this one will be “at home” for the first time. Did you know we’re almost home? I’m going to count this one as a Christmas while travelling too because returning to an …
We posted already about our experiences of travelling around Southeast Asia with kids (for 5 years!) now let’s have a look at where you should go in Southeast Asia. What are the standout, must-see places, attractions, and destinations You’re probably in the process of planning your Southeast Asia trip, or thinking about taking your children …
First of all, don’t panic. You can visit Asia with kids. In fact, travel to Asia with kids is pretty easy. I normally tell people how to backpack around or through South East Asia with kids, in that, I help them with planning, itineraries and travel arrangements. Today I’m going to tell you what it’s …
One of the things that really bugs me about travelling, which has been particularly noticeable in South East Asia and Egypt, is the vast amount of plastic trash that we, the population generate. All countries are guilty but in some places it’s visible everywhere, on roadsides, on beaches and in rivers. We, as travellers, are …
It’s time for us to write a post on our favourite and recommended hotels, hostels, and guest houses in Southeast Asia. Hostels in Southeast Asia are generally very good and many have family rooms, however, they’re not always the cheapest accommodation option. You’ll find that guest houses and cheap hotels in Asia are often cheaper …
Hoi An is a magical little town on the coast in central Vietnam and is a lovely destination with kids filled with interesting things to do for your children and for you as a family. We enjoyed 6 months in Hoi An with our kids and we return regularly. This post is about things to …
We spent Christmas in Singapore. Of those 2 weeks the highlight was our 3 days staying at Telunas Resort on their private island site. Along with the Private Island’s luxurious over-water villas, we also had the chance to experience the fantastic family-friendly facilities on the neighbouring Telunas Beach Resort site, for a slightly different slice …
One year of round the world travel. What we did and where we went in our 4th year of travel around the world. Each year we create a round-up of that year’s travel. The other years, where we travelled and what we did, how we travelled around the world for years, plus costs, are all …
We left home over 5 years ago to travel the world and we never wanted to go back. Becoming a modern day nomadic family, a digital nomad family, and adopting the lifestyle worked well for us. We visited around 50 countries, several of those 4 or 5 times. We’ve been to 5 continents and flipped between …
We’re here in Vietnam with kids, two of them, plus two parents. Our first three days in Saigon (the wider area is Ho Chi Minh City) were sensational and I’ll tell you a bit about how that went and all the wonderful things to do in Saigon along with where to stay and what to …
This is the question that comes up constantly. How do we afford it? How do all the other families afford it? There are thousands of families out travelling with their kids, for a 1-year family gap year, for an extended period of a few months, or like us, long-term. We’ve been travelling over 6 years …
Summer holidays, summer vacations, whatever you call them, it’s that time of year! For many families it’s their annual chance to get out there, see a bit of the world and have some safe family fun with no stress. Here I’m going to show you some family summer travel accessories to make your vacation or …
It’s almost summer holiday time again and some parents will be getting stressed out. Maybe it’s your first time taking a summer holiday with your young family, maybe it’s your first time travelling abroad, maybe you took a holiday as a family last year and it didn’t go as planned? We’re here to help! We …
We put off climbing Sigiriya, lion rock, with kids until they were 11 and 9. Why? Because we’d climbed Sigiriya rock fortress in Sri Lanka twice before, without kids, and knew exactly what to expect up there. We knew that the steps weren’t the most child friendly in the world and that there were a …
With more and more travel essential gadgets requiring charging, it’s little wonder that people are turning to portable battery packs to help fill the power gap when travelling. Be aware that not all battery packs are created equal in build, quality or price. Below I’ve listed 5 of the most common and widely regarded best …
There is an incredible selection of things to do in Penang with kids along with family-friendly resort hotels, good food, and reasonable transport options. Penang is a popular vacation or holiday destination for local and international family travel. This post is about places to visit in Penang with family or with kids, with ideas on …
Antarctica with kids. Can you take kids to Antarctica? Is a family trip to Antarctica a good idea? We talk to travellers who have been to Antarctica to find out if visiting Antarctica with children is a good idea. Antarctic cruises are gaining popularity with travellers, should you go? No, we haven’t been to Antarctica, …
A lady in our Living Differently group was telling me yesterday how a photo I shared had stuck in her head and constantly inspired her to keep working towards her own dream lifestyle. It was the one below, taken in Richmond Upon Thames, London. Home, after too many years away. It was incredible to be back …
It’s traditional to do a year-end wrap post, so here goes with 2016. This year was a big one for me, it was my 50th on this endlessly fascinating planet. I’d like another 50 years of exploration but I doubt that will happen so I’ll just concentrate on sucking all the life out of however …
Our review of the Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort and Spa in Phuket Thailand. This is one of the best family hotels in Phuket, and has a kids club and excellent activities. This is a hotel with a wow factor! After enjoying 3 days at Novotel Surin Beach we moved on to Novotel Karon beach, …
Just behind the clear blue Andaman Sea, the sand, the palm trees and the scrubby foreshore sits Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort. We checked in for a few nights to take a break from long-term family travel, to relax, pamper and unwind after 5 weeks exploring Thailand. Our stay coincided with the Phuket Ironman event my husband …
If you are keen world travellers or you know a travelling family, you’ll like our ideas for Christmas travel gifts for kids and families. In this post we include travel-related gifts, often educational, as well as small gifts to pack in a suitcase or backpack for children and families on the road. We have practical, …
I received an e-mail from a reader recently. He and his wife were thinking of taking their child on a travel adventure, a taste of worldschooling, but were concerned about socialization. They thought she wouldn’t “get enough socialization away from her friends” and asked for my opinion. It’s an interesting question. Homeschool socialisation (and here …
Finding accommodation as you travel (budget to free being hardest) is a huge topic and one that is mentioned all over this website, but you, and I, need one post to put everything on the same page. Finding a place to stay, be it a hotel, guest house, hostel, apartment, caravan, mud hut or longboat …
Readers and consult clients are forever asking me how to make sure kids are safe on the road. I don’t pretend to be a parenting expert but I am a travel with kids expert so I’d like to share with you some tips, devices and ideas for sensible child safety measures while travelling or during …
This post, and entire “Living Differently” series, was written when I finally woke up to what we’d achieved, and realised that we were living life differently and loving it. It was the moment everything changed for us and our website’s following and monthly views started going through the roof. It was when I first came …
Shhhh! They’re all asleep. Wiped out like a small pride of lions after a big day on the savannah. All 4 of us in this little apartment, 2 big beds, happy as can be. Chef has his first day off today, he can sleep in. Boo lost a tooth yesterday, he’ll wake to find 2 …
I’m going to say what I really feel (surprised, right?) and that is, long-term family house sitting as part of family travel, isn’t for us. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not for you, plenty of families house sit with kids, find good house sits, and enjoy house sitting with kids. But for us, as …
Why do we do this crazy thing, why travel with kids? More importantly, why we think you should travel with your kids, or at least give it some serious thought. By travel I don’t mean a 2 week vacation, that’s fine and absolutely better than nothing but what we’re talking about here is a complete …
Asia is full of brilliant, sun-drenched beaches that all the family can enjoy. If you’re committed travel-lovers looking for a truly memorable experience and want to feel the warm sand beneath your feet, snorkel over coral reefs, or dine on the best cuisine Asia offers, here are the top beaches you should put on your …
Strewing. What is strewing? Strewing is a common word in homeschooling or unschooling, what does strewing look like in worldschooling? To strew, what to strew. Strewing What’s the definition of strewing? To strew means to scatter or spread objects over an area in an unorganised matter. In an educational setting, these objects could be games, …
“You’ll have to drag me back to India kicking and screaming.” Great. That’s what my elder son, light of my life, apple of my eye, clone of his mum in many ways, said to a visitor last night. It seems this kid does not want to travel. This from the child that, when we were actually …
A special Prague with kids tour was high on our wish list as first time visitors to the Czech Republic, and, not having much time to plan or research, we jumped at the chance of taking Travelove’s child orientated Prague tour. Even if you’re not planning on using a self guided tour of Prague, this post …
By travelling, we see the world and to learn about it while enjoying family time and making memories. You all know that, right? Shall I let you in on a secret? I also travel because it makes me fitter, an added travel benefit that enhances my life. If you really want to go for gold …
It’s been two years of travel now. Two years of us, the boys and our backpacks. Two years of adventure, fun, amazing times and disasters. Two years taking us from Australia to Asia, to Europe, to the Americas and back. If you haven’t been following along from the start, here’s our journey, the short version. …
I’ve been asked more than once if my kids enjoy travel. Some readers are concerned that children could be sad being away from friends and family or that they miss pets, bikes and toys. Others feel kids need stability and routine and may find long travel days and uncertainty hard to cope with. I can …
Everyone knows you need to haggle over prices in Thailand and most other parts of Asia. Some are good at it, knocking prices down casually with a confident smile, some are rubbish. I fall into the second group. Luckily my 10-year-old son is a haggling ninja. A post and very short video on How to …
Our week in Siem Reap, Cambodia had its ups and downs. A family travel rollercoaster, dazzling highs and anxious, dark (literally) lows, so let’s keep it real and share it as it really was. This is one of those “what we’ve been doing on the road” posts, so lots of chatty stuff about us and …