Fort Cornwallis is a historic fort and tourist attraction on Penang Island, part of the state of Penang, in Malaysia. The fort is on the outskirts of the state capitol George Town, and makes an interesting place to visit on the island of Penang. Your visit won’t take long, and there is an admission fee … Read more
Malaysia is in the middle of an environmental catastrophe. If you read my last post, things we didn’t like about Kuala Lumpur, you’ll remember me mentioning the air pollution. I didn’t realise what was going on back then. Vast quantities of smoke from fires on Sumatra are blowing across the straits of Malacca engulfing Singapore … Read more
Kuala Lumpur isn’t perfect. We’ve had a great time, seen some cool and interesting things, enjoyed excellent cheap and free public transport, eaten some fantastic Indian food and stayed in top-notch accommodation, but all cities have their drawbacks. Kuala Lumpur has some not-so-nice bits, too. This post is about the negatives of Kuala Lumpur that … Read more
Scary, isn’t it? The idea of spending so much time alone with your kids in a strange country. Truth is, I love it, life is nicer, generally. OK, so we’ve only been on the road for two weeks, we’re new at this, but we haven’t been treating this time as a holiday, we’ve started as … Read more
I love India and I love Indian food, South Indian in particular, it’s light, fresh and usually vegetarian. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia can be a food heaven if you enjoy Indian food. It’s also pretty easy to find Indian food in most big cities in Malaysia. In this post we’ll look at traditional Indian food and places … Read more
Yesterday we checked out modern Kuala Lumpur, today we stepped back in time. Chinatown is on our doorstep here at the fabulous Back Home Kuala Lumpur just a short walk up the road, which is good. The heat, the traffic, the uneven pavements and the exhaust fumes don’t make walking much fun for the kids. This … Read more
Boy it’s hot in Kuala Lumpur! But somehow it’s quite a pleasant hot, the sun isn’t beating down on us as it does in a Queensland summer, the sky is mostly overcast here and it’s very easy to get around the city using shady covered walkways. This post is about visiting a Kuala Lumpur roller … Read more
This post is from our first day of travel, our first day as a nomadic family, not quite digital nomads yet, our travel blog wasn’t making enough money for us to call ourselves that. These early months of travel were funded by savings. We’d saved for a year, planned for a year, and now we … Read more
This is my last week in Port Douglas, Queensland. Regular readers will know we are British expats and have been living in paradise here for almost six years. They will also know that it hasn’t always been paradise for me. I suffered badly with culture shock and found it hard to adjust. But goodbye Port Douglas, hello new adventure. … Read more
We are a family planning to set out on a travel adventure. Our aim is to travel indefinitely or for several years with the kids. We plan to become a digital nomad family and make a living through travel blogging. We are one week before our departure date. This post covers travel planning, saving, and … Read more
The boys and I are starting our family adventure in Malaysia early with a bit of single parent travel, we’re travelling without Dad, he’ll join us once he’s got the house, car and cat dealt with. We’ve changed the dates on our Air Asia flights, brought them forward, and payed the difference in price between the two … Read more
Are there tigers in Africa? No, of course not, not wild ones, but that’s me holding a baby tiger in South Africa. We came across these adorable cubs at a private Nature Park, not too far from Johannesburg. I had to pay my money and give them a cuddle, who wouldn’t? It was only afterwards that I started … Read more
Let’s just clear something up here. I’m not a blogger, it’s not something I ever set out to be, it’s just sort of happening. This site is a blog, but I see it more as a website. I’m not a journalist, a writer, a web designer, a marketing specialist, or an SEO expert. I am … Read more
The Doctor Who Experience in Both London and Cardiff sadly closed down some time ago. We hope it comes back but it’s not looking likely. We thought you’d like to see our photos from the Doctor Who Experience, it was an incredible thing to visit and be a part of, for my then, very small … Read more
Experiences of visiting Wales and Big Pit Mining Museum, as an adult and with kids. My kids were pretty small the first time we toured the UK and we had a wonderful time, taking them to Wales, my birth country, in particular. We enjoyed it so much that we returned recently, to take them again … Read more
We are a family planning to travel the world. We are three months from our departure date. The first post in this series, about the planning process, saving, starting a travel blog to make an income, was this one, travel planning 6 months before departure. Planning Family Travel, 3 Months Before Departure Nine months of … Read more
Hello, I know, I know, I’ve been very quiet for the last couple of weeks. It’s time of year again. I hate it, it’s time-consuming and tedious and fairly pointless. This is where a lot of you will just close the page, that’s OK, I understand, see you next time. I’ve been writing a homeschool report … Read more
In 2012 we decided to save, sell almost everything and set off to travel the world. This post is from the preparation phase. This is what I wrote back then as a very new, inexperienced blogger. I can’t believe I’m the same person today, things are so different now. Was it worth it? Find out … Read more
I went to see my GP to talk travel vaccinations yesterday. I wish I hadn’t! I came away with a sinking feeling, convinced we’re all going to be sick or even die, either from terrible tropical disease or from the toxic vaccinations themselves. I can also feel a big financial headache coming on, probably a migraine. … Read more
Am I scared to leave home and travel the world indefinitely, with no fixed plans? Not really. I can’t wait to go. If I was scared last time we took off round the world back in 2001 on our first RTW, I can’t remember. Maybe I was anxious about finding accommodation or getting off the … Read more
I’m sure you all know what backpacks and suitcases are, but many won’t know about travel packs. They used to be my preferred world travel luggage, I carried the same travel pack around the world for many years before switching to a regular backpack and now, sometimes, just a carry-on bag. The choice of backpack … Read more
Were you wondering what the kids think about being uprooted and dragged around the world by their crazy parents? Is this a plan that works for them, too? I thought I’d interview them and find out. They are two pretty well-travelled children already, they’ve been to Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia, let’s see … Read more
We all know that long term family travel is great. Seeing the world, learning cool stuff, developing personal qualities and global understanding. But here are some more reasons to hit the road, ten very real reasons long term travel is great for mums ( or dads, or anyone else looking after children). We’ve been travelling … Read more
In 2001, pre-kids, Chef and I took on the Annapurna Circuit Trek in Nepal, it’s considered one of the best treks in the world. It’s a high altitude trek, reaching 5416m at the Thorong La, the highest pass. It’s long, it takes around three weeks to complete and it’s cold, in February, which was when … Read more
What to pack for a round the world trip is largely personal choice. However, there are certain things to take into consideration that we talk about below. Some items of clothing are absolutely essential along with certain items of travel gear for an around the world trip. We’ve spent at least 7 years of our … Read more
Several years ago, a not very rich family set out to travel the world. Today, they’re still travelling. It’s been an incredible ride, we’ve loved it and we’ve had many adventures. The financial aspect, well, it’s complex. We had a lump sum when we left home and over the years we’ve learned to make money … Read more
Cairns, Australia, is one of the stepping off points for snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, but is there a beach in Cairns? No, actually, there’s not in Cairns City itself. There is a pretty esplanade walkway and a narrow strip of sand but mostly Cairns has a busy estuary and salt water crocodiles, big ones. … Read more
Why did we choose Malaysia as the first destination on our family gap year? I’m going to tell you. Air Asia had a fantastic flight sale, we are flying to Malaysia from The Gold Coast for just under $800 for all 4 of us. The flight sale was about to end, so we clicked the … Read more
We’re in the process of decluttering, losing our possessions, ready to hit the world for a few years. But here’s a thought, minimalism is great, I’m loving owning less, but should we all be so hung up on making money selling second hand stuff? Selling our stuff was part of our scheme to raise money … Read more
Technically, The Trans Siberian Express doesn’t exist, I’ve Googled it to check. It’s the Trans Siberian Railway or the Trans Mongolian Express or Railway. But when I booked my tickets I booked tickets on the Trans Siberian Express, so I’m keeping that for now. We left the train in Mongolia for a few days. It … Read more
We took a 12 month RTW ( Round The World Trip) in 2000. A long time ago, I know, but that year was life changing, gave us great memories and was a bonding experience for my ridiculously-younger-than-me-husband and I. ( Read why in 12 Reasons to Take a Round the World Trip). This is part one, … Read more
The Golden Temple and Buddhist monastery Hiraṇyavarṇa Mahāvihāra also Kwa Bahahas existed in Kathmandu since 1409. The temple is just off the Patan Durbar Square, to the north. You can find it down a narrow alleyway. It has two entrances, the narrow stone entrance below is guarded by 2 stone lions, the gateway itself was sculpted … Read more
Looking for a foodie treat in Cairns or this area of Far North Queensland? I’ve posted about London’s Borough Market before, well this is our local version when we’re at home in Port Douglas. Rusty’s Market Cairns is not to be missed! Rusty’s Market Rusty’s Market is fabulous, every type of fruit and veg you … Read more
I’m going to tell you my story, it’s not just about finding love through travel, it’s about having the guts to change things. I was deeply unhappy for a long time, but I somehow found the strength to change that. This is how a fairly nice Welsh girl ended up switching continents and sweltering in … Read more
Yes, we have saltwater crocodiles in Queensland and yes, they can eat you. But mostly they don’t, which is good. Taking a boat trip to go crocodile spotting in Port Douglas is a lovely way to spend a few hours, I’ve taken the children many times and they always enjoy it. Each trip is different … Read more
Want to know what’s top of my “Things to do in Port Douglas” list? Well, I always say that feeding George the groper is the most exciting thing that happens in Port Douglas. It’s certainly not something you should miss if you are in the top right-hand corner of Queensland or visiting Port for our beaches, rainforest, … Read more
We are a family setting off to travel the world. We’re not planning a gap year, we’re planning to travel for as long as possible, indefinitely. This is a pre-departure post, we are 6 months away from the departure date we have set. We started planning this trip 1 year before departure. Most of the … Read more
What is homeschooling like? A real homeschooling family, that homeschooled from 6 – 18 years old, explains what a typical homeschooling day or lifestyle looks like, for their family, and for the homeschooling families they knew. We are a homeschooling family with years of experience and successful academic outcomes. Our family homeschooled in Australia and … Read more
And the kitchen porters, the housekeeping staff, the gardeners, front of house, maintenance and everyone else working to make your Christmas special. They are all amazing. They all have to work over Christmas and all have a smile and a “Merry Christmas!” for even the grumpiest customer. My husband is a chef, Executive Chef … Read more
The Ayutthaya Floating Market This floating market just outside Ayuthaya, Thailand, was so remarkable, so odd, so strange yet delicious, that it needs its own little post, to keep it separate from the real world. This place was crazy, annoyingly, I can’t remember the name, but if you’re in Ayuthaya, Thailand, you’ll probably come across … Read more
Ayuthaya (also spelt Ayutthaya or Ayudhya) was the second capital of old Siam (1360-1767) after Sukhothai. This ancient city to the north of Bangkok has history on its side, but is it worth a visit during your trip to Thailand? What about those all-important “things to do?” We think it’s well worth visiting Ayutthaya and … Read more
I’m no expert on gardening in the tropics, I’ve lived here for 5 years, in tropical Queensland, I’m a British expat in Australia, I’ve made plenty of gardening mistakes, but I’m starting to see some good results in the tropical food garden. Check out our tomato crop. Until a few years ago I lived in … Read more
