Digital nomad families are very much on the rise.
World schooling is very much a trending hashtag on social media and in theory it sounds amazing.
I’ve followed these full time travel families on Instagram and have often felt jealous of this idyllic lifestyle.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to say goodbye to the school run in favour of jetting between countries, soaking up new experiences and cultures.
Yet, I know in my heart of hearts it really isn’t a lifestyle choice that would work for us, and I’m OK with that. If you are wondering whether life is greener on the full time travel side of the fence, maybe this post is for you.
Leaving Family Behind
We don’t necessarily have a big family, but we don’t want to be too far from those that we do have for too long.
My son lives a few minutes down the road, which allows me to see him often. I suspect this won’t last forever as work is bound to take him elsewhere at some point in the future. I’m keen to make the most of having him nearby for as long as it lasts.
Full time travel could also make it difficult for us to get back in an emergency, and sadly life is all too good at throwing curveballs our way we’ve found.
Having Roots
We like to travel but we also like having roots.
My own childhood was chaotic and I’ve tried to carve out a life for my family that provides a sense of security.
I believe myself and my children benefit from a stable home life and a sense of routine. I wonder if a full time travel lifestyle would disrupt this for us.
Never Getting a Break
I love that travel allows us to spend quality time together as a family.
It’s often a very much welcomed break from the norm. We love the change in routine and a chance to reset.
Being a digital nomad family would mean living in each others pockets all day every day, and I suspect we’d all find that quite stressful.
I’m Not a Fan of Mundane Chores
I would not call myself a domestic goddess by any stretch of the imagination.
Full time travel does not mean escaping getting the laundry done or doing the washing up.
Often, people will stay in self catering accommodation or even take to van or mobile home to travel in. This requires a degree of discipline and organisation that I simply do not posses.
I travel to escape cleaning, laundry and dishes, not to take the chores with me.
Education
I like that my kids go to school.
One thing the pandemic taught me was that I’m no homeschool teacher. I wish I was, but I know it would end in lots of stress and tantrums.
Where we live school places are like gold dust, and if we left for a prolonged period of time, I’m not sure they would get back in.
Obviously, I’ve not asked this question, but knowing how difficult it was to move my youngest to a new school recently it’s not a risk I want to take.
I know there are lots of solutions when it comes to homeschooling, but I’m not sure they can truly replace the expertise and resources you find in school.
Having seen how challenging the school curriculum is, I believe being in school is the best option.
I’m not saying school is ideal but it suits our children and I’m reluctant to rock the boat.
Indie loves being with her friends and Brook loves learning and values her relationship with her teacher.
We Love Our Dogs
Having recently added two dogs to our family, full time travel wouldn’t work for us.
We love that we can take them on holiday, but trekking them round the world would be stressful for all of us.
I had previously avoided having pets as we did go on holiday so much.
Our dog give us so much joy, day in and day out, that I definitely would not look back now.
We’ve also discovered ways of making travel and having dogs work for us, so we have the best of both worlds.
It’s Incompatible with our Lifestyle
My husbands work commitments also means that full time travel is not an option for us.
Whilst I’d love him to throw caution to the wind and adopt a lifestyle that allowed us to enjoy long term travel, he simply would not take the risk.
The current economic climate is not one where you just leave your job and travel the world at our stage in life.
We very much value our home and our financial security, and I think that very much takes full time travel off the table for us.
Age
I do also think age plays a part in our decision. I would certainly not describe us as spring chickens, and I think we’d find tradtional full time travel very challenging with young children.
If we were younger perhaps, we could have embraced a digital nomad lifestyle more.
I feel I was more carefree when I was younger and would have been happier to take risks.
Having children and getting older has definitely changed my outlook on things, and it’s fair to say that I’ve become more risk averse as the years have gone by.
Final Thoughts on Full Time Travel
I wanted to share this post about full time travel as I know how easy it is to follow people on social media and feel like your missing out on something.
Nothing is as it seems on platforms like Instagram, and all lifestyle choices come with some challenges.
It can be helpful to take yourself away from any negative feelings you might have and focus on why the choices you make are right for you.
Your lifestyle choices work for you, and that’s completely ok. Whilst I have moments where I think it would be lovely to explore the world full time with kids, I know in reality it would feature lots of challenges and even more meltdowns for us.
Whilst there will be some out there that find this controversial, that isn’t my intention.
I totally respect the choice to travel long term or full time with kids. I can see the benefits, especially for the children in this lifestyle choice.
If I’d have been at a different stage in my life, I can see that it could have been a lifestyle that worked for us. It’s just not for us now, and that’s OK too. We love our creature comforts and family friendly holidays, and long may it continue.
Would you full time travel with kids?
