Travelling long-term teaches you a lot — not just about places, but what it’s really like on the road. It’s a mix of everyday routines, unexpected moments, and emotional ups and downs. Here are the five biggest things we learned along the way.
Our Five Biggest Takeaways
You’re living abroad, not on vacation.
Travelling is unlike a vacation, where you can leave your worries behind, forget work, and unwind. When you’re travelling for an extended period, there are amazing adventures and relaxing days at the beach, but ultimately, you are living abroad. Daily activities like work, school, laundry, and grocery shopping are still intermixed with new experiences.
Spontaneity leads to the best memories.
Some of our favourite moments were ones we stumbled upon unexpectedly. Like the day Mason spotted paragliders soaring off Table Mountain in Cape Town and convinced us all to try. It wasn’t planned, but it turned into one of the most unforgettable experiences of our trip.
Travel is full of high highs and low lows.
Real travel isn’t always pretty—it can be tense and test your limits. But when you look back, it won’t just be the highlights you remember. It will be the moments of growth—the resilience, teamwork, and strength you discovered by facing challenges together as a family.
Travelling with kids is fun and rewarding.
They spot things adults overlook, ask questions that make you think, and come up with ideas that often lead to the best adventures. Kids help you slow down, laugh more, and in turn, you can watch them grow, while growing closer as a family, too.
The world is good.
Throughout our journey, we’ve been deeply moved by the kindness of strangers, especially those who have so little to give. I often think back to my favourite Christmas movie, Love Actually, to that first scene where Hugh Grant’s character reflects on the state of the world and ends with, “If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling love, actually… is all around us.” After travelling the world, this has been our biggest takeaway: love, actually, is all around us.
Looking Back
These lessons shaped our journey and our family in ways we never expected. They remind us that travel isn’t just about the sights, but about how you experience the world—and the kindness and surprises that make it unforgettable.
Ready to Get Started?
Check out these related posts to help plan your World Trip:
• Our 17 Month World Trip Itinerary
• How much does a World Trip cost?
• Building a World Trip Itinerary
• 85 Family Travel Tips From a Year Around the World
• How to Involve Your Kids in Planning a World Trip?
