143- Pratt Family Adventures

Today on the show we have Shellie from {Kid Tripster} to share about their 72-day adventure around the world! Shellie didn't grow up in a family that travelled a lot but knew it was something she wanted to do with her husband and 2 boys and so she began planning!! After their big trip, they've come home and she began the site Kid Tripster to combine her love of journalism and family travel. Shellie now has contributors from all over the world sharing real life experience of their own family travels, making her website an awesome resource for families planning to travel. Be sure to listen to the whole episode to hear where they went with their round-the-world tickets PLUS  more details about their trip including bike rides in The Netherlands, Hunting in Tanzania, and a mountain climb in Nepal.

Today on the show we have Megan and Aaron from {The Art Pantry} sharing about a unique trip their family got to take together. All the details that fell into place in such a way made their story inspiring and just really fun! It began with Megan listening to Family Adventure Podcast and getting inspired by the awesome families out there take great adventures. She slowly began to dream and plan for their family to take their own kind of adventure and Set a Date! It took Aaron a little bit longer to come around but he shares how in retrospect, learning to support your spouse's dreams can lead to an unforgettable experience and even let him accomplish one of his own dreams through all this. So at the beginning of 2017, the took off with their 2 girls, and spent 3 months on the road throughout the US and visited over 22 states! The truck and trailer were loaned to them from Airstream for a Campaign they were running. That along with other details of finding work connections on the road and renting out their house with AirB&B, they watched as all the details fell into place to prepare for this cool adventure! Be sure to listen to the whole episode to find out more of that did on the road and how they planned their route!

Today on the show we have Kate from {Sons of Adventure} to share all about their adventuring around Australia and the outdoor hiking their family love to do!  Kate and her husband Scott have been together for 19 years and have always enjoyed the outdoors so when they had the boys, very close in age, they naturally started slowly exploring the outdoors as the kids got older. Recently, they just finished The Yuraygir Coastal Walk, which for them was a 5 day hike and for 2 of the boys it was their first overnight hike/multiway hike. It was located on the coast which made it a simple hike as far as variation in altitude and an easy one to start out before choosing some more challenging hikes later this next year.   Kate shares a lot of great advice for families who may be overwhelmed by the ida of taking on a massive family full-time adventure and encourages families to adventure when and where they can. She also talks about some of the cool benefits she's seen in the boys as a result of getting out there and explore and what can do for their character and outlook on life. 

Today on the show we have Linn and David from {Home Free Family} who have recently made the move to travel full time! David used to be in the military and they would travel in and around their homeland of Australia any chance or break they could get. When he retired last year they loved the freedom of finally moving into life on the move.    After planning and preparation, they began to realize it would be cheaper from them to travel full time vs. living day to day life in Australia, that made the decision to go a little bit more easy. We have heard this from several families on the show and think it's a great encouragement if you're on the fence about the finances.    They share a lot about what they do for schooling on the move or "worldschooling" and why that's been so great for their kids and why it works for them. They also share several tid-bits about backpack travel through Southeast Asia so if you're headed that way....make sure to listen to the episode all the way through!

Today on the show we have Heather again from {FaithTakesFlights} to share about how their trip went! We talked to Heather back in Episode 88 right as they were heading out on their RV Adventure throughout the US and are so glad we got to catch up with her again to hear more details about the trip. She shares about the fun experience of meeting other families on the road &  during their stay for the winter in Florida, but also some of the challenges on the road and learning to adjust to life on the move especially during the first couple months. Heather also talks about how the schooling on the road changed as their trip progressed. Be sure to listen to the whole episode to hear more details on their route throughout the US and their truck breakdown in Canada!

Today on the show we have Henry and Melinda from {Traveling Mel} to share about their full time travels that have taken them all throughout Europe in the last year. Originally from Montana they left life behind so explore Europe while their kids are at the perfect age!  They share about they route and countries they've visited as well as how they've adjusted to life on the road with work and school. Getting to spend about a month or so in some amazing countries Italy, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, England, Scotland and more.  All this has been such an education for their kids and also allowed the family to be able to connect in an incredible way. 

Today on the show we have Kate Pratt to tell us about her families travels and recent cross-country move across the U.S. Kate and her husband have travelled in the past before having their daughter, Laurel, but Kate shares how their view on life altogether has changed since having Laurel. They realized they were on the path that most people start down of trying to "check all the boxes" until they realized they wanted something less "normal" and to live a bigger life. While their daughter is still young they enjoy traveling as much as they can locally in their new home in Oregon- sightseeing what's around them and experience what they can day trips or long weekends away.

Today on the show we have Joe and Noela from {Lost and Loving it} sharing about their current trip throughout Australia! This family is not new to the family travel scene. Joe said their first trip overseas was in 2003, with about one big trip every year since then and the kids haven't slowed that down one bit.  This year in January, Noela pushed them all to make a plan for some full time travel.  Although Joe says it took him longer to get used to the idea and get on board,  75 days later they hit the road! Whew! Currently traveling Australia coast by camper they said they do have backpacks incase they decide they want to be a bit more mobile and leave the camper behind.  Be sure to listen to the full episode to hear about how they work out the finances while on the go, and how they've discovered that it actually costs them LESS to travel full time! 

This week's episode is a first for us. Today we welcome back Mark Simpson from {2 Travelling Tots} to the show again to share about how they traveled by letting their audience decide where they go next!  You may remember when Mark came on the show in Episode 106 to talk about their newest idea of way to make travel plans - #YouDecide So the way #YouDecide worked, is simply that….you helped decide where they traveled to next! Pretty cool eh? They started off in Bangkok and Mark shares all about where they went next. Altogether they spent about 3 months throughout SE Asia and we're excited to get off the beaten path a couple of times and really see some new and exciting places! 

Today on the show we have Jeff and Elizabeth from {Dutch Dutch Goose} who are living in the Netherlands and exploring as much of the world as they possibly can. 3 years ago Jeff had a job offer that moved them to Europe so they packed it all up and moved along with their 2 boys for a new adventure. Fast forward to now, they've had another son in the Netherlands, made some great friends and had some epic adventures!  Elizabeth shares her experience about having their 3rd son there and also what it's like to get involved and connect with local Dutch families. They both agree the locals have given them so much guidance to see the less popular cities and towns all across Europe that get missed on the average trip. Teaching them to explore more than just the capital (London, Paris, Rome, Etc) and find the diamond towns in the rough so to speak :)  Be sure to listen to the whole episode to hear how the boys have adjusted to life and school while living abroad. And also their son's fun point of view after seeing the Sistine Chapel in Rome.