Most families fly somewhere, stay in one hotel, go home. Funnily enough, PRIOR to having kids that is exactly what we did. I have spent many years talking to countless home educating and worldschooling families and interestingly the parents were travellers before and decided to not let having a family alter their lifestyle. Turns out, we are an anomaly it seems haha. When our eldest was just 5 months old we decided we would drive across from the UK to Spain.
Before having our first child we did very typical holidays; a two week all inclusive in Turkey, two weeks in Rhodes, a cruise and a few day trips across to France. Then we decided to go for something new!
The Trip That Changed Everything
- Driving UK → Spain
- Stopping in different places
- Seeing real life, not just resorts
- We felt alive!
Many people thought we were utterly crazy. We had a 5 month old and had tonnes of stuff that comes with having a baby. Think about the size of the bag you carry for a day out….now multiply it for 3.5 weeks!
Travelling With A Baby Wasn’t The Hard Part
Everyone warned us it would be stressful. Exhausting. Too much effort. “What’s the point if he won’t even remember it?”
And sure, it was different.
Slower. More stops. More planning.
But it was also:
- Calmer than we expected
- Easier than we’d been told
- And way more rewarding than staying in one resort
Even though our son obviously doesn’t remember that trip… we do.
And it changed us.
What We Realised On That Trip
That trip taught us a few huge lessons:
- You don’t need to rush to see more
- Moving slowly actually lets you experience more
- Travel doesn’t have to be exhausting
- And “normal holidays” suddenly felt… a bit small
We realised we loved:
- Seeing multiple places in one trip
- Staying flexible
- Letting the trip evolve as we went
- And not being tied to one hotel, one schedule, one plan
Years later when having our second child, that same mindset naturally led us into:
- Longer trips
- Worldschooling
- Home education
- And building a life that isn’t tied to one place or one routine
Why This Style Of Travel Works So Well With Kids
One of the biggest surprises we have learnt over time is how well this works as a family.
Slow travel means:
- Less rushing
- More routine
- Fewer meltdowns
- More real-world learning
- And much deeper experiences
Instead of trying to cram everything into one week, we let places unfold.
Learning happens naturally. Conversations happen naturally. Curiosity happens naturally.
Is It Always Perfect? Of Course Not.
Let’s be honest:
- It’s not always convenient
- It takes more planning
- It’s not always “luxury”
- And sometimes you just want an easy, simple trip
But for us?
It’s always been worth it.
If You’ve Ever Thought About Travelling Differently…
You don’t have to start with a three-week road trip across Europe.
You can:
- Add one stop to your next trip
- Travel a little slower
- Stay a little longer somewhere
- Choose one place less and enjoy it more
- Avoid the typical all inclusive resort that naturally keeps you from exploring where the locals are
Sometimes, one small change is all it takes to change how you see travel forever.
How This Led To The Life We Live Now
Looking back, that trip was the start of everything.
The start of:
- Our slow travel mindset
- Our worldschooling journey
- Our home education lifestyle
- And building a life based on time, freedom, and experiences instead of routines and schedules
We didn’t know it then.
But that road trip from the UK to Spain changed the entire direction of our lives. So much so it was also our second sons first trip!
Final Thoughts
If you’re sitting there thinking:
“I’d love to travel differently… but it feels too scary / too complicated / too unrealistic…”
We were once exactly there too.
And sometimes, all it takes is one trip to change everything.
If you are still unsure how worldschooling can be a legitimate lifestyle because you’re probably getting a lot of people think school is the only way then here is another blog posts you may find useful Worldschooling: How Travel Becomes the Ultimate Classroom for Your Kids
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