Pompeii was a city built on the side of Mount Vesuvius that was destroyed or rather frozen in time when it erupted in 79 AD. The people of Pompeii were obviously devastated when the lava ran over their lives, and maybe wondered why on earth it happened to them. As Adam and I talked about it, we realized that the reason it happened was so that all of us, thousands of years later would be able to see what life was like all over the countryside. Most of the other cities disappeared over time, but this one remained frozen.
You can see where the kitchens and baths were, where houses were divided by walls and even where the large theatre and center of the city existed. The archeologists poured plaster inside of the molds that were created by ash and you are able to see people in the positions they were in when the devastation happened. You are also able to see the pottery and household items they had.
The ruins looked very much like what I thought they would. They were in a beautiful setting, high up in the hills with the sun shining and wind at a standstill. Although the area outside of the city of Pompeii is not a tourist center and absolute memory of SE Asia, the museum itself is something worth spending 11 euros on. (Only European students get a discount).
The city of Napoli sits at the foothills of Pompeii and immediately Adam and I did not feel comfortable walking around. It is a shame that the city is so dirty and there are people selling things at every toll booth. I am sure that if you knew exactly where to go, Napoli may give you a different impression, but we were unsure. The area was a bit sketchy and we decided to pay the toll and head over to the eastern coast.
How do you build a life around adventure and travel?Intentionally and incrementally. Most families who live this way did not leap from conventional to adventurous overnight. They built remote work capacity, paid down debt, tested longer trips, and had increasingly honest conversations about what they actually want from their lives. The leap feels bigger from outside than from inside.
What does an adventurous family lifestyle actually look like?Different for every family. For some it is long-term travel. For others it is weekend adventures close to home. What connects them is intentionality about how time is spent and a preference for experiences over accumulation. The version that fits your family is the right one.
How do you balance adventure with stability for kids?By finding stability within the adventure rather than treating them as opposites. Routines, rituals, and family rhythms travel with you. Familiar foods, bedtime routines, and predictable family dynamics provide stability even when the location changes. Kids need consistency in relationships more than consistency in geography.
What has travel taught your family?That people are fundamentally similar across cultures in what they want for their families. That comfort zone is a smaller circle than it feels from inside. That the things worth having in life require effort and discomfort to get. And that time together doing hard interesting things is the most reliable source of family closeness.
How do you handle the pressure to live conventionally when you have chosen differently?By getting clear on why you made the choices you made and returning to that clarity when the outside noise gets loud. Most families living unconventionally describe an initial period of explaining themselves that gradually gives way to just living the life. The explaining becomes less necessary as the results become visible.
Related
Discover more from Adventures We Seek
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
