The real deal…a must read, mothers unite!

Today was a traveling day. In all honesty… not much fun. We have to check out of one place early. Drop Adam off somewhere to work and then go somewhere to entertain the kids.  The weather is yuck and we are all a little tired and cranky. So we headed to trust old chickfila.  Immediately upon arriving Gavin began sticking out his tongue and spitting and then laughing in my face. Welcome to 4.  I send he and Jake to the play area and they don’t really want to play. So they sat at the table but don’t want to eat. So  I then go and sit on the floor in the play area with Avilene and they decide to play on me. No bueno.  Finally another family comes and the boys begin playing ” dinosaur” and Avilene spills my coffee on her.  So they play. We meet a family that lives in  converted school bus..how cool!  Eventuality its time to leave and this is where it gets fun… The boys smell like a barn yard. So into the bathroom we go, except this bathroom doesn’t have that cool baby holder. I do what anyone else would do,  handed Avilene off to another mom and begin to change Gavin ( the 4 year old who won’t potty train but screams gross gross gross at diaper change time.)  Meanwhile Avilene is screaming her head off and Jake has unraveled the very large toilet paper roll all over the ground. I’m beginning to break out into a sweat and feel tears and curse words float upward toward  explosion.  As  I go to lift Jake up onto the changing table and trying to verbally get Avilene to stop screaming as a stranger holds her, Gavin pushes up the changing table… I yank it back down and throw Jake up there. I look down and freak that he just had poop like water all over but alas no…. it’s my second coffee…all over. All over Jake, his hair, his clothes, our bagged to go food, the clean diapers soaking in it.  There is now a line for the bathroom. I’m standing in the handicapped stall with the door open, people staring, Avilene shrieking, Gavin ice skating in coffee and Jake topless with his hair dripping coffee down his bare back.  Two down, one to go. I take Avilene back and go to place her on the counter yet it of course is soaking wet. Another lady wipes it down for me and  I lay Avilene down when I hear this electronic sound…I placed her head under the automatic soap dispenser and her hair and part of her face is covered in foam soap.   Another lady looked at me and said you’ve made it through half the day. I was like it is only noon and  we have a 4 hour drive ahead of us.  I apologized at least 100 times to the employees and got the heck out of there.  Whoever said 3 is easier then 2 didn’t have 3. Whomever thinks they are the only ones who has days like this is wrong.  It’s all about the memories and stories…right? Please share your mommy melt down crazy moments so I know I am not alone!
Why do families choose travel over a conventional lifestyle?

Because the conventional lifestyle stopped feeling like the right fit. Most families who choose long-term travel describe a moment where the trade-offs of staying still began to cost more than the trade-offs of moving. The calculation is different for every family but the feeling is similar.

How does travel change your perspective on life?

It makes the familiar strange and the strange familiar. You stop assuming the way things work at home is the only way things can work. Kids who grow up traveling tend to be more comfortable with ambiguity and more genuinely curious about people who are different from them.

Is a travel lifestyle sustainable long-term for families?

Yes for families who treat it as a real lifestyle rather than an extended vacation. That means financial planning, structure and rhythm, honest conversations about what is and is not working, and building community wherever you are.

What do families miss most about conventional life when traveling?

Community. The friendships that come from being in one place long enough to be known. The familiarity of the everyday. These are real losses. The best travel families acknowledge them honestly rather than pretending the lifestyle is perfect.

How do you start traveling more as a family?

Start with longer trips before committing to a full lifestyle change. Build remote work capacity intentionally. Talk honestly with your kids about what you are considering. And find communities of other traveling families who have done it before you so you are not figuring everything out alone.


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