RTW

Chris put this song on one of the mix tapes that we had in our car in Japan and it brings me back every time I hear it.Before kids, I planned to backpack endlessly around the globe and made no alternate career plans. What I love about travel is the elation that comes from stripping away daily habits to more easily reveal a true sense of self. In widening my scope beyond my environment, I feel I deepen my scope within. I love to travel alone and feel like a perfect sphere of a person - not being dented and misshapen by daily pacifying, compromising, expectations, anxiety-inducing relationships. Like a floating bubble with no ties, no people-pleasing. Just adventure, and the kind of wild-eyed observation that sizzles in the eyes of an artist like on two hot pans.

Traveling with two toddlers in Japan was an overwhelming responsibility and mostly we just tried to live our simple lives in a small town. It was there that I really began to appreciate the nuance of beauty in the mundane and the spiritual value of living simply. That was the treasure we brought home. I can't remember Japanese anymore. Sumimasen.

I love our life here and my smokin hot husband. More now than I did in Japan. I still try to talk him into going back - the yen IS much stronger than the dollar now, but he is sure he doesn't want to. I am "teaching" the girls geography by flipping through The Travel Book, asking them where they want to go on an RTW, and putting a sticker on the wall map.

What is an RTW? Why, a round the world trip. All at once. Why would you do that? To really get into the spiritual culture of travel. To not pay for living expenses at home while you are traveling. To save on airfare. Because it would be awesome.

Here are some families doing RTWs together:
One Year Off
Coomer Family
Family on Bikes
Bowman Family
Six in the World
Tims Family
Carlson Family
Bagan Family
Escampette
Fleming Family
soul traveler's 3

See also:
circle the planet
gonomad
BootsnAll
Lucy Travels