Travel Goals

How to prioritise family travel

A sharp awakening

We lost our parents / our children’s grandparents before we turned 40. Early bereavements and premature deaths really focus one’s mind on goals for the future!

Then, during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, our horizons were suddenly curtailed, boundaries imposed. This momentous shift in our lives enabled us to reconsider our priorities.

Redefining success

We came to understand that happiness is about much more than financial security and career success. We want to live our lives fully and not have any regrets by waiting until we are older (or too old) to feel fulfilled.

We didn’t want our children to grow up motivated purely by economics, or peer pressure to succeed. We were saddened by the thought their childhoods may be defined only by the rigidity and stresses of the UK school system.

Prioritising travel

For us, travel is a liberating, curious and exciting adventure! We love learning from places and people that are new to us.

There is a thrill that comes from wandering a twisting alleyway lined with gorgeous buildings; peeking into intriguing lives behind hidden doorways; tasting new flavours at a street market: soaking up views of awe-inspiring natural wonders; or discovering new knowledge at a fascinating museum.

Our children put into practice their classroom lessons and build their compassion, kindness and empathy when they travel. Going to new places and meeting new people is a wonderful way to learn about the world and how to live happily in it.

We are trying our best as parents to guide and support our kids to be inspired, creative, and enthusiastic; kind and compassionate; and cultured, curious and informed.

We love that our children enjoy learning and exploring, in their own way, wherever they are.

Setting travel goals

We set ourselves this goal:

“We will prioritise spending money on travel over other luxuries, and adjust our finances and employment accordingly, to enable us to travel more as a family.”

We aim to:

Understand that we are incredibly privileged to be able to travel
Spend time as a family, learning, growing and developing together
Push beyond our comfort zone, being adventurous and flexible
Seek out and enjoy new experiences and be open minded
Acknowledge that it’s ok to make mistakes, and learn from them
Try new foods, learn different languages, meet lots of people, and understand how others live
Be grateful for the experiences and opportunities we have
Ignore the ‘fear of missing out’ - we can’t ‘do’ a country; travel for us isn’t about checking off ‘must do’ selfie spots; and it’s not possible to see everything
Value our happiness, health, learning and growth above financial ‘success’ or career ‘achievements’.