When my wife, Kim, told me she had a “crazy idea” back in 2021 I could never have imagined that it would lead to us, with our two small children, living and travelling full-time in a Bailey of Bristol motorhome. And yet here we are – more than two years later – having ventured through 27 countries across three continents. We have no plans to stop exploring anytime soon.
The truth is we were “only” meant to go for 12 months, at least that was the plan. But, as the days ticked by, our love for our new-found lifestyle of daily adventure grew to such an extent that we decided to carry on, to see where the road would take us.
Which is quite a long way as it turns out – as well as making our way through much of Europe, we have been down into Africa to spend a winter in Morocco, and across into Asia to explore Turkey, Georgia and Armenia.
Thanks to Brexit and restrictions on our time in the Schengen Zone (as British passport-holders, we are limited to 90 days in every 180) our route hasn’t always been logical, but that has forced us to venture to places that we might not have considered otherwise. Would we have spent so long in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro otherwise? Probably not, yet they rapidly became two of our favourite countries. The likes of Sarajevo and Durmitor National Park should be seen by everyone at some stage.
What about Armenia’s Silk Road and the high plateaus of eastern Turkey, where we spent time flirting with the Iranian border, all experiences that will live with us for the rest of our lives – and for all the right reasons. The further we have travelled, the more often we have been reminded of the kindness and warmth of humanity, something that is easy to forget in a world where so many are too busy, too stressed or simply too uninterested in engaging and connecting on a deeper human level.
Perhaps, looking back, that is one of the greatest gifts this lifestyle continues to give us; the time to connect as a family, to forge unbreakable bonds, to sit every day and focus on what’s important to our children without the stress of time constraints and many of life’s other distractions. No two days have ever been the same. Within that uncertainty there is the magic of knowing anything is possible, so long as you keep an open mind and heart.
And yet it has not always been easy. Not only do we work on the road – as freelance writers and content creators – but we have sole responsibility for our children. We are always together. We have all the usual household chores without the mod cons many are accustomed to and we have missed a lot of time with our families back in the UK. All through our own choice, admittedly, but all challenges we have to contend with.
At the heart of our travels has been a desire to show our children – aged three and six when we set off – a world that you won’t often find covered in mainstream media, one that’s not always taught about in schools, one where we are continually submerged in the cultures and customs of other people.
But what about their education? It’s a question we continue to be asked, frequently. Having seen what homeschooling entailed in lockdown, we honestly believe they will learn more through life experiences than sitting at a desk.
We are not completely against traditional schooling, but we feel that at such a young age they will gain so much more from seeing the world, from learning the soft-touch skills not taught in school and from learning in a classroom without walls. Through a mix of our own efforts and those of Amy, the wonderful private tutor we found, they have flourished, thriving from learning in an environment whereby everything is guided by their interests and curiosity.
Practically, living this way has proved to be far cheaper than when we were in a house in Wales. We left our four walls just as the cost of living crisis was reaching its peak. Our two main costs are fuel and food and these fluctuate quite a lot depending on where we are. In Turkey and Georgia fuel cost us as little as £1 per litre for diesel and 30p per litre for LPG, compared to around £1.70 and £1 respectively in France.
Free from the routines that dominated our life back in the UK, the world has become an ever changing kaleidoscope of experiences. It hasn’t always been sunshine and happiness, far from it, but is there any way of life without hardship and difficulty? If anything, the lows we’ve experienced have helped to elevate the highs, while providing us with opportunities to evolve.
As Pico Iyer wrote “we travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves”. It’s safe to say we have definitely found ourselves on this journey. We have laid eyes on landscapes that have left us without words, we have made new friends, we have laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve sadly lost loved ones along the way and on more than one occasion we’ve questioned it all.
Yet, despite all of this, there is no desire to return to what many see as a “normal life” anytime soon, if ever.
Follow Marcus @marcusleachglobal and Kim @our.roaming.odyssey
