Q&A

Thanks to Delle, Roxy and Jo W for these questions!

1. I know lots of planning went into your trip — has there been anything that has been surprising to you?

The thing that has probably surprised us the most is how much activities cost. We knew we had some big-ticket days planned (Warner Brothers Studio Tour, Universal Studios, etc) that would cost several hundred dollars each, but plenty of other things we've done were also well over a hundred dollars for a family of four. When you combine this with eating out, things start adding up very quickly.

We had a rough idea of how much we thought the trip would cost overall, but I think we were underestimating it quite a bit if we want to actually SEE and DO things on the trip! On the other hand, grocery prices in Europe seemed a little cheaper than in Australia, so making our own meals the majority of the time was a great way to offset this and stop us worrying about it.

(Grocery, restaurant and attraction prices in the USA are also higher than we remembered/ expected. Higher than Australia, we think. But we only have 9 days here, so it's not too big a deal.)

2. How are the kids adjusting to life on the move? Have there been any surprising reactions or milestones?

The kids have been absolute troopers. We've been so impressed with how they've handled long travel days, lots of walking, constant change, limited entertainment options and meeting people/kids they don't know. Seeing all the little ways they're growing and changing is really heartwarming. I'm currently working on a separate (long!) post about travelling with kids where I'll go into more detail on this topic!

3. What’s one thing you’ve learned about each other as a family during this journey? Do you think it's changed the family dynamic in any way?

I don't feel our family dynamic has changed much! One of the things this trip has reminded me of is that we are still the same people when we travel as we are at home. You just get to experience each other's quirks, preferences and personalities in a variety of different settings!

However, I wonder if it feels significant/ strange from the boys' perspectives to be learning more about our lives before they were born. They're meeting people they don't recognise but who know us really well, or who remember them as babies, and they've seen places where we used to live and work. So maybe they've learnt more about us than we have about them!

4. Are there any particular places that have felt like home, even for a short while?

England and Canada have both felt like home since they both were home, once upon a time! Driving on familiar roads, visiting homes we used to spend so much time in and being with old friends felt comfortable and familiar and wonderful — and like hardly any time had passed. This feeling was particularly strong in Canada, presumably because we lived there for longer and left more recently.

5. What is the most inspiring cultural tradition/ practice/ way of living that you've encountered? Anything that you'd like to bring home with you, into your regular life?

I'm actually keeping a long written list of things I want to do when we get home! They're not so much cultural things but more like foods I want to cook, habits I want to adopt and activities I want to plan or do more of, inspired by things I've eaten, seen, done, discussed or thought of during our travels.

6. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to another family or couple considering a trip like this?

One of my pen pal schools asked me this a while ago, and my advice was to not just talk about wanting to do it: start planning it and actively taking steps to work towards it. This may involve sacrifice (particularly financially).

We've dreamed of doing a trip like this for years, but at some stage we decided 2024 would be the year and didn't budge from that (even when a book deal came along for the same year!). We worked backwards to figure out when we'd need to start booking flights and started locking things in. After you take those initial steps, momentum takes care of the rest... because once you know your departure date, you simply HAVE to get everything else done in time!

7. What did you try that surprised you?

Durian! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Also, deep fried flying fish. It wasn't as good as I remembered!

8. Describe the worst shower/toilet.

The worst showers were the ones we encountered in Europe where the mixer was jutting out of the wall at tap height, with the hot and cold pipes leading in from either side. So if we accidentally brushed our arm against the hot pipe we would burn ourselves!

The worst toilets were the ones in a restaurant in Malaysia. They were absolutely filthy and disgusting. I actually can't remember the details because I've blocked it from my mind, but I remember thinking that if we didn't get food poisoning from that restaurant (where I'd ordered SEAFOOD!!) it'd be a miracle. But we didn't!

9. How do you manage the need for alone-time during a trip like this?

We mainly manage it by making sure we get lots of downtime! If we're having downtime where everyone is doing their own thing (even though we're still physically together), it's almost the same as alone time. The key thing is getting a break from talking/ interacting/ socialising/ doing stuff.

Now that I think about it, I also frequently "take the temperature" of everyone's moods and adapt our plans accordingly. More downtime or a lazy day if we've had a few social or busy days, earlier bedtimes if the kids are cranky, etc. And it helps that the boys go to sleep a few hours earlier than B and I do!

10. Is there something you're glad we don't have in Australia?

Guns, norovirus, pickpockets and tipping. (I mean, I'm sure we HAVE all of these, but not as many/much as in certain other places!)

11. Is there something we should have but don't?

Hawker centres with amazing cheap food! Also, honey walnut shrimp. This is a delicious dish we've only ever encountered at Chinese restaurants in America. If anyone knows where to find it in Brisbane, please let me know!!