When we follow the blogs of families who have left for a world tour or a long trip , we enjoy traveling with them. Only, when the trip ends, often the blog stops, leaving us on our hunger… Impossible to know what was the outcome of this experience .
However, many people planning to make similar trips ask themselves this question. Of course, each experience is unique and everyone reacts differently. However, it is interesting (and sometimes reassuring) to have feedback on his type of experience .
Thus, in the continuity of my previous articles ( families leaving on a world tour and portrait of nomadic families ) and ahead of our own departure in the coming days (we are leaving next Monday!!), I have collected the testimony of 15 families who have just returned from a world tour (or a long trip).
The idea is to make a collective assessment of these experiences . It is not a question of a financial or practical assessment, but more of an assessment on the feelings; in short, a feedback on the trip and… on the return .
How did the children experience this great trip?
In addition to these really interesting testimonials, I invite you to read a short presentation of each family’s trip (itinerary, mode of transport and accommodation, schooling on the road and the “post-return” perspective). You can also consult the blogs of these families to immerse yourself in their well-filled travel diaries!
Marie, Guillaume and their 2 children left for 5 months by bike on the South American routes, from Lima to Santiago, passing through Cusco, Lake Titicaca, the Coipasa and Uyuni salt flats, and northwestern Argentina. Their favorites were the colorful quebradas of the Jujuy region in Argentina, the Apurimac valley in Peru, the Sajama park in Bolivia and the Tuzgle volcano in Chile.
From a logistical point of view, this Toulouse family therefore traveled mainly by bicycle (with a follower bicycle for Cassandre and a cart for Hector), but also a little by bus and train. For the sleep, it was in a tent, hotel or youth hostel.
Due to the young age of their 2 children, Marie and Guillaume did not follow an educational program during their journey. They accompanied their eldest so that she made a drawing a day to tell her trip. For the youngest, he learned to speak during this trip (with a little Spanish in his vocabulary!).
Upon returning from this trip, the panda family resumed a “normal life”: work or school… Waiting for the next trip!
What were your expectations before leaving? Have they been filled?
We wanted to spend time with family, enjoy our children, see them grow every day. And we wanted to discover new landscapes and new cultures, at the slow pace of cycling, which we had already experienced for a few weeks, and which convinced us. We move faster than on foot, the landscapes change relatively quickly, we are free and do not depend on public transport, and we can fully enjoy nature, sounds, smells, wind too… And all his expectations were largely met, we return with the desire to leave again as soon as we can!
How did Cassandre and Hector experience this great trip?
Very well ! They adapted very well to nomadic life, appreciated the comfort of a hotel with a hot shower as much as the cocoon of a tent. They played with everything they found, sand, sticks, stones, plastic bottles, beer caps…
They strengthened their bond by going to explore pre-Columbian ruins in search of Inca. We were careful to give them plenty of playing time every day, not to set up camp too late. But the days when we cycled 100km because we had to, they accepted it without problems and allowed us to move forward properly.
