Tell us a little about your tribe and your holiday style
We are a family of 4, myself Bex, my partner Tom and our children Basil (5) and Wren (2) based currently in the Byron Shire of northern NSW, Australia. I would describe our holiday/travel style as ‘epic backpacking’. We traveled for a year with Basil from when he was 1-2 and have just recently returned from what ended up being a second lap of the word as a backpacking family of 4 spanning 7 months. My partner and I love to travel and traveling with the children has been a perfect balance of bliss and challenge. I should add I never traveled before being a Mum so I have nothing to compare traveling with children to, I think this helps.

Tell us a little about your favourite family holiday and why you loved it.
As part of our first trip when Basil was 1 we did a lot of helpx and workaway placements as a way to connect to community and experience real life in the countries we travelled through. I found the 1 year old a wonderful and simple age to travel with and the time together as a family was thoroughly nourishing. I cant pick any one place on this trip that stood out, although I’ve been asked and contemplated it many many times, the whole experience was life changing and continues to inspire us. Some top experiences were our time with a multigenerational rice farming family in Japan, 6 weeks on a biodynamic farm in Serbia and rainforest adventures in Costa Rica. It was after during this trip that I realised I could be a nomad forever! www.thenomadsson.wordpress.com

What 3 destinations are top of your family travel bucket list?
Hmmm hard to pick 3, everywhere we haven’t been is on the list but India is definitely calling at the moment as is Africa. I spent a lot of time in Israel as a chid and would love to take the kids there too.

If you had to pick one travel item that makes travelling with kids easier, what would it be?
Hmmm I have 2…backpacks of their own, for our kids these became their world and filled with weird and wonderful personal treasures. I found a backpack of their own also helped give them an insight into the reality of ‘backpacking’ and the limited space for possessions and ‘treasures’.  Walky talky’s were also fantastic as they provide a sense of freedom for the kids to explore a little further whilst in contact, particularly fun in airports.

What is your best piece of travel advice?
Expect the challenges and have a tool box of coping strategies for when it gets hard. If travelling with your partner…keep communicating! Don’t pack loads of stuff for your little one(s), they need so little. Our children had no access to any sort of screen/device whilst we travelled and it was brilliant…it can be done!! If you can keep a blog or some sort of travel diary, the memories are absolutely worth the work. Helpx and Workaway are absolutely brilliant ways to connect with locals and new experiences, look for families with children about the same age as yours and when reading reviews trust your gut. Be brave, curious, take the leap and be open to the universe showing you a path. Happy travels!

 

SaveSave