Armageddon Pills

So, you're thinking that someday you'll settle down, get married, and have children.  Or maybe you've been there, done that.  Does this mean that you'll sit on the couch, comatose, in front of the TV late at night, longing for the days when you were free and adventurous?  Do you see that goal of traveling around the world fading into oblivion?

No way!  Traveling around the world with children is not only possible, it's even more fun than reruns of Gilligan's Island.  Our family of four recently returned from a 52-week, around-the-world trip, and not only did we experience the wonders of the world, from the stunning Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the amazing Amazon Rainforest, we discovered sites and had adventures that we never would have dreamed of had we not had children in tow.  Did you know that the United Arab Emirates has the galaxy's best water park?  Or that Carnaval in Latin America is much more family-oriented than you might expect after watching Blame it on Rio?  Can anything compare to seeing children of different cultures and colors enthusiastically hunting chameleons together in the mountains of East Africa?

Before we had children, my wife, September, and I discovered how traveling can shape one's thinking.  We wanted to give this experience to our children.  From that early concept the idea of a year-long around-the-world trip with our children emerged.  Jordan, our youngest, was just learning to talk when he heard of the trip.  When referring to it, the words "world-the-round trip" came tumbling out of his mouth; the name stuck.  Katrina, three years older than Jordan, hadn't yet been to kindergarten when she cycled down the Pacific Coast highway on the back of a tandem bicycle.  As the children grew older we backpacked and camped in far-flung corners of the world to learn what worked and what to expect.  Saving and planning became family activities.  To unite us in our goal we would consider even modest expenditures as a family and say, "Do we really need this, or would we rather save the money for our world-the-round trip?" 

In June, 2005 September and I quit our jobs and packed up our home.  Over the next 52 weeks we visited 28 countries on five continents, crossing 24 time zones.  Along the way we saw the beauty of the Swiss Alps, the grandeur of the Great Wall of China and the ugliness of the Cambodian Killing Fields.  We stayed in the humblest of inns of the Bolivian Altiplano and witnessed the dazzling lights of Hong Kong.

To read more about this fascinating families adventures visit their website or buy their great book 'Armageddon Pills'