Post from Tim:
I talked at length about this trip before I left. Most people told me how lucky I was to go and added, "I wish I could do that."
I felt the most sympathy for those with a family and a house, understanding that when my turn came, I'd be chained to the desk job for life. But during my stay in Ko Lanta, I met a Danish family who gave me hope.
Sven and Anni were travellers too. Just like me, they were compelled to leave their jobs for a year, sell their house, and leave their old life behind. But they carried much more than a backpack - they took three of their children.
I asked about the logistics of removing kids from school for that long. Svend assured me that their children receive a good education on the road. They learn Danish, math, and science from planned lessons taught by their parents, books, and e-mail correspondence; they learn English and world studies by experience.
Svend spent his previous life as a workaholic. He rarely saw his children and wondered why he was at home when he could be making money. He even worried while planning the trip that he would be unable to relax. But the first time we saw his family, on a beautiful beach in Malaysia, Michelle commented on how well the family got along and how comfortable they seemed with one another. When I had a chance to talk with him in Ko Lanta, it became apparent that he was not only quite able to relax, but that he had used the time with his family wisely.
I fear that I will return from my travels and get caught back in the rat race of work, work, work. I used to view this as an inevitable outcome in our society to make it as a parent. Now I hope to travel with my children some day. Everything is possible when you stop wishing and start doing.
I felt the most sympathy for those with a family and a house, understanding that when my turn came, I'd be chained to the desk job for life. But during my stay in Ko Lanta, I met a Danish family who gave me hope.
Sven and Anni were travellers too. Just like me, they were compelled to leave their jobs for a year, sell their house, and leave their old life behind. But they carried much more than a backpack - they took three of their children.
I asked about the logistics of removing kids from school for that long. Svend assured me that their children receive a good education on the road. They learn Danish, math, and science from planned lessons taught by their parents, books, and e-mail correspondence; they learn English and world studies by experience.
Svend spent his previous life as a workaholic. He rarely saw his children and wondered why he was at home when he could be making money. He even worried while planning the trip that he would be unable to relax. But the first time we saw his family, on a beautiful beach in Malaysia, Michelle commented on how well the family got along and how comfortable they seemed with one another. When I had a chance to talk with him in Ko Lanta, it became apparent that he was not only quite able to relax, but that he had used the time with his family wisely.
I fear that I will return from my travels and get caught back in the rat race of work, work, work. I used to view this as an inevitable outcome in our society to make it as a parent. Now I hope to travel with my children some day. Everything is possible when you stop wishing and start doing.