It’s happening…

In exactly two weeks from today, we will pack up our bags, board a flight and commence a year of travel through South and Central America with our 2 and 3 year olds in tow. Crazy? Possibly. Exciting? Absolutely! This has been a deep-seated dream of ours for years, and it is hard to believe it is actually coming to fruition. We are so grateful for the opportunities that have made this possible. My career as a real estate agent provided us with the savings we needed and the flexibility to leave for an extended time, my mother’s assistance has allowed us to leave our home without dealing with tenants or worrying about a mortgage, and inspiration in the form of families who have gone before has kept us motivated.

I’ll never forget maternity leave with my first-born. Day after day I sat in the living room nursing my newborn with tears streaming down my face while I watched The Bucket List Family on YouTube. The idea of getting to travel with my child, to share my greatest passion with him and introduce him to this beautiful world was more than my delicate (and hormonal) new mom heart could handle. I swore to myself then that I would do whatever it took to spend extended periods of time traveling with my children. Travel was the priority…getting there would take creativity and hard work.

Being self-employed certainly has its perks. Not only am I in charge of my own income, but I also make my own hours, build up or scale down my business as needed and define my own role in order to meet the needs of both my family and my clients. As the idea of spending a year abroad simmered in my mind, I couldn’t help but notice how much of my time as a REALTOR® was spent making phone calls, sending and responding to emails and studying/utilizing my area’s MLS…all things I could do from anywhere there was internet. I obviously have no desire to walk away from my career (in a sales job doing so can have irreparable results), so instead I have redefined my job and commited myself to working as much as possible from the road. In order to make this happen I am partnering with a highly competent and experienced agent in my office to be my “boots on the ground” while I’m away. I know this partnership is key in making this particular dream come true.

Another partner that is making this all possible is my mother. For the last few years my mom lived in the casita attached to our home, but for this year she has agreed to move into our house while we rent out the casita to cover our mortgage. It gives us great peace of mind to know that she will take excellent care of our home (probably leaving it better than she found it), that our cats will enjoy her peaceful companionship, and that we don’t have to worry about selling or storing all the belongings we have spent the last decade acquiring. We know what an incredible gift it is to be able to walk away from a home and return a full year later without suffering any incovenience or cost.

We do not take any of our privilege lightly. From financial security to previous experience…we have a lot to be thankful for. But without the blogs, vlogs, posts and stories of other traveling families, we probably would have never considered this a legitimate parenting style, or a dream worth pursuing. I really hope to add to the voices that are prioritizing world travel, challenging the status quo, and giving others the courage to follow their dreams. I hope you’ll follow along (you can subscribe to my blog from the home page) and that you also find yourself inspired and encouraged to travel, adventure and explore this beautiful world.