Home Is Wherever We Are Together... Even Trapped in the Airport

Six hours down and only two more to go in this airport. Yes! you read that correctly… we have been in the Charlotte Douglas International Airport for six whole hours. What’s more is that we don’t mind. It hasn’t been nearly as bad as it sounds. As a matter of fact it’s been way more peaceful… no bickers, or arguments or any knock down drag out fights. We’ve just been together. Enjoying each other’s company, enjoying loosing ourselves in our own electronic laden world, and enjoying the hub-bub of the airport. 

I’m impressed with my children to say the least. As I sit here and watch them I know that I have some true JrNomads, full of grace, compassion, patience, and most importantly curiosity. So before I go and talk to the gate agents about our new flight arrangements (they expect me to de-board and get to the next plane in a lighting fast three minutes) I want to leave you with my observations from our first travel day of our new journey. First, how you choose to handle a situation is up to you. How you feel (angry, upset, happy, or glad) is completely up to you. Although our situation was not ideal with our initial flight being canceled and us being rebooked six ours later I chose to not let it get the best of me. The bright side was it was my birthday and I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing on my birthday and that was traveling. I remained happy and the situation has remained stress free. I could have gotten all up set and out of sorts and then my children would have felt that and observed that and been upset and out of sorts. We would have fed off of each others energy and today just might have been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My second observation is that home is where we are together. We could have snuggled up on the couch watching movies instead of stranded in the airport but in reality it didn’t matter. We were together and we were happy. So no matter where we are, as long as we are together, as long as we remain a unit, we will be ok.

So until I see you somewhere around the globe… be peaceful, happy, and keep trying to look on the bright side :-)

Birthday Reflections and the Need to Go

It's the day before my 35th birthday. I'm laying in the bed, waiting on my children to wake so they can open their Thankful Gift Day presents. The house is quite except for the sound of the electric fireplace humming across the room. I'm reflecting on my life and I'm not sure how to feel about this birthday yet. I mean of course I'm thankful to have survived another year and I remain in awe at the many great, no, amazingly spectacular things that have happened in my life and the amazing people that have both entered and exited my life. However, as I approach this birthday I feel an urgency deep within that I am being forced to answer to. I fear this urgency maybe rising from all the terrible stuff that has happened in 2015 as well. And I don't want the bad manifesting anything in my life. This urgency is telling me to go, to run and flee, don't look back just keep moving. If I listen to that whisper in my ear a lot of people may end up hurt or disappointed including my children and I most certainly can't have that. So I'm going to flip it on its head. I'm going to listen to the side that is still saying 'go' but is telling me to take the chance, live the dream, pursue your happiness, and do you! 

I find myself already complying with the urge to go. I certainly have the 'go' part down. I just booked yet another trip for the kids and I for June. We will spend two weeks visiting three countries (more details on that to come). This after we visit two countries in April (after our two month cross country road trip of course) and not to mention the one country we will journey to tomorrow. That is six countries planned for this year (my year goes birthday to birthday lol) and that is not even counting the adult only trips I'm toying with in the back of my mind. Whew! It's going to be a whirlwind of excitement, anxiety, wonder and amazement, fear, goal conquering, and I'm sure sometimes stress. I'm up for this challenge though. I'm up for the challenge of pursuing my dreams, making memories, and learning more about myself and my children as people. I'm up for the challenge of fulfilling obligations, such as writing this dissertation as I globe-trot, and continuing to give my kids the best homeschool education that I can but doing it from around the world. 

I truly appreciate you, who is reading this, being on this journey with me too. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to spend time with me here, to follow this journey right along with me. I know I'm not alone in this and that gives me comfort. 

So until I talk with you again or see you somewhere around the world... Love, Peace, and many Blessings!

Packing for our first trip... The struggle is real!

Do I need five pairs of underwear or eight? Should I pack my son's this long sleeve t-shirt or short sleeve? Can I squeeze just one more pair of shoes in this bag? All play clothes or should I throw a fancy outfit in there. You know... Just in case? Yes, the packing struggle is real and that is exactly where I am at in my life. My bedroom floor is littered with four opened half packed suitcases, a hodgepodge of clothes that haven't won the right to join the others in a suitcase yet, and a variety of miscellaneous toiletries and gadgets.

 

One part of me says "Ah, don't worry about it. If you forget it just buy it when you get there. Or don't even worry about it. You'll only be in Costa Rica for four days." The other part sounds something like "FOUR DAYS in Costa Rica??? Hurry! Fit anything and everything you have ever used in your life into this bag. FOUR DAYS!!!". This civil war going on in my head over packing has left my room a mess and our bags unpacked. 

No one warns you about this part of traveling. The dreaded packing and the worry that comes with it to make sure we have everything we might need. It's funny though because when I travel domestically solo I am a packing champ. As a matter of fact I keep a jump bag in my closet packed with clothes, undies, and toiletries with liquids already measured out in little 3oz bottles. When the opportunity to go comes I'm already ready to catch the next flight. 

So why is it so difficult now? I'll have to guess it's the added element of being international and not being sure what to expect. Do I need a power converter or no? Will they have a target like store in case I forget anything? And even if they do how will I get there and navigate my way around it when the primary language of my destination is not my primary language? Oh, and don't even get me started about the three little pairs of eyes that will be looking to me for guidance! So yeah, I probably should pack that anti-diarrheal medicine and an extra pair of socks for us. 

So to settle the strife I'm gonna pull myself together and get this packing done... Right now... This very morning... Today. Ok! It'll be done before I go to bed tonight. 

So, I think I've settled on this (remember we'll be in Costa Rica for four days):

Five shirts, six pairs of underwear, two pairs of shorts, and a pair of jeans (not counting the pair we will be wearing), our swimsuits, toiletries, and gadgets. Oh and a book and some snacks for each of us. 

This should get us through the first leg of our travel year. We'll learn from our packing mistakes in Costa Rica and be prepared for our next international adventure to Iceland and England. 

So until next time... We'll see ya around the globe. 

Follow this travel adventure on Instagram at NomadicMama3

Single Parent Travel Friendly (SPTF) Reviews... Wait What?!?

I Know That title is a mouthful but it best Identifies my goals For This aspect of the blog. This year will not only be a year of travel, though I hope to include some of that. Instead it will be a year of me shuffling minors Through airports, train stations, and RV parks. It will be a year of me choosing That accommodations are suitable for children, dining in the local mini That welcome Both me and my crew, dragging three children across the open road all by myself, and Generally making travel decisions based on how myself and my children Can They Be Accommodated.

From time to time I will post reviews from SPTF That places only make traveling with children a breeze and a delight to Those That Make it a living hell. These reviews will be designed to help make the single parent traveling Informed Travel related decisions based on the experiences of others.

Before we move on to Clarify Please allow me one thing ... what I mean by single parent. This is NOT to exclude married, dating, or co-habituating parents. All are welcome! In This context is a single parent traveling Who is traveling with anyone Their child or children all by Themselves, Either this one time or for extended periods of time.

I so, what can you expect? When I review a company (or Receive reviews from other single parents traveling to post here ... hint hint) I will post the title SPTF: (Name of company reviewed / 0-5 Which number will be the score With the company received Being absolutely outstanding 5 to 0 Being horrific.

If you would like to send me a review to post here please email me at nomadicmama3@gmail.com With the subject Being the same as the title (SPTF: (Name of company reviewed / a number 0-5)) and the review in the body of the email.

I'm excited to share my experiences with you. I'm even more excited for you to share your experiences with me and other single parent travelers.

So Until we meet somewhere around the globe or I Receive your review; -) ... Peace, Blessings, and Safe Travels!

Where We've Been and Where We're Going

In a previous I mentioned a goal of visiting (and I define visiting be sleeping in a place at least one night) 40 countries and 40 US states by the time I turn 40. I wanted to take this time to catch you up on where we've been and where we're going. Today date I have visited only 3 other countries and 21 US states. As you can see I have a ways to go on this journey. The good news is you caught me right at the beginning and can following along the entire way as I set out to conquer my goal.

Countries Visited
Costa Rica
Jamaica
Mexico
Canada

States Visited
Alabama
Arizona
California
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina,
Tennessee (where it all began)
Texas
Virginia

I figured it would be better to show you better than tell you so below are links to my two other blogs that were written while on our journeys. The first blog covers our time in Jamaica, where we lived for three months while I completed a Fulbright. The second blog covers our time living in our old RV and traveling from our home in North Carolina to New Brunswick Canada.

Three months in Jamaica: http://christinabentonbrooks.blogspot.com/
Road trip to Canada: http://brooksfamilyrving.blogspot.com/

Ok, so where are we going? We have a pretty jammed packed schedule ahead of us.

In just 5 days we are heading to Costa Rica to enjoy some beach and rain forest adventures. When we return we will have just 10 days to recover from all of the excitement before we pack up and head out on our three month cross country RV tour. When we return from zigzagging the country we will then have 10 days to rest and recover before we hope on a plane to Iceland. We will tour the city of Reykjavik for a couple of days before we hope on the plane and head to London. London will be a whirlwind as we will only be there for three days. We plan to stay in the Gatwick area where we will take the tube into London where we will very much be tourist. The next day we will take the tube down to Brighton to see the coast. The third day is unplanned and we will just see what happens. We will fly back to Iceland where we will spend another 5 days touring the country. In June we will fly to Oslo, Norway. We will explore the area for a couple of days before we catch a flight from there to Milan, Italy. We will seek serenity around Lake Como before we drive over into Switzerland for a couple of days. We will then fly back to Norway to catch a train into Sweden. After Sweden we will fly to Romania for five days. This trip is both a work and pleasure trip. I will assist with the analysis of skeletal material while I'm there and I am very very excited about that. We will fly back to Norway from Romania where we will spend a couple of days before flying home. Whew! I'm exhausted just typing all of that lol.

That is as far as our plans go for now... I do keep getting these great hits to all of these amazing places. A deal to Osaka, Japan just came across my phone and it is taking a lot of restraint to not hit the buy button. A trip to Dubai was presented to me and I just had to walk away lol. There are so many amazing places I want to visit and I am excited to get there!

We’ll see you around the globe ;-)

Follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/nomadicmama3/

Stop, Drop, and Go: How I Stopped What I Was Doing, Dropped Everything, and Went

I’m not going back to work. My children are not going to school. I have packed up my three kids, found tenants for the house, and we are out of here. 

Whoa! Wait a minute, you’re probably thinking. 

I know how this sounds so let me explain. I turned thirty-five a few weeks ago. Now I'm not one of those women that get really worked up about my age. I've earned each and every one of the years I've been alive and I display the battle scars proudly. But as this particular birthday approached I felt something stirring in me. My need to go was bubbling up again and I was forced to face it. My wanderlust was taking over. I could no longer fight it and this time I didn't even try. I gave in and booked my kids and I a last minute flight to Costa Rica.

We have returned from Costa Rica and are currently criss-crossing the United States in our RV. We will be on the road for the next several months until we’re satisfied that we’ve seen enough of our own beautiful country. After that we will grab our backpacks and hit the rest of the world. We've already booked tickets to seven countries through the month June. The second half of the year will remain unplanned and we will take advantage of opportunities as they arise. There will be no looking back and no regrets. We're stopping, dropping, and going. And nothing or no one can stop us. 

Sure, there are those that try the fear tactic and point out all of the hate and sadness taking place in the world. People blowing things up, people shooting people up, planes crashing, ships sinking, earths quacking, lands flooding. Nice try! Those same things can and are happening right here. We hear about terrible things happening on the news every day but we can't let that stop us from taking chances and trying to live our best life. I'll take my chances with danger while tromping the globe, thank you. If craziness does ensue at least it won't take place with me sitting behind a desk watching the clock as well as my life tick by at my 9 to 5. If something happens that is not in our favor at least it won't be here while my kids and I are sitting around living a very mundane life.

Then there are those that try the bad parenting angle. You know, the ones who tell me I'm doing my kids a disservice by snatching them away from all they know. How they will miss their friends, parties, and all the stuff tweens and teens get into. Yeah, ok! I'll check on their feelings while we're chasing the northern lights in Iceland, or sipping real hot chocolate in the Swiss alps. Or maybe I can make sure they're okay about missing that dance as we're diving of the coast of Australia or hiking our way to Machu Picchu. I say that with sarcasm but I am sure my children will be just fine being students of the world. You know how I know? They've told me. In the last couple of weeks each of my kids have come to me, separately and independently, and thanked me for showing them the world. If that's not motivation as a parent I don't know what is. Plus, I'm not snatching my kids from anything. They've been junior nomads since they were small. We lived in Jamaica for four months when I earned Fulbright Scholar award. Months before that we were living in Williamsburg VA while I completed a research fellowship. Before that... Well you get the picture. My children have certainly earned their junior nomad badges and they are just as excited about this journey as I am. 

Of course there are those that just think I'm plain crazy and that's fine too. I'm reminded that I have a great job (which I do), a nice home (yes that's true), a stable life (it is pretty stable), and family and friends that love me (and I love them right back). Why would I want to leave all of that behind, I'm asked. And for me the bigger question is why not? Why would I not want to explore this planet and show my kids the world? Maybe it's the anthropologist in me but dropping everything to traverse the globe, experience other cultures, taste a variety of foods, participate in practices that are so vastly different from our own is my dream come true. It is the dream of any true wanderlust and my time has come. No matter what I return to, a less than stable life, changes in my home or work statuses, family and friends that no longer love me, I will not regret this decision for one second. How could I ever form my mouth to utter my regret of finally following my dreams? I just can't imagine it. 

Don't get me wrong. Not everyone has been so negative. There are many people, heck the majority of people in my life, that are excited for us. They wish us the best and they truly mean it. They offer support and suggestions. They provide love and encouragement. There are the people that excite me with tales from their traveled times. They offer their connections all around the globe to make my journey easier. There are the people in my life that may not "get" my deep desire to travel but they understand it's a major part of who I am and embrace my journey anyway. 

Thank you to everyone that continues to love and support us through this journey and even to the ones that don’t. Thank you for the love (or hate) that is fueling me to continue. Thank you for the support (or lack of it) that is spearheading my drive to follow my dreams. Thank you for being with me on this journey.

And So It Begins!

Hello! Welcome to our blog. We are so excited you have decided to join us on this amazing journey. If you are joining us from our RV travel blog, thank you. This is where we will post our entire RV adventure so that you can follow along. 

For everyone else joining us please let me update you on what this RV adventure as well as our international travel is all about.

Here is the post from the RV blog that will hopefully fill in the gaps:

“It is with great pleasure (and much relief) that I announce that we are getting back on the road. If you remember from my last post that was many months ago I told you how things happened in such a way that forced us to stay put. Ironically, those same situations that forced us to stay are now allowing us to go. I won't bore you with all of the details but will say that we will have 20 months of pure, unadulterated freedom.

We will be on the road from January through at least March. We have it planned through March anyway, but unless we are forced to return to Charlotte due to unforeseen circumstances we will be rolling. This will be the longest time we have been on the road.

The kids and I have already mapped our route. The ultimate goal is to get to California, to go coast to coast. We plan to do that via Florida with a stop in the Keys for a week. From there we will push back up the gulf coast of Florida until we hit the I-10. We will ride the I-10 all the way west stoping to see some amazing things along the way.

I won't continue to ramble on now but stay tuned for more on our journey, coast to coast.“

But wait! There’s more. Now on top of this awesome road trip we are taking we are also including several international adventures.

About a month ago as I sat reflecting the past year and contemplating the one forthcoming, a strong urge came over me to update my vision board. In so doing I was able to really hone in on what was important to me. Travel rose to the top of that priority list again and again (outside of my children and mine health and well being of course). That’s when I decided to act. No more talking about it but being about it. That brings us to where we are today… cleaning house and packing for our week long trip to Costa Rica. 

How did Costa Rica get involved in all of this you ask? Well I don’t really know but I am super excited to go. After I decided that travel was on the top of my list and I decided that I wanted 40/40/40 (40 states and 40 countries by age 40) I knew that in order to make that happen I had to start booking trips. Costa Rica had been on my bucket list for a long time, ever since my now ex husband and I wanted to go there for our honeymoon but couldn’t afford it. So that is where I started. A place that I imagined was easy to travel to (I have no idea if that is true or not) since it is now just me traveling with my kids and a place that was on my bucket list. 

After staring at the booking confirmation page on the screen for what felt like an eternity I pulled the trigger and hit the enter button. There! It was done. The first trip booked and we leave on my birthday no less. What better way to start this year of travel then on my birthday. So there you have it… our 2016 year of travel has been manifest and is about to begin.

So again, thank you for joining us on this fantastic journey... We’ll see you around the globe ;-)

See more at www.nomadicmamaof3.com