Eight Boots Abroad

Heads-up. This is a very long/wordy post! TLDR version: Lots of planning, 6 backpacks and a roller bag, 20 countries.

Now, the details, for those who are interested:

Family, friends, and coworkers often ask us when our family travel year idea took shape. Honestly, our planning for a family sabbatical year began about a decade ago. It started out as an idea and just solidified as time progressed. We started saving money, mapping out a plan, adding and modifying the plan again and again, trying to figure out how to align so many moving pieces: what to do with our house, jobs, cat, cars, mail, all of our stuff, and then how to educate the kids for a year, where to actually go, how to get there, where to stay, what to pack, and how to budget for it all?!

We started following other family travel blogs and travel groups, listening to podcasts, reading books, and generally convincing ourselves that this was truly a thing we could make happen. I came across families much more spontaneous than I will ever (ever) be – just deciding they were doing it, and then two weeks later –> off they went! There were also families like ours who had dreamed and planned for years. We knew we didn’t want to be constantly last-minute planning every single thing as we traveled. I knew if we tried to plan everything on-the-go, I wouldn’t be able to be present or thoroughly enjoy where we were; my brain would be in another place, trying to research and plan the next segment. However, we also wanted flexibility to stay somewhere a bit longer if we fell in love with an area.

So, about 2 years ago, we began mapping out a plan/rough itinerary on a shared Google sheet – and honestly, over the past 2 years, I have spent hundreds (and by hundreds, I definitely mean thousands) of hours coordinating all the pieces. Luckily, planning travel logistics is a task that brings me great joy – perhaps in my next life I’ll become a logistician.

Our current itinerary is a strong scaffolding for the year – about 65-70% pretty solid plan, and the rest with more flexibility. Most of the flexibility lies in our time through Asia and Southeast Asia, where you don’t need to have timed-entry tickets for venues like art museums or lodging/mountain hut reservations months in advance. The next 13 months will be an interesting ride – as years of planning plays out in real time!

Here are some fun questions we have been asked; thought I would answer them all in one place:

What’s your itinerary? Broad overview is: Europe and North Africa until late September, then Asia, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Japan. Focus is on hiking/pilgrimage treks, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

How much stuff are you bringing? We each have 1 carry-on backpack (38L size). Howie and I are also each bringing our larger backpacking packs (60L & 70L), and then we have a roller duffle (100L) as checked luggage as well. Fun fact – we’re spending the majority of the summer camping and climbing in Switzerland and Italy, so included in luggage is our climbing/ferrata gear (x4), tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, camp stove, etc.

How many countries are you visiting? Total planned countries – 20 – Portugal, Morocco, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia, Czech Republic, France, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Turkiye, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, New Zealand, China, and Japan (flexibility throughout the itinerary depending on geopolitical stability, bouncing back to some countries multiple times due to visa entrance/exit requirements).

Where are you staying while you travel? A combination of mountain huts, homestays, hostels, friends’ homes, campgrounds, monasteries, hotels, and one liveaboard boat for 2 weeks in Indonesia:

Did a travel agent help you plan? Nope. Remember, I’m a wannabe logistician.

How will the kids do school? We’re registered as “homeschooling” for the year. Also, I planned ahead and married a high school chemistry teacher who will keep the kiddos on track with math and science. Luckily, the crazy covid pandemic also expanded excellent online learning options.

Are your kiddos excited? Yes, very! Of course we have been discussing this plan with them for quite some time, so they have had time to prepare as well. They are definitely sad to have to say good bye to school friends, swim team friends, orchestra friends, cousins, and neighborhood friends for a year, but we have video chat capabilities with most of them while we’re gone.

Are you shipping your car to Europe? Ha! Definitely not. We have lovely friends car-sitting/using our cars as back-up vehicles for the year. We’re renting a car while in Madeira, Montenegro, the Dolomites, and New Zealand. The rest of our travels will be on trains, buses, and planes.

And your cat? Bella is living with one of my angel-of-a-human coworkers for the year.

The house? We’re renting it out to a very nice couple for the entire 13 months. We hired a property management company to deal with any house issues.

How many vaccines did you have to get? This was a fun… turns out that getting rabies and Japanese Encephalitis immunizations for our family was going to cost $6,000 for the 4 of us (crazy, right?!). So, I contacted a few vaccine clinics in the EU and Asia to see what options exist in the rest of the world. Turns out, other countries are more than happy to provide vaccines (even to non-citizens) for a fraction of the cost ($75/shot). So, I’ve arranged to get our rabies vaccine series in Prague and Paris, and then our Japanese Encephalitis shot in Chiang Mai. The exact same vaccines, just without the complications of the outrageous US healthcare system. Our oral Typhoid vaccine will be done here before we leave, and we will take daily Doxycycline for Malaria prophylaxis throughout certain areas of Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Dengue Fever is the one common illness which is endemic throughout Asia and Southeast Asia that we can’t get a prophylactic vaccine for – we’ll have to minimize risk with lightweight long pants and long sleeve shirts as well as bug spray.

So, here we are, suddenly 1 month from our departure date; in a flurry of regular end-of-school year chaos, plus the excitement (and honestly anxiety) of traveling for 13+ months – alllll the feels! Our goal is to update this website every few weeks along the way, we hope you enjoy following us!