Parenting and Passports

In February 2017 we set off on the next part of our life journey to become location independent digital nomads. We were becoming increasingly unsettled with our life in our amazingly idyllic country, New Zealand. We’d gotten into a downward spiral with businesses that weren’t working and were rapidly eating away at everything we had, an out of kilter work-life balance, and a high level of stress that was negatively impacting our family relationship and our health. We fully appreciate that big goals require dedication and a lot of hustle, but as family centred people we recognised our values were being too severely compromised in the process and that a new approach was needed. A few well-meaning friends and family members (whom we love dearly) suggested we get jobs (!?!!) even if just for a short time. Whilst we recognise that this path is the right one for many, for us it would have taken us further away from our purpose and calling and would have slowly destroyed our souls in the process. We’ve chosen the path of life by design. We love the thrills and challenges that come with getting outside of the box and are not scared to change tact when things aren’t working. Both Colin and I have always loved travelling and have missed having travel as part of our life in recent years. We’re aware that many people have the belief that travel with children is ‘too hard’ or that children will only be settled if they live in one place but we don’t share these beliefs. Instead we are excited to be able to expose our daughter to new cultures and challenges and hope that she will grow to be a truly global citizen who contributes positively to the world in her own meaningful way. We hear some say “oh that’s ok and easy for you because you’ve only got one and she’s not at school yet”. We don’t subscribe to this. We are part of an AMAZING facebook group called ‘world schoolers’ and on this we see countless examples of families who are happily choosing a life on the road, or one that involves regular travel, sometimes with four or five kids in tow. Will it be challenging? Heck yes, but probably not much more than parenting in general;)

For us, parenting, passports and profits is about having the opportunity to world school/un-school our daughter, spend lots of quality time together as a family, and make a meaningful contribution to the world. It’s about getting out of the rat race, enjoying our time on the planet and being part of something bigger than ourselves. For you, it could likely mean something completely different, and that is great. Maybe it means getting more balance in your life so you can attend your kids’ sports matches or school performances more regularly. Perhaps you want to tend to a travel or adventure itch that you’ve got and maybe you’re even wondering how you could involve your kids in that? Or maybe you’ve been sitting on an idea to start your own business to create a more balanced life for your family or even just a HAPPIER you but you just haven’t had the guts to get started? Everyone’s drivers and ambitions will be different. By being part of this community we hope that we can help you, one step at a time to get closer to whatever ‘living the dream’ means to you. Elly, Colin and Ayla xx