How We’ve Been Able to Travel Continuously for 2,000 days

Despite the lack of recent posts on our blog, we’re still traveling!

As of today, December 29, 2019, we’ve been nomadic for 2,000 days (roughly 5.5 years). To mark the milestone, I compiled a few stats:

• Continents visited = 3-4 (North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia for Ken)

• Countries visited = 30-34 (Tag 30, Ela 31, Mickelle 33, Ken 34)

• Miles run by Ken = 4,618 (7,432 kilometers)

• Countries where we’ve visited dentists = 8  (Since becoming nomads, we have not visited a dentist in the US)

• Haircuts for Tag = Officially 3 (but there have been a few trims)

Most of our travels so far

How We’ve Done It

Since we first left Seattle, Washington in July 2014 we have slow traveled, meaning we spend a considerable amount of time wherever we go in order to experience the people, food, and culture of every place. As a result, we average 1-3 months in each country we visit. Sometimes more (10 months in Guatemala), and sometimes less (1 night in Swaziland).

Slow travel allows us to better get our bearings in each place. We form more substantial memories about the neighborhoods, cafes, delicacies, and local attractions. It’s also a great way to reduce the cost and environmental impact of travel. In short, slow travel works well for us. 

Another benefit of slow travel is that it gives us time to work, school, play and relax without a hurried feeling. We aren’t constantly on the go. We often have weekends without any commitments. Sometimes we wander a new place, other times we just enjoy hanging out as a family. A month in one place also means we can stock up on groceries and fix our favorite meals. In a new place, it can take a week or two to get to know the grocery store and find the best place for an afternoon treat. A month is also long enough to unpack everything. We get to enjoy the art supplies, games and make significant progress in online classes.

The kids were completely wiped out by the heat in Luxor Egypt. Slow travel = more rests.

Income

No, we are not independently wealthy. I have a job and like most people reading this, my job funds my family’s lifestyle. Obviously, it’s a remote job. I don’t have to go into an office. I simply jump onto wifi and dive in. I can literally work from wherever there is solid (and I do mean legitimately strong) wifi. If the signal is weak, I can’t do my work. As a result, you won’t find me working from the beach sipping margaritas. 

If you’re looking for a remote gig I recommend you start by checking out sites like WeWorkRemotely and FlexJobs. However more traditional companies are also offering remote work options, so do not limit yourself to just remote specific job boards. There’s a lot out there for all kinds of skill sets.

A working lunch in Fez, Morocco

Schooling

We homeschool the kids. Mickelle takes the lead (okay she does 99.5% of the work). Teaching the kids is her full-time job. She’s a certified and experienced teacher. However, she insists that anyone with the desire and time can homeschool. It doesn’t require a degree.

We are a bit unconventional with our schooling but Mickelle makes sure both kids are strong in the core subjects, and she regularly assesses their growth and development. 

Both kids receive a substantial amount of their learning from wherever we happen to be. This year included learning about Islamic cultures during Ramadan while in Morocco, studying the construction of ancient pyramids by climbing inside them in Egypt, seeing how shepherding is performed in Scotland...and much much more.
As the kids get older and they want to deep dive into more complicated subject matter, we’re taking advantage of more online resources. Ela has developed a strong interest in science, specifically biology, genetics, and chemistry. Online classes at Next Level Homeschool saves Mickelle a lot of planning time and presents Ela with a rigorous curriculum as well as weekly projects.

Exploring the Atlas Mountains and meeting new friends in Morocco

Learning about leather dying in Fez, Morocco

Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca at the peak of Ramadan

Exploring the Sahara Desert

The ancient art of rug making from the Berber culture - The proprietor of this museum just happened to be there during our visit and he spent over an hour explaining the meaning of the colors, shapes, and presentation of the design. Not only was this fascinating, but we developed an appreciation for this art that we wouldn’t have otherwise.

Vendors left their stalls unattended at prayer time during Ramadan (Marrakech, Morocco)

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo - Here we saw the discoveries inside King Tut’s Tomb and learned how unimportant he really was. Other pharaohs had much longer reigns and greater accomplishments. A week later, we walked inside the actual tomb.

Tag exploring the inside of the Step Pyramid, one of the early pyramids before the Egyptians mastered the technique of building the more famous ones.

Tag taking skating lessons in Ericeira, Portugal. He also took skateboard lessons in Durban, South Africa 2 years earlier.

Ela learning to shear a sheep in Scotland.

The kids in a bird hide just before the feeding of Red Kites (Ela’s favorite Bird of Prey). The ranger gave an interesting talk about the resurgence of the Red Kites in the UK and how it happened.

We attended a march advocating for Scottish independence

Making of mud bricks in rural Morocco

Lodging

Since lodging can be our family’s biggest monthly expense, it’s critical we find ways to minimize the cost. However, it’s also important that we have enough space and comfort because home is where school and work also happen.
We find housing through many different channels, but the two most common are AirBnB (pro-tip, you get major discounts when you rent for a month at a time), and housesitting. For the later, we use and recommend TrustedHousesitters. If you’re looking to learn more about housesitting (which is generally code for pet-sitting) you might want to read our post on it. We generally spend about 2/3 of the year renting and 1/3 of the year housesitting.

A pic from Comrie, Scotland, just a few blocks from one of our housesits

The Future?

How long will we continue this lifestyle? The truth is, we don’t know. Like everything in life, there are drawbacks and it’s not for everyone. But after 2,000 days we’ve gotten comfortable with it, and we still appreciate experiencing new places. We’ve had some incredible adventures and for the time being, we look forward to more of them. 

After 2000 days, both kids are more attentive to opportunities that exist in the world. Both have their own bucket lists and an equal vote in where we go next. Egypt and Greece were all about them. I wonder where they’ll take us next...

Our 2019 Christmas Pic (Cambridge UK)