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Long-term travel planning can be a challenge. Long-term travel planning for a family is even more so. There are so many factors to consider when planning a gap year, a round-the-world trip or other forms of long-term family travel. These invariably involve money, education, travel gear and more. And that's before you actually consider where to go! Listen in as we talk about what one family is considering before they leave their home, with plans to return after a year or longer. IN THIS EPISODE 02:21 Intro 03:14 Long-Term Travel Planning 04:45 Overview of Long-Term Travel Planning 09:27 Budgeting Long-Term Family Travel 12:49 Saving for Long-Term Travel 15:13 Main Aspects of Long-Term Travel Planning 18:33 Logistics & Paperwork 24:09 Leaving His Job (and Finding Another) 27:55 Long-Term Travel Gear 31:40Long-Term Travel Itinerary - Southeast Asia & Eastern Europe 34: 17 Other Long-Term Travel Planning Essentials ABOUT Names: Mark Wyld, his wife Becca and their daughters Willow & Marley Hold passports from: Australia Type of travel: Short-term travel, & now planning long-term travel A few places they've been: All over Australia & Europe FIND THEM ON Wyld Family Travel |Facebook |Twitter | Instagram| Pinterest Long-Term Travel Planning For Families Some long-term traveling families dive in head-first. They sell their house and possessions to hit the road indefinitely. Other families plan to travel for a year or more and return to the house or hometown they left. Both methods have their benefits and challenges. Today we'll talk about long-term travel planning for families who plan to return "home." Why do I put "home" in quotes? Simply because after a year or more on the road, your definition of "home" may change. It did for me (although after 20+ years, I've haven't moved back to where I first left). And it has for many of the families I know who choose gap year travel, round-the-world travel or other forms of long-term family travel. Here are a few previous guests who've traveled for a year or more: The Suero Family (Ecuador, France, RV in Europe & More) The Cannon Family (Peru, Myanmar & more) The Goldstein Family (Malaysia, Namibia, Iceland & more) The Koria Family and the Lynch Family (Both Driving around Mexico) The Stuler Family (Living in Ecuador, with one year of full-time RTW travel) The Shetty Family (RTW travel with babies) More on Long-Term Travel More on Gap-Year Travel More on RTW (round-the-world) Travel More on Short-Term Travel Today's long-term travel guest is Mark Wyld from Wyld Family Travel. You may remember him from episode #67. Mark and his family are passionate family travelers. Until now, their family travel experiences have been short-term, then returning to their home and schools in Australia. Now Mark is planning long-term travel for the family: 12-18 months in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Are they selling everything to hit the road? No. They're keeping the house, keeping the cars, and their daughters will return to their schools in the same grade. Long-term travel like this offers its own challenges, and that's what we talk about today. Leaving for a year or more and then returning like this raises specific questions: What do I do with my house? My cars? How will I save and budget for this trip? Where will we go? How much will each country cost? What about my job? What about insurance and other paperwork? Which immunizations and other medical prep should we consider? How can I keep the kids up-to-date with school so they can return to the same class? These are just a few questions that Mark has asked himself lately, and we discuss them in the podcast. Why Long-Term Travel Planning? Why Now? The Wyld family have been long-time traveler fans, but Mark has dreamed about doing long-term family travel for years. It's something he's always wanted to do. However, work, school, and other obligations kept pushing the dram onto the back-burners. Then his father died. His dad had talked about taking one last holiday but didn't get a chance to take it. For Mark, this was a sign. It was time to take the big trip. Is there ever a right time to plan long-term travel? Probably not, but none of us are getting any younger, so Mark decided to push forward. Long-Term Travel Planning for Homeowners Mark had no intention of selling his home. At his age (mid-40's) he didn't want the risk of starting over with loans and all of the other complications of buying a house. But what do you do with your house when you'll be gone for a year or more? Mark had to consider homeowner's insurance, but there were other factors he needed to consider. Who would keep the lawn cut? How would be pay for "council rates," which are the fees for city services such as garbage pickup? Money: Budgeting & Saving for Long-Term Travel Long-term family travel isn't as expensive as some people think it is, but it ain't free. In order to plan long-term travel for your family, there has to be a savings plan and a budgeting plan. Mark talks about how they save for long-term travel, and some of it is stuff you probably know: don't buy new stuff unless it's vital. Eliminate silly extras, and put as much money away as you can. Last year, Mark and his wife Becca save over 30,000 Australian dollars (approx USD $23,000). They are not hedge-fund managers or bank presidents. What they are is dedicated. Saving like that takes commitment. Then there is the budgeting for the money spent on the road. Mark is estimating they'll spend about AUS 1,000 (approx USD $760) a week, but he's still hammering out the details. Mark has numerous bank accounts set up for this trip. One account is for spending money on the road. Another is for house-related expenses while they're away. A third is for when they return. He explains more in detail in the podcast. They'll be traveling to places where your money can stretch further. Places in Southeast Asia like Thailand, Bali, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Then they'll move to Eastern Europe and countries like Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Romania. Education, Travel Gear & More Long-Term Travel Planning Aspects Money is only one aspect of long-term travel for families. In this episode, Mark and I talk about the gear they plan to bring — or have sent to them later. We also talk about how they plan to educate the kids as they travel, and how their hometown school will help facilitate this so the girls can remain with their class when they return. All this and more in this episode of Epic Education Radio. Listen in! And please share! Further Reading & Listening The Suero Family (Ecuador, France, RV in Europe & More) The Cannon Family (Peru, Myanmar & more) The Goldstein Family (Malaysia, Namibia, Iceland & more) The Koria Family and the Lynch Family (Both Driving around Mexico) The Stuler Family (Living in Ecuador, with one year of full-time RTW travel) The Shetty Family (RTW travel with babies) More on Long-Term Travel More on Gap-Year Travel More on RTW (round-the-world) Travel More on Short-Term Travel Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you,  we might receive a small commission if you make a purchase or book using those links. My opinions are my own and I only recommend places/services that I believe will genuinely help you plan long-term family travel.   Full-on family travel fundamentals. Epic Education Radio is interviews, stories and advice for people who decide to make travel a priority in their family's life...and for those who want to. Tune in each week to hear stories and advice from new traveling families, and hear how they've handled various family travel-related issues like education, socialization, working, budgeting, accommodation, road-parenting, safety, technology and more. We talk gear, websites, apps and other resources for traveling & nomadic families, and answer questions from those who would like to do something similar.