Business
Is it your dream to travel the world, but the one thing that prevents you is that you have children? In today's episode, we talk to Vicki Van Essen, who has traveled the world full time with her husband and children for the past year. When asked if it was everything she dreamed of, she responded... ...you'll have to listen to the full episode to hear her response! IT BEGAN WITH AN IDEA The dream began percolating several years ago before Vicki's second son was born. She and her husband, who is from Morocco, each had family ties to other countries and really wanted to travel more. The more the desire grew, Vicki began researching whether or not it was even possible. GETTING CONNECTED One of the first things Vicki did was to get connected with other people who were traveling the world or who wanted to travel the world with children. She connected with other parents in a Facebook group. It was through this group that she began to develop the idea and really begin to think of what it would take to implement such a wild plan. Would her husband truly be on board? DEVELOPING A PLAN To her elated surprise, her husband very quickly was on board with the idea. They would need to think about several things: Income Cost Housing Visa/other travel restrictions Healthcare and other insurance Schooling Lack of family friends Alone time In the episode, you'll hear how Vicki and her husband tackled each one of these issues. We also discuss the most family-friendly countries as well as whether or not they had any cause for concern as a multi-cultural family. VICKI'S TIP FOR MAKING THIS LIFESTYLE WORK: It is important to check-in with every family member to make sure they are ok with the arrangement. Because if it's not working for one family member, it's not working for anybody. STAGES OF FI Before leaving to travel the world, Vicki and her husband were "Coast FI" this gave her and her husband assurances that they would be OK financially. DO YOU WANT TO TRAVEL THE WORLD AS A FAMILY? Vicki suggested checking off some of these boxes first: Passports Where you want to go and how long you can stay there Health insurance and/or travel insurance Know your budget and expected budget while traveling VICKI ON THE FINAL QUESTIONS Money lessons from childhood? Vicki remembers her mother asking, "do you really need that?" This has helped her in life and during travel. Lessons she would like to pass on to her children: Money translates into freedom. WHERE TO FIND VICKI Instagram - onewayticketfamily Onewayticketfamily.com Other Resources Mentioned: Worldschoolers Facebook Group VICKI'S FAVORITE READ Blog: Our Next Life