This week, a friend asked us how we manage to travel so much with our kids, and it struck me that many parents must wonder the same thing. The truth is, there’s no magic bullet or secret formula. Our ability to travel as a family comes down to a combination of choices and priorities. We’ve previously shared how we manage family travel on a budget, which is definitely a key part of the puzzle.
Budget-conscious travel is crucial, but it’s just one piece of the overall strategy. For us, travel is a top priority. We deeply believe in the incredible benefits of travel for children. To make it happen, we make conscious decisions about our spending. We cook at home more often than eating out, we drive an older car, we’re careful about non-essential purchases, and generally live a thrifty lifestyle. Combine this with diligent research to find travel deals, a willingness to explore more affordable destinations, and flexibility in our travel dates, and we’ve created a life where travel is a regular feature. For more details on our planning process, you can read my post on family travel planning.
However, we understand that everyone’s circumstances are unique. Juggling work, finances, and family life can make the dream of seeing the world feel distant, especially when vacation time is limited. That’s why we’ve put together a list of creative and practical ways you can travel more as a family. Some of these involve significant lifestyle shifts, while others are smaller adjustments you can integrate into your current life.
If you’re seeking inspiration and real-life examples of families who are making travel a priority, we highly recommend checking out the Family Adventure Podcast. We’ve been listeners since the beginning and appreciate how host Erik consistently asks guests about the practicalities of family travel, including the financial aspects.
For many, the desire to travel is strong, but perceived obstacles like job constraints and financial limitations often stand in the way. Our aim is to provide you with inventive solutions and demonstrate that traveling with kids is not just a dream, but an achievable reality.
Family looking at a map while traveling
Travel More Case Studies: Real Families, Real Inspiration
UPDATE: Due to the overwhelming interest in this topic, we’ve developed a case study series. Every two weeks, we feature an interview with a family who has successfully implemented one of the travel approaches outlined below. If you’re serious about traveling more but struggling to figure out the “how,” these case studies are for you. They are packed with inspiration and, more importantly, actionable information to help you make your travel dreams a reality.
1. Embrace the Sabbatical: Your Mid-Life Travel Reset
From a young age, we are often conditioned to follow a linear life path: education, career, marriage, kids, retirement. But is this the only way? Why postpone our deepest desires until retirement, potentially missing out on enjoying them during our most energetic and healthy years?
We’re strong advocates for the philosophy of “The 4-Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss, which encourages taking “mini-retirements” throughout life, rather than waiting for traditional retirement. We’re seeing an increasing number of families taking year-long Round The World (RTW) trips with their children – a mid-life mini-retirement, if you will. They are choosing to experience the world with their kids now, rather than waiting until they’ve grown up. In 2015, we ourselves took six months off work to travel with our children. Yes, we temporarily paused career advancement and mortgage payments, but what we gained was immeasurable. We spent those precious months sailing through the Bahamas and exploring Central America. We enjoyed uninterrupted family time, and our children’s learning experiences during those travels far surpassed anything they could have learned in a classroom.
How to Make a Sabbatical Happen:
- Talk to Your Employer: Inquire about the possibility of a year-long sabbatical. Would they hold your position? More and more companies are recognizing the benefits of sabbaticals, understanding that employees often return refreshed and more productive. In some regions, like Australia, long-term employees are even entitled to paid long service leave.
- Explore Employee-Funded Leave: Some public sector and unionized workplaces offer programs where you can work for four years at a reduced salary (e.g., 80%) and then take a fifth year off while still receiving a portion of your salary. This can be an excellent way to finance a year-long adventure.
Family in front of ancient ruins
Funding Your Sabbatical or Gap Year:
The idea of taking a year off without income can be daunting. It’s a departure from the conventional career progression. Many families taking gap years save for years to finance their travels. Simple lifestyle adjustments, like using public transportation, cutting back on daily coffee shop visits, and reducing non-essential spending, can significantly boost your travel fund. Some families even choose to sell their homes and belongings to finance an extended trip. While it might seem counterintuitive, remortgaging your house or taking out a loan could also be viable options, depending on your financial situation.
Inspirational RTW Family Travel:
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Recommended Reading:
- The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
- Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts
2. Leverage Parental Leave for Family Adventures
Many countries offer paid or unpaid parental leave, presenting a fantastic opportunity for family travel. While the thought of traveling with a newborn might seem overwhelming, countless families are doing it successfully, even in far-flung and exotic destinations. In fact, traveling with a baby can be surprisingly convenient, as they are often easily portable and adaptable.
My brother and his wife used their parental leave to spend three months traveling across Canada and Mexico in a campervan with their six-month-old daughter. They faced challenges, of course, but it was an unforgettable experience.
When our first child was born, we used parental leave to spend a month exploring Europe and Turkey.
Families Traveling on Parental Leave:
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Family with baby in Istanbul
3. Seek Overseas Work Opportunities for Cultural Immersion
When we mention that we’ve lived and worked overseas in Malaysia and Australia, people often assume we were sent on assignment by my husband’s employer. However, in both instances, we proactively sought out these opportunities. When internal announcements were made about positions in those locations, my husband was quick to express his interest.
Working abroad offers an unparalleled chance to explore a different part of the world and truly immerse yourself in a new culture. We’ve found that when living in a new place, we are incredibly motivated to explore everything our new country has to offer. In Australia, this translated into frequent camping trips and a conscious effort to attend local events and festivals in Melbourne.
Investigate overseas assignment or transfer possibilities with your current employer. Often, these opportunities exist; you simply need to actively look for them. Furthermore, there are numerous travel jobs that pay well if you’re open to a career change.
Exchange programs can also provide a pathway to living and working abroad. Teachers, for example, may be able to arrange exchanges to other countries. While you would still be working, you’d have the invaluable experience of living in a new country and exploring its region. If you’re not a qualified teacher, consider becoming certified to teach English as a foreign language through online accredited TEFL courses.
Expat Families to Follow:
Family in Malaysia
4. Extend Work Trips into Family Vacations
If your job involves travel, explore the possibility of adding personal vacation time to your work trips. Could your family join you? With your flights, accommodation, and potentially some meals already covered by work, the overall cost can be significantly reduced. Look for conferences or meetings in locations you’d like to visit and propose attending them to your company. My husband once attended a conference in Monterey, California, and it was an easy decision for me to join him, extending the trip to explore the beautiful California coast.
When I was a child, my father traveled frequently for work and occasionally took me along on business trips. I fondly remember a trip to Whistler, Canada, where we even had a brief elevator encounter with Arnold Schwarzenegger!
5. Request Unpaid Leave for Extended Travel
Before we had children, we returned from a three-week trip to Australia and were struck by the significant cost of long-haul flights. We began to wonder if spending more time at a destination would make better use of the travel expenses. This thought process sparked our six-month adventure to Africa and Southeast Asia in 2006.
We had recently bought a house, were advancing in our careers, and were starting to think about starting a family. Yet, the desire to travel was strong. Although I didn’t have a permanent teaching contract at the time, my husband simply asked his employer for unpaid leave. While they may not have been thrilled, it’s worth asking! That entire six-month trip cost us just over $20,000, funded by our savings – money we consider exceptionally well-spent on an incredible life experience. We arranged a similar unpaid leave in 2015 for our six-month family trip.
Prepare a compelling proposal for your employer outlining the benefits of granting you unpaid leave. They save on salary costs and gain a refreshed and highly motivated employee upon your return. You could even offer to work remotely on an hourly basis to maintain client contact and generate some income during your leave.
Family on a boat during their sabbatical
6. Embrace Location Independence and the Digital Nomad Lifestyle
With technology increasingly integrated into our workplaces and the growing acceptance of remote work, becoming location independent is a natural progression. The digital nomad trend is rapidly expanding, with many professionals now able to work for their employers from anywhere in the world. This is a lifestyle we often dream about.
Location independence is no longer limited to IT professionals. Many employees and entrepreneurs are now working from destinations like Bali, Thailand, or Mexico. Even if you prefer to stay in your home country, the ability to escape winter for a couple of months each year is incredibly appealing.
In The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss suggests gradually increasing your work-from-home days to demonstrate to your employer that your productivity remains consistent outside the traditional office environment, paving the way for greater location flexibility.
Even if your current job isn’t conducive to remote work, could you find a similar role in a different country? We know chefs and carpenters working abroad, proving that location independence is attainable across various professions.
Location Independent Families to Follow:
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7. Maximize Long Weekends for Mini-Adventures
Many of the strategies for traveling more as a family involve substantial lifestyle changes. If you’re not ready for drastic changes, you can still significantly increase your travel by leveraging long weekends. Weekend getaways don’t always require long flights; consider exploring a city or national park within a 5-hour drive. When we visit the Toronto area, we plan to take more long weekend trips to places like Ottawa and nearby National Parks.
While local travel might not seem as exotic as international adventures, there’s likely a wealth of hidden gems closer to home. Sometimes we take our local surroundings for granted until we see them through a traveler’s lens. For example, I recently read a blog post about hiking trails near Hamilton, Ontario – a steel town not typically considered a tourist destination. However, the article and accompanying photos revealed the area’s surprising natural beauty and outdoor opportunities.
Camping can be a fantastic and budget-friendly way for families to explore their local region during long weekends. Living in Melbourne, we regularly spend weekends camping and exploring the stunning National Parks throughout Victoria. We cherish these nature-filled escapes that are both affordable and enriching.
Family camping in nature
8. Turn Life’s Lemons into Travel Opportunities
When I was 13, my father was laid off from his middle management position. Instead of immediately seeking another job, he saw this as an opportunity to fulfill a long-held family dream: sailing our small boat to the Bahamas. They used our education funds, and we spent a transformative year sailing from Canada to the Bahamas.
That trip fundamentally shifted my perspective, showing me that there were alternatives to the conventional “rat race” and igniting my lifelong wanderlust. Spending extended time together as a family, meeting other traveling families, and island-hopping through the Bahamas was an incredible education in itself. Many families are now embracing extended travel by sailboat or van.
While stressful life transitions may seem like the least opportune time to travel, reframing these “lemons” as opportunities can lead to unexpected adventures.
Perhaps you’re considering a career change, have received a redundancy package, or are about to launch your own business. Before immediately jumping into the next chapter, consider using this transitional period for travel.
9. Utilize House Swaps and House Sitting for Affordable Accommodation
For most of us, the amount of vacation time and our budget are the primary constraints on how much we travel. The ideas above address increasing your available travel time. House swaps and house sitting offer effective ways to reduce travel costs, particularly accommodation.
We haven’t yet tried house swapping or house sitting, but we are very interested in exploring them in the future. With house swaps, you essentially exchange your home with another traveling family. If you worry that your home location might not be appealing to swappers, read this inspiring post by our friends at 5 Globetrotters, who have arranged fantastic house swaps even from their small-town Canadian base.
House sitting is another popular method for securing free accommodation. While it can be more challenging for families to be chosen for house-sitting assignments, many families are successfully using this approach.
Travel More: Get Creative and Prioritize Experiences
We never regret the trips we take, only the ones we don’t. Life is unpredictable, and we firmly believe in not postponing our travel dreams. We also believe that travel is one of the most valuable educational experiences we can provide our children. Every day on our blog, we aim to inspire you to travel more with your kids. We hope this post has given you concrete ideas to transform your family travel aspirations into reality.
What other creative ways are you traveling more with your kids? Share your ideas in the comments below!
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