We are often asked questions about how we've managed to plan this trip, what books we use for teaching our kids geography or what sorts of books might be good to go alongside the unit studies we produce. We will attempt to give some helpful information on those topics on this page. Happy hunting!
There is no 12-step program to follow for planning a family adventure. Much depends on the individual family and it's members. What is fun for us might be a nightmare for you! (With a friendly nod to the Wood family!) Our best advice is to start small, expect failure and roll with the punches. The more kids you have, the more fun it will be and also the more potential for disaster.
Example: What should have been a rather benign long weekend camp with the Grandparents in Washington D.C. turned into our WORST camping experience ever: Mom had a broken foot and had to take the walking cast on and off to get in and out of the tent, fifty times a day. Dad had to push Mom around the museums in a wheel chair. The nights were so cold we had ice on the inside WITH a heater plugged in and running all night - it was April, not December. Four out of five kids were throwing up (in the tents, all over the bedding in the middle of the freezing night). We were backed into by a non-English speaking illegal alien who did not own the car he was driving; nor was it insured. He pretended not to understand my Spanish either. You get the picture.
We could have packed it in for life and said, "NO MORE!" Instead, we made the best of it and had a very memorable weekend with Grandma & Grandpa's Great. Even the worst weekend makes for a funny story later!
Below is a list of some of the books and web-sites that we found helpful in organizing such a big undertaking. Also, be sure to check out our Frequently Asked Questions page; with answers, of course!
This e-book and audio-book (DRM-free, so you can use it with any MP3 player) was written by travelers who have actually been to the places they're writing about! Craig and Linda spent 2.5 years traveling through 29 European countries. Plus, there are specialist chapters written by our own Jennifer Miller and Jennifer Marlowe. So, you can trust the information to be accurate. But don't take our word for it, there is a 100% money-back guarantee. And, since this is an e-book, it can be updated. Your purchase provides you with updates to the book for life!
Click here to visit Indie Travel Guides website.
Click here for their podcast.
Any purchase made when clicking on the above link will contribute to the work of the Edventure Project as well.
Do yourself a favor and do NOT buy this book. It is a serious catalyst toward discontent in suburbia. I got it for myself for Christmas (following in my Dad's footsteps!) a few years ago and it was the beginning of the end. This was the book that pushed us over the edge and helped us to decide that it was time to make our dream a reality.
This immensely useful book lists campgrounds all over Europe. Anyone interested in visiting the continent across the pond but is worried about the rising Euro and how that translates into the costs of his trip would do well to get a copy of this book.
This book assesses health risks by region, suggests items to carry that are specific to children's health, discusses medical kits, avoiding intestinal distress, basic children's health from birth to adolescence, treating the expected injuries of a traveling child, diagnosing illness where there is no doctor and treatment for basic illnesses. It also provides a wealth of advice on all things health related for children, whether at home or abroad. If you are going to do any serious traveling at all with children in tow, this book would be a good addition to your travel library.
This book will whet your whistle for adventure travel with your kids. The Nichols give some great ideas about where and what to do with children. Not all of their ideas are super cheap, but they are super cool. We have added a particular sub-Saharan safari to our list of "someday" adventures as a result of this book. You will find it inspiring, even if you only end up going to the zoo!
I think that, by her definition, we're not quite grown-ups. Ms. Knorr's target audience is empty nesters looking for a later in life, post raising their kids for twenty years adventure. There is no talk of traveling WITH the kids in this book. However, it provides a wealth of information ways to make it happen: how to put your financial situation in order, how to fund the trip, how to learn a new skill or enter a whole new life through your trip. A worthwhile read? especially if you don't have tons of kids and are a REAL grown-up.
This is a nice World Travel 101 for those of you starting out with a dream but no real experience. This book is exactly what it claims to be: practical. If you can only afford one book and you need real, hands on type information so that you can get going with your planning that is not destination specific, this book might be a good choice.
This was, perhaps, my favorite travel book. I like Potts. He reminds me of my brother (who spent five years post university circumnavigating). This book is also aimed at the young, solo traveler. However, Potts has a great travel philosophy and is an enthusiastic champion of freedom in life and travel for anyone who cares to reach out and grab it. His book will help you see how you can afford it and you'll get a feel for what long term travel might feel like. Also, he shares the profiles of lots of OTHER travelers, besides just himself. I found the diverse group of folks he introduces to be an encouraging and refreshing lot.
Boots 'n' All is your all purpose independent travel site. You'll find help in purchasing 'round the world tickets, information about hotels, youth hostels and destination information galore. They even offer organized adventure travel for those who are less inclined to design their own trips. You can read stories written by other adventurers (we're published on their site as well) and participate in discussion forums that are specific to your destination or mode of travel. This is a good place to start if you are interested in having an adventure but have no idea where to begin!
LOOKING FOR TIPS?
Consider checking out the How To Department on Adventure Cycling Association's website. Here you'll find a vast array of tips and ideas for how to travel by bicycle. There are articles such as:
Getting in Shape for Touring
Self-Contained Bicycle Travel Tips
How-To Mountain Bike Tour
Ultralight Cycling
Boxing Your Bicycle
What to Take & How to Pack Your Bike
A Guide To Bicycle Travel with Kids
We could go on and on but instead, check it out then jump on your bike and ride!
This is a British site dedicated to taking a year off to travel. Their target audience is the late teen ?twenty-something crowd that is traveling instead of going straight on to university. We don't exactly fit their demographic, but that doesn't mean we haven't gleaned a lot of useful information from their site. Specifically, we've found their downloadable trip planner useful in the early stages of planning our adventure. It helped us establish our departure timeline and plan our calendar so that everything would be in order well ahead of our blast off date.
This is a site which allows you to host bicycle tourists at your home, and find those willing to host you. The network of people willing to do this is remarkably large. We've hosted a couple - the Beese's (Fifty by Bike) - who found us on Warm Showers and we were completely blessed from hearing their stories and being able to show the children that there are others as weird as us in the world.
Tim and Cindie Travis have been living the bicycle traveler lifestyle for many years and have written a book about it. Their web site is packed with practical information as well as stories about what they've seen and done that will inspire anyone who has an interest in this type of travel. This web site was particularly useful to us as we determined what gear to purchase, and, more importantly, what gear not to purchase!
In addition to the "how to" type books on traveling with children (of which there are many, few of which we found worth reading) there are many books about travel and about the history and people of places we are traveling that have inspired us. Below are listed a few of them:
I found this book in a bargain bin when I was in high school. It captivated me immediately and has remained one of my favorites. It ignited my passion to visit Turkey and to walk the halls of the palace of the Sultan in Istanbul. It is the story of the last Ottoman princess, her marriage to a Raj of India, her flight to Paris to deliver her first baby - who is the author of the book. I am currently re-reading this book and love it as much as I did twenty years ago.
Our boys love all things medieval. In preparation for our time in Nottingham, England and our visit to the real Sherwood Forest, we're reading Robin Hood. The result? Much archery and hand to hand combat practice in the forest behind our house. This is one of those classic stories that every child should have the opportunity to read and dream about.
We first read this book to Hannah when she was five and studying Colonial American history for the first time. We were all captivated. We re-read it to the boys two years ago and enjoyed it just as much on the second run through. Since we'll be in England and then later in Amsterdam and Leiden in the Netherlands, this book will come off the shelf one more time. If your kids haven't heard these wonderful stories of the brave men, women and children who risked it all to make a new home in an entirely new world, get this book.
We'll visit the house in which she spent so much time in hiding while we are in Amsterdam. How could we not read this first hand tale of a little child to our little children as we pass from the Netherlands into Germany and our study of World War 2 history begins in earnest. If your kids have not read this book, read it with us as you complete the unit study on the Netherlands.
What a fabulous retelling of the old Greek myths. Not only are the stories timeless and engaging, the art is fantastic. My children love to read and re-read these stories and re-tell them from the pictures. It is a weighty tome, and most certainly will NOT be accompanying us on our bikes, but the stories will be carried in our minds and many will be re-told around a campfire on dark, Greek nights.