Have you ever considered taking off to travel full-time? Of course you have. I’d be surprised if anyone reading this magazine hadn’t slipped out of work mode for a few minutes every now and again to lose ‘current consciousness’ and picture themselves in a favourite destination; just somewhere else.
This month we have a great story from Melinda Uys, in which she chats to people who have made the ultimate commitment to leaving the rat race, if not entirely ditching the means of earning a crust.
When you’re bombarded by images of young free spirits living out of the back of a Kombi or a US school bus (oddly nearly always sporting a bikini) on Instagram as well as seemingly care-free families posting big pics from far-flung destinations on Social, it can be easy to do as Melinda suggests and become a troll! It’s not that cut and dried. Read the yarn, see what I mean.
Kids are a big part of our travel plans. The NSW school holidays have just finished, and the grumps have gone back to the classroom; Y12s to some serious stress, no doubt. The eastern seaboard at any rate copped a deluge of much-needed rain and where I spent the second week of the holiday with my young bloke, at home on the edge of the central west, it poured.
Being indoors got me thinking about education and travel long-term with kids. As far as I can tell, my son gets very little out of high school and in my opinion would be the perfect candidate for a long trip around the island.
But then there are the days when he surprises me – as I imagine yours do – with something he’s learnt and seems satisfied with the boost to his knowledge bank. I have only one child so haven’t had the benefit of trialling it to get it right with subsequent model upgrades.
With endless debate about education funding, teacher training and curriculum content, I think about the classroom focus and if it’s on target. We are going to look at travelling with kids a bit more closely, so I am genuinely interested to hear from you (or your kids) on this subject.
In some countries, further education (university) is free, but that will never be part of the Australian education landscape. A big part of me wonders then, before that unobtainable Utopian ideal, if pre-further-education could be further advanced – by being free (in terms of travel).
If anyone wants me I’ll be in the Kombi, man. Bikini optional.