Looking at the dazzling firework display over the harbour, my family and I were in awe. It was New Year’s Eve 2021, and my husband Ian, 49, and children Laanii, then nine, and Raif, four, were three months into our new life, travelling around the world in a six-berth caravan called Suzy, having left our three-bed semi-detached home on the Isle of Wight.
Growing up in a single-parent family, I never went on holiday, and didn’t go abroad until my 20s. But after backpacking through Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, I caught the travel bug and vowed I would give any future kids the childhood I never had.
Ian and I met in 2013 when my daughter Laanii was 18 months old and I told him my plan to see the world. He thought I was mad, but I felt like a hamster on a wheel in my job as a chiropractor, with no way out until retirement. So after our son Raif was born in May 2017, I started to work on our exit strategy.
I had a good career, but as I couldn’t do my job on the road, in February 2019 I set myself up as an online business mentor in health and wellness.
Ian had a successful carpentry business, but around the same time, he decided that he wanted a career change. Suddenly, he was asking when we could go off on our adventures. An avid runner, he realised he could earn money by doing running coaching online while we were on the move.
Our parents were very supportive, and though some people said we were crazy to uproot the children, I knew travelling would give them the kind of education they wouldn’t get from school. We pledged to keep travelling as long as they were happy.
SETTING OFF
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 09, 2023-Ausgabe von WOMAN'S OWN.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 09, 2023-Ausgabe von WOMAN'S OWN.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
MY JOB MADE ME FAT!
Pastry chef Catriona Kalmanovitch, 38, loved indulging in her own creations
TAKEN BY PURE EVIL
Lynnette Williams, 62, will never be able to forgive the man who robbed her daughter of a future
'IT'S DIFFICULT'
The star admits her relationships have been 'hard'
HOW BAD IS YOUR DIET?
Rachel Tompkins, 44, found her family consumes far too much ultra-processed food, so she decided action
I MOVED BACK HOME AT 41
Karen Hitchen, 54, explains the best things about being a boomeranger
DISGRACED TEACHERS BEHIND BARS
We take a look at the female teachers risking it all for relationships with their pupils
BEAT HAY FEVER FOR FREE!
Relieve symptoms and put a spring back in your step without spending a penny
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on cigarettes, bras and toilet habits
HOLIDAY DEALS
Bag a bargain this summer with these amazing summer destinations
DINNERS FOR DIETERS!
Healthy eating is easy with these hearty midweek meals