The below was submitted by us for an American Airlines comp. Question: "Whether you are climbing a mountain or climbing the ladder of success in the business world, the journey can be filled with challenges. Describe in an essay your journey and what you see or expect to see once you reach the summit". Winner gets 2 million miles or something.
In all the years I was logging 50,000 miles or more in the name of commerce and my end-of-year bonus, I never considered myself a road warrior. Many of my fellow high-flying travellers did – you could tell by the way they talked about the best terminals for shopping, how to minimise liquids for checked baggage and which shoes to wear through security checks. But I knew my feet never really touched the ground. How can you complain if your worst problem, aside from lack of sleep, is a slow wi-fi connection in the airport lounge while you await your overnight flight to Asia featuring a flat bed, champagne and menu of 20 movies that you didn't have time to see with your spouse at home?
This year, that all changed. I became a real road warrior – alongside my husband – taking off around the world with our three children. Our purpose was to reach for less. Less stress, less pressure, less stuff. The challenge of a real warrior? The five-five-five: Embarking on on a five-month trip with enough clothes to last a family of five just five days – then getting the laundry done no matter where you are before the kids run out of underwear.
Our journey began with a desire to experience an alternative to our everyday corporate and suburban routine – to step off the treadmill and abandon the rat race. We aimed to create our own sojourn, and reinvent ourselves. Talk about a mountain to climb. We had about 10.
What to do? How to get there? How to pay for it? What about the kids' school? Where would we sleep? Eat? How about the house? The bills? The cars? At first the questions seemed overwhelming. But like that clever Chinese saying goes: a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Our first step was to find something we could do together, as a family, that filled us with passion and excitement.
After much discussion, internet searching and quite a few phone calls, we decided we would volunteer as a family on an ecological kibbutz in Israel for six weeks. Travelling to Israel fulfilled our desire to experience another culture and language, while keeping our kids safely in a developed country. Volunteering on an eco program spoke to our interest in learning more about sustainable living. And working and living on a kibbutz offered the opportunity to experience a communal lifestyle, as well as full-time outdoor (read non-corporate) work.
Other than the travel to Israel, we also wanted to get to San Francisco to see our new niece, stop by New York and Chicago to visit family and friends, and to revisit Bali where my husband had been 20 years before.
With these kernels of an idea, we went to the travel agent. And there we connected the dots.
Our round-the-world tickets on the OneWorld alliance network took us everywhere we wanted to go. So long as we kept travelling in the same direction around the globe from home, we could go anywhere. We used a combination of Qantas, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Royal Jordanian Airlines to literally go around the world, covering 31,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Hong Kong and Bali, flying over Asia to Israel and crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. American Airlines handled the domestic parts of the trip, even flying into JFK airport in New York but out of Newark so we could spend a nostalgic weekend at the Jersey shore. The itinerary was complex, but it worked.
Once we had the vision and a travel plan, it was amazing how easily everything else fell into place. We rented our house, sold some shares and gathered our savings. I took a leave of absence from work; my husband quit. Talked to the school and bought some home-schooling workbooks. Signed up for automatic bill payment and recruited friends to monitor the mail and drive the cars. And then we were gone.
The trip – the experience – was fabulous, of course. Though I anticipated with dread the long hauls across oceans, it was actually fine. The kids slept, and thought it was just grand that they could watch as many movies as they wanted. Our time on Kibbutz Lotan in the middle of the Negev desert was everything we wanted, and changed completely our view of our role as keepers of the natural world. Travelling through Israel is a wonderful combination of the great outdoors and living museum in a family-friendly environment – I would recommend it to anyone. And the rest of the trip was just great fun.
Though many expected our kids to represent the biggest challenge of our trip, this was not the case. They loved the time with us, and the people we met along the way. Careful planning to include kid-oriented and educational activities was important – with an added benefit of taking us off the beaten track. There were meltdowns and arguments, no question. But one of the best things about being on the road for so long is that downtime was a luxury we could easily afford when needed.
As it turned out, the biggest challenge of the journey was in deciding to do it. I didn't know it at the time, but we reached the summit that day at the travel agency when we bought our airline tickets, and could not turn back. For me, deliberately giving up the security of a job and a home and a community – that was my mountain. And the view from the top was more beautiful than I could have imagined.
As I write, the family tour of 2010 is nearing its end. The next, probably greater challenge is going to be making permanent changes to our lives and lifestyles based on what this year has taught us about ourselves, our world and what we know to be true. Everest awaits.
The competition also asked us to list 9 essential tools we would bring along in our backpack.
Laptop with wifi – critical for researching destinations, booking rooms, downloading photos, planning the weeks, recording experiences and keeping the blog updated.
Cell phone – with purchase of local SIM card in-country. Cheap communication locally and to home; especially useful when internet connections are scarce.
Digital camera with video capability – self explanatory! Once in a lifetime memories.
A multi-use battery charger and multi-country adaptor. Keeps all the electronics charged with less cords and weight.
Pre-determined budget and an eye for value. Example is the Israeli national park pass for unlimited family entry into all national historic sites for US$100. Another is web sites for short-term apartment rentals by owners. Free wifi in cafes is the secret joy of all travellers on a budget.
Guidebook, local map and sense of direction. Striking the balance between planning and spontaneity is an art.
A sense of humour and open mind. Try everything and talk to everyone – if it doesn't work, what have you lost? The characters you meet and moments gone awry become the strongest memories.
Pen and paper – the best single tool to keep kids quietly entertained.
A pair of very good walking shoes, and sunblock. Get out there and enjoy Mother Earth.
Here are some messages from JSC: We miss you! You come back soon. I miss Elinor! Hi Elinor. I want to see you. How much time have you been gone for? Has Jake grown much?
Well it isn't long until you are all back in sunny Australia (ha!). This term has gone really fast, and we have been busy doing lots of great and fun things. We still have your postcards on our notice board!
See you very soon.
PS, We are not quite sure what is going on in the photo of Arron wearing the mask and eating a bun?!
About the mask thing... In Hong Kong they have lots of diseases so people wear masks so the disease does not spread. My dad did not have a disease and he was just joking around. He was trying to work out how you eat if you wear a mask. He was eating a tuna bun.
I've been gone for almost 5 months. I will be back at the beginning of term 4. Yes jake has grown a lot and he has started walking a bit.
I miss you all too. I love getting so many messages on the blog. Bye, Love Elinor.
We're loving Hong Kong. What a great place.
ReplyDeleteThe below was submitted by us for an American Airlines comp.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: "Whether you are climbing a mountain or climbing the ladder of success in the business world, the journey can be filled with challenges. Describe in an essay your journey and what you see or expect to see once you reach the summit".
Winner gets 2 million miles or something.
In all the years I was logging 50,000 miles or more in the name of commerce and my end-of-year bonus, I never considered myself a road warrior. Many of my fellow high-flying travellers did – you could tell by the way they talked about the best terminals for shopping, how to minimise liquids for checked baggage and which shoes to wear through security checks. But I knew my feet never really touched the ground. How can you complain if your worst problem, aside from lack of sleep, is a slow wi-fi connection in the airport lounge while you await your overnight flight to Asia featuring a flat bed, champagne and menu of 20 movies that you didn't have time to see with your spouse at home?
ReplyDeleteThis year, that all changed. I became a real road warrior – alongside my husband – taking off around the world with our three children. Our purpose was to reach for less. Less stress, less pressure, less stuff. The challenge of a real warrior? The five-five-five: Embarking on on a five-month trip with enough clothes to last a family of five just five days – then getting the laundry done no matter where you are before the kids run out of underwear.
Our journey began with a desire to experience an alternative to our everyday corporate and suburban routine – to step off the treadmill and abandon the rat race. We aimed to create our own sojourn, and reinvent ourselves. Talk about a mountain to climb. We had about 10.
What to do? How to get there? How to pay for it? What about the kids' school? Where would we sleep? Eat? How about the house? The bills? The cars? At first the questions seemed overwhelming. But like that clever Chinese saying goes: a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Our first step was to find something we could do together, as a family, that filled us with passion and excitement.
After much discussion, internet searching and quite a few phone calls, we decided we would volunteer as a family on an ecological kibbutz in Israel for six weeks. Travelling to Israel fulfilled our desire to experience another culture and language, while keeping our kids safely in a developed country. Volunteering on an eco program spoke to our interest in learning more about sustainable living. And working and living on a kibbutz offered the opportunity to experience a communal lifestyle, as well as full-time outdoor (read non-corporate) work.
Other than the travel to Israel, we also wanted to get to San Francisco to see our new niece, stop by New York and Chicago to visit family and friends, and to revisit Bali where my husband had been 20 years before.
With these kernels of an idea, we went to the travel agent. And there we connected the dots.
Our round-the-world tickets on the OneWorld alliance network took us everywhere we wanted to go. So long as we kept travelling in the same direction around the globe from home, we could go anywhere. We used a combination of Qantas, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Royal Jordanian Airlines to literally go around the world, covering 31,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Hong Kong and Bali, flying over Asia to Israel and crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. American Airlines handled the domestic parts of the trip, even flying into JFK airport in New York but out of Newark so we could spend a nostalgic weekend at the Jersey shore. The itinerary was complex, but it worked.
ReplyDeleteOnce we had the vision and a travel plan, it was amazing how easily everything else fell into place. We rented our house, sold some shares and gathered our savings. I took a leave of absence from work; my husband quit. Talked to the school and bought some home-schooling workbooks. Signed up for automatic bill payment and recruited friends to monitor the mail and drive the cars. And then we were gone.
The trip – the experience – was fabulous, of course. Though I anticipated with dread the long hauls across oceans, it was actually fine. The kids slept, and thought it was just grand that they could watch as many movies as they wanted. Our time on Kibbutz Lotan in the middle of the Negev desert was everything we wanted, and changed completely our view of our role as keepers of the natural world. Travelling through Israel is a wonderful combination of the great outdoors and living museum in a family-friendly environment – I would recommend it to anyone. And the rest of the trip was just great fun.
Though many expected our kids to represent the biggest challenge of our trip, this was not the case. They loved the time with us, and the people we met along the way. Careful planning to include kid-oriented and educational activities was important – with an added benefit of taking us off the beaten track. There were meltdowns and arguments, no question. But one of the best things about being on the road for so long is that downtime was a luxury we could easily afford when needed.
As it turned out, the biggest challenge of the journey was in deciding to do it. I didn't know it at the time, but we reached the summit that day at the travel agency when we bought our airline tickets, and could not turn back. For me, deliberately giving up the security of a job and a home and a community – that was my mountain. And the view from the top was more beautiful than I could have imagined.
As I write, the family tour of 2010 is nearing its end. The next, probably greater challenge is going to be making permanent changes to our lives and lifestyles based on what this year has taught us about ourselves, our world and what we know to be true. Everest awaits.
The competition also asked us to list 9 essential tools we would bring along in our backpack.
ReplyDeleteLaptop with wifi – critical for researching destinations, booking rooms, downloading photos, planning the weeks, recording experiences and keeping the blog updated.
Cell phone – with purchase of local SIM card in-country. Cheap communication locally and to home; especially useful when internet connections are scarce.
Digital camera with video capability – self explanatory! Once in a lifetime memories.
A multi-use battery charger and multi-country adaptor. Keeps all the electronics charged with less cords and weight.
Pre-determined budget and an eye for value. Example is the Israeli national park pass for unlimited family entry into all national historic sites for US$100. Another is web sites for short-term apartment rentals by owners. Free wifi in cafes is the secret joy of all travellers on a budget.
Guidebook, local map and sense of direction. Striking the balance between planning and spontaneity is an art.
A sense of humour and open mind. Try everything and talk to everyone – if it doesn't work, what have you lost? The characters you meet and moments gone awry become the strongest memories.
Pen and paper – the best single tool to keep kids quietly entertained.
A pair of very good walking shoes, and sunblock. Get out there and enjoy Mother Earth.
Hi Elinor and family!
ReplyDeleteHere are some messages from JSC: We miss you! You come back soon. I miss Elinor! Hi Elinor. I want to see you. How much time have you been gone for? Has Jake grown much?
Well it isn't long until you are all back in sunny Australia (ha!). This term has gone really fast, and we have been busy doing lots of great and fun things. We still have your postcards on our notice board!
See you very soon.
PS, We are not quite sure what is going on in the photo of Arron wearing the mask and eating a bun?!
Bye,
Love JSC
Hi JSC from Elinor..... and family....
ReplyDeleteAbout the mask thing...
In Hong Kong they have lots of diseases so people wear masks so the disease does not spread.
My dad did not have a disease and he was just joking around. He was trying to work out how you eat if you wear a mask. He was eating a tuna bun.
I've been gone for almost 5 months. I will be back at the beginning of term 4. Yes jake has grown a lot and he has started walking a bit.
I miss you all too. I love getting so many messages on the blog.
Bye,
Love Elinor.